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"All psychological problems are at root spiritual issues - symptoms of disconnection from our deeper nature." This quote by John Welwood in The Psychology of Awakening, reflects how I work with people. I help them identify and embrace their own spiritual path (or area of strength) coupled with psychotherapy to make the changes they want to see in their lives as well as affirming the strength and resources they already have. |
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| About Me: I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, have board certified credentials in social work, and am a Board Certified Fellow in Clinical Hypnotherapy. I received my MSW in 1976 from Adelphi University, School of Social Work. I have 34 years experience as a psychotherapist, 20 as a hypnotherapist and 10 as an expert intuitive. I utilize psychodynamic psychotherapy with individuals, groups and couples as well as EMDR, hypnotherapy, modern psycho-energetic therapy, spiritual counseling and imaginal psychotherapy. I am an expert Intuitive and begin working with clients wherever they are in their understanding of their issues and life in general. I will do intuitive work by phone and occasionally psychotherapy. |
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PSYCHOTHERAPY I have been a psychotherapist for 35 years and was trained at Adelphi University. The major focus was Ego Psychology and the Systems approach. Everyone is interconnected, so no matter what we do, we influence others and are influenced by them. We work on taking responsibility for your own life choices by dealing with childhood wounds as well as issues that have arisen in your adult life. Most wounds have been the result of some significant relationship. We then heal those wounds through the power of our relationship. I have been exposed to many other therapeutic theories parts of which I have incorporated, including Jungian therapy where we work on integrating your “light” and “dark” sides so that you can become whole. I also do short-term, problem solving therapy, which is cognitively based. HYPNOTHERAPY I have been practicing Ericksonian Hypnotherapy for 20 years and see it as a wonderful modality to help people change. Some people want to change habits, recover memories or learn more about themselves. I’ve had a lot of success with phobias, especially dental and exam taking, helping someone through surgery or to deal with illnesses. Other issues that are helped by hypnosis are fear of public speaking, procrastination, stress, self-confidence and achieving goals of any type. The only limit to what we can treat with hypnosis is your imagination. I record the session so you can listen as often as needed to reinforce the messages. EMDR Developed by Francine Shapiro, PhD, EMDR is an information processing therapy meant to deal with traumatic events. After processing, clients generally report that the emotional distress related to the traumatic memory has been eliminated or greatly decreased. They have gained important cognitive insights. These emotional and cognitive changes usually result in spontaneous behavioral and personal changes, which are further enhanced with standard EMDR procedures. INTUITIVE READINGS I have been highly intuitive since I was a young child and I like to share this with other people. So what is a reading? I go deep inside myself in an altered state. I then create a “safe place” and ask you to identify your self and state your question. I report to you what I sense, which includes hearing, seeing, smelling, feeling and just becoming more aware. Often your own spirit guides will show up. People sometimes want to communicate with a loved one, who has passed on. I request that person’s presence and then relate what he or she says. I see people’s auras and how their chi (energy) flows and where it might be blocked. Sometimes I get past lives, but I do not predict the future. I do not do what has popularly been called channeling. I merely report to you what I hear and include you in the process. PSYCHO-ENERGETIC THERAPY You identify areas in your body where you experience discomfort or pain. By the use of color and your own energy, we highlight that area and begin to shift how your energy flows. This can be done with any disease or dis-ease. WEDDING OFFICIATION I am a wedding officiator and go through the entire process with you. There are 2-3 sessions for pre-marital counseling, so that we can identify possible problem areas and set up a strategy to address them. We then write your ceremony together, which is unique to you or we can use a standard ceremony. I attend your rehearsal and then officate at the wedding. IMAGINAL THERAPY We work together with images and dreams that occur to you. We also create images around issues you want to address. The process is somewhat like guided imagery where you do a journey to transform your life. I am your guide and help facilitate a positive outcome. SPIRITUAL COUNSELING If you want to work on enriching or creating a spiritual path, we accomplish that as part of psychotherapy or spiritual counseling alone. I help you develop your faith journey, whether it has a title or you are “just spiritual”. TRANSGENDER HEALTH I am a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). I use their protocol to work with people who are questioning their gender as well as folks who are contemplating transitioning. I have 15 years experience with this work, so have many therapeutic as well as pragmatic suggestions to share with my clients.
Leal
Abbott, LCSW, BCD License #LC9307
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