Therapy
Adult Services
The Karen Horney Clinic provides therapeutic services for people with a wide range of emotional and mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, psychosomatic disorders, phobias, personality problems, sleep disturbance, obsessive compulsive disorder, family problems, stage of life issues, post-traumatic stress to mention only a few.
The treatment provided is geared towards alleviating suffering from distressing psychological symptoms, helping people change characteristic and self-defeating behaviors, assisting in adjusting to certain life circumstances, as well as in-depth exploration of underlying psychological processes from which much suffering emanates. In Horneyan tradition, emphasis is always placed on helping people get back on track towards growth, freedom, and self-realization
A spectrum of therapies ranging from counseling and support through deeper and more intense psychodynamic therapy and psychoanalysis is offered. Some patients will also receive additional medication therapy when indicated. The type, frequency, and length of treatment is always determined on an individual and collaborative basis between therapist and patient, however therapy generally takes place at a minimum of once per week.
The Clinic offers confidential treatment for trauma, stress, and violence-related emotional problems for people of all ages. Violence and severe trauma such as accidents, illness, death of a loved one, incest and abuse and other stressful life events can cause intense anxiety, depression, anger, phobias, obsessions, physical ailments, isolation, helplessness, and even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.Patients in treatment at the Clinic have been survivors of various types of crimes and experienced traumatic events including: rape, assault, mugging, bias-related incidents, domestic violence, sexual harassment, illness (including HIV), and accidents.
The Karen Horney Clinic was one of the first programs to offer comprehensive long-term psychodynamically-oriented treatment for survivors of incest, sexual and physical abuse, and family violence. The loss of childhood innocence is a tragic consequence of incest and child abuse and can lead to long-lasting devastating effects which may result in depression, anxiety, shame, guilt, low self-esteem, and interpersonal conflicts for victims. Therapy provides adults with a safe environment in which to discuss the impact of past trauma on their current lives. Treatment helps survivors find the courage and inner strength to decrease anxiety and develop a new way of living not dominated by the traumatic event.
The adjustment to student life in a demanding academic environment away from home compounds many challenges that evoke stress and anxiety in students. This is particularly applicable to students in New York City where the pace of life is significantly faster than that of other urban and rural areas. During this period of life college students may experience depression, anxiety, alcohol or drug use or misuse, roommate and friendship stress, academic anxieties, family problems, or suicidal thoughts. The Karen Horney Clinic supports college counseling centers in their effort to provide optimal care for students. Students will be able to find support in short and long term individual therapy aimed at stabilizing the student’s mental health in order to cope with college life effectively. Psychiatric consultation and medication is available to those in need.
Childhood and adolescence are characterized by problems and challenges, which may be confusing, exciting, and frightening. Children, adolescents, and their adult caregivers often experience difficulty understanding and coping with problems which may accompany developmental changes. The Karen Horney Clinic provides therapy and support for children, adolescents, and adult caregivers during these challenging times in development. We emphasize early intervention in cases of childhood problems including: School failure, violence, parent-child issues, bullying, cyber bullying and social network abuses, behavioral disturbances, depression, anxiety, and drug and alcohol abuse.
The Clinic also addresses and helps to prevent damaging psychological effects on children who were removed from their parents for abuse and neglect and placed in Foster Care. Of course, the problems experienced by children and adolescents are as diverse as the children themselves. The highly individualized treatment designed for each child and family recognizes and responds to the various elements in each subculture and environment. The Clinic uses individual and family therapy to restore self-confidence and a sense of basic security to the child. Early intervention helps overcome problems in early development and goes far towards avoiding problems in later life. Medication is sometimes prescribed.