Laura McCarthy, LCSW
2153 Richmond Avenue
Staten Island, NewYork 10314
917 -929-2819
Education:
BSW and MSW - New York University
Post Graduate Family Therapy Training – Ackerman Institute
DBT Intensive Training – Behavioral Tech
Practice:
For nearly three decades, my career has been dedicated to working with children and families as a licensed clinician. My belief is that most people are committed to doing the best they can and that everyone has the capacity for change with the right support and skill. Therefore, my approach is to create a collaborative therapeutic process between myself and my clients to uncover their strengths, learn essential life skills, and enable them to resolve life challenges.
After many years of practice in various hospitals and community agencies, I pursued post-graduate training in family therapy at the Ackerman Institute in New York City. I have now been in private practice on Staten Island for 10 years specializing in children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems. I service clients with a wide range of diagnoses including depression, anxiety, ADHD, behavioral disturbance, and borderline personality disorder.
I draw from a cognitive-behavioral and family systems orientation to provide an integrated treatment approach. Most recently, my intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) has expanded my work to include high risk teens. When teens are in crisis, so are their families. DBT teaches the balance of acceptance and change as well as skillful behaviors to achieve emotion control. I teach these DBT skills and concepts to clients and their families in order to target problems and work toward building more fulfilling lives. I am also interested in adapting the DBT skills training with younger children who will benefit from this program.
My office setting is comfortable and inviting and well equipped for groups and therapeutic play. Finding a good therapist can be a daunting experience! I welcome you to call or email me for consultation to discuss your concerns and questions before scheduling an initial appointment.