Susana Scotti, PhD. Licensed Psychologist

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Welcome to my private practice!

I’m so glad you are here. I know it can be really tough getting started with psychotherapy. You may worry “Will I be judged?”, “Am I normal?”, “Will it help?”. Know that it is normal, and therapy can help. I take the approach that human suffering is universal and can be reduced with the right support. While therapy can be uncomfortable and effortful, ultimately it is meant to be a constructive process, one that builds you up, not cuts you down (even at times when some deconstruction of old patterns is necessary).
I am passionate about helping people get the most out of life and am committed to providing quality, individualized services to meet your specific needs. I take a position of cultural humility, doing my best to think through all aspects of your identity that contribute to your life story. I see myself as a guide on your journey towards wholeness, vitality, and self-acceptance, helping to unblock and optimize your internal healing system and change your relationship to your inner world. My professional philosophy is to provide empathic, respectful, and quality care to the best of my abilities, with the goal of alleviating distress and increasing people’s sense of well-being. I put a good deal of care into my work and take my responsibilities seriously. Overall, my approach is warm, accepting, interactive and direct.

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist

I am a licensed psychologist in California (PSY #27173) and New York (PSY #025448), currently providing video-based services.  I obtained my Doctoral Degree in Clinical Psychology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, an APA accredited program. I have a Master’s Degree in Psychology from The City College of New York. 

I have extensive experience in outpatient psychotherapy, community mental health settings, integrated medical care settings, residential and outpatient substance and alcohol recovery programs, and college counseling settings. I am a generalist, providing therapy for adults experiencing a variety of issues, including recovery from trauma, anxiety, depression, stress and burnout, self-esteem difficulties, grief, chronic pain, adjustment to adult life, and substance recovery.

I use an integrative approach, tailored to the specific concerns of an individual, using more structured, skills-based approaches where needed, and weaving in-depth work where appropriate with clients that I think would benefit from that style. For individuals in recovery from alcohol and substance use disorders, I meet people where they are at, collaborating on your treatment plan, whether that be harm reduction or abstinence. Using mindfulness skills and attachment theory, we look to see how alcohol and substance use can take over in our attempt to cope and find healthy ways forward. 

I grew up in a Spanish-speaking household and I am bilingual in Spanish and English, so I am able to work with individuals who would like sessions in Spanish. 

More about concerns I work with and services I provide

Slow and steady, learn to be with whatever arises in your life

Concerns I work with include:

  • Depression
  • Anxiety, including panic attacks, specific phobia, social phobia and agoraphobia
  • Substance Use Issues (mild to moderate)
  • Adjustment Disorders and Bereavement
  • Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and trauma/Complex PTSD

View Treatment Approaches

I offer a wide array of treatment approaches aimed at improving your life

Psycho-dynamic and Insight Oriented

Traditional talk therapy looking at the root causes of our current life challenges and understanding how our attachment history can effect us in adulthood.

ACT

Acceptance
and Commitment
Therapy

Accept, Commit and Take Action. Discover how values based living and making room for inner experience can support engaging with life and creating a full and meaningful life.

DBT

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Learn four core skills of mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness skills to increase coping and decrease suffering.

CBT/
Schema Therapy

Understand how thoughts, feelings, sensations, and memories can be restructured to reduce distress and increase coping.

Emotion Focused and Internal Family Systems

Learn how we can work with parts of the self to drop protections that no longer work well for us through compassion and kindness. Learn visualization exercises that support change.

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

VR Therapy for clients with specific phobias through a virtual reality platform. You can access the platform with VR equipment at home. There are also options for Android and iPhone apps.

Life is a Journey

Let's Talk and Together Find What You Are Looking For

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