Aitia Counseling

12/22/2025

Change and wisdom require bravery; they ask us to let go of the coping mechanisms that have kept us safe for so long. We can often trick ourselves into avoidance by waiting for the ‘right’ moment—a break from work, a New Year’s resolution. Horace reminds us that because there is no ‘right’ time, every time is right. The holidays leading up to the new year can be rich with opportunities for self reflection, observance of old attitudes, and receiving feedback from others. Don’t be a bumpkin!


-SN

12/10/2025

Welcome Marine!
Marine holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Communication with a minor in Neuroscience, and a MA in Mental Health from Columbia University. Her therapeutic approach combines the strengths of REBT (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy), Existential Therapy, and Gestalt techniques to create a holistic, tailored approach that aligns with your unique needs and goals.
Marine says:
“Life can feel overwhelming at times, and struggling with doubts and challenges make it hard to reach our full potential. These struggles can lead to uncomfortable feelings, impacting our relationships, work, and personal well-being. I believe that everyone deserves a space where they can explore these feelings without judgment, find clarity, and learn to navigate life with greater confidence.
I specialize in sports performance and art performance, drawing from both my professional training and personal experience as a former athlete. I deeply understand the pressures associated with high-level achievement and competition, as well as the anxiety and isolation that often accompany these demands. My approach focuses on helping individuals navigate the mental and emotional challenges of performance, fostering resilience, and promoting overall well-being.
I’m bilingual (fluent in French), and bring a unique perspective to therapy, shaped by my Belgian roots and upbringing in the culturally rich environment of Mauritius Island. I’m able to connect with clients from a wide range of cultural experiences and backgrounds, providing a compassionate and informed approach to therapy.
My goal as a therapist is to create a safe, supportive environment where you feel heard, understood, and validated. Together, we’ll work to uncover the underlying causes of your struggles and build the tools necessary for you to create a healthier, more fulfilled life. I will encourage you to explore new perspectives, challenge limiting beliefs, and embrace growth, all while fostering self-acceptance and self-advocacy.
If you’re ready to take the first step toward building a healthier, more fulfilling future, I am here to walk with you every step of the way.“

Welcome to the team, Marine!
-SN

12/03/2025

A warm welcome to Valentina!

Valentina (MA, MHC-LP) has had the ability to connect with people and help them open up about their problems from a young age. After quite a long journey as a lawyer and mediator, she realized that her true passion was in the counseling room. Between her home country and her current practice in New York, Valentina has been a therapist for over five years. She offers therapy in both English and Spanish.

She says: “Therapy is like holding up an imaginary mirror to your thoughts and behaviors. I am here to reflect back to you what I see, so you can gain a new perspective and insight into yourself.
Together, we can explore the underlying issues that may be holding you back and find practical solutions to help you move forward. Much of our thinking and behavior is shaped by our upbringing, culture, and experiences.
But just as we learn these patterns, we can unlearn them and create new, healthier ways of thinking and behaving that align with our values and the life we want to lead.
I have experience working with individuals in competitive and stressful environments, as well as those dealing with family and relationship issues. Additionally, I have worked with Hispanic communities.
I also have significant experience with people struggling with anxiety and depression. It would be a privilege to be part of your story.”

Welcome, Valentina!



-SN

11/18/2025

Self-trust is just as rewarding as trust in others, but it is also just as frightening. So often we doubt our perspectives, our judgements, and our emotions. We filter each impression through what we think we should be experiencing, and forget to listen to what we are. When we learn to slow down and trust our experience, we learn that it’s there for a reason. We still reality-check ourselves, and we trust this check as well. Only when we take ourselves seriously can we begin to learn from our experiences. Instead of saying to ourselves “I shouldn’t feel like this,” we can ask: “if I assume I’m feeling this way for a reason, what might that reason be?”

-SN

11/03/2025

Fromm’s text “The Art of Loving” reminds us that love is both the most difficult and the most affirming action we can take. He details the ways in which giving, described here as necessitating courage, is not the sacrificial martyrdom implied in the phrase “giving up”. The courageous lover “gives of that which is alive in him; he gives him of his joy, of his interest, of his understanding, of his knowledge, of his humor, of his sadness… In thus giving of his life, he enriches the other person, he enhances the other’s sense of aliveness by enhancing his own sense of aliveness… In truly giving, he cannot help receiving that which is given back to him.” This gift of one’s own aliveness, and the faith that giving of it multiplies it rather than depletes it, is Fromm’s notion of real love.

10/27/2025

Sarah Weprin, LMHC, brings a warm and open energy to her sessions. A q***r Jewish woman originally from the South, she empathizes with the feeling of straying outside of the status quo. Sarah collaborates with her clients to create a treatment plan that is unique to what each individual wants and needs. She is a certified trauma professional, and often takes a psychodynamic approach to her sessions, calling on methods such as Internal Family Systems, CBT, DBT, and Gestalt therapy when relevant. Welcome to the team Sarah!

10/18/2025

10/03/2025

Wisdom requires patience and curiosity as well as bravery, particularly when applied to our innermost selves.

10/03/2025

Modern neuroscience confirms this two thousand year old thought: our mind creates patterns by its thinking which become automated and affect the way we perceive and respond to the world. This can be disheartening, as when we consider all the years of unnecessary self-chastisement we’ve engaged in; it can also be encouraging, however, as each thought offers an opportunity to shift these patterns to more adaptive ones.

07/07/2025

Too often we see our emotions as senseless barriers to a rational, ordered life. Here, Pascal asks us to listen to our emotions even when we don’t understand them, taking them seriously as wise communications from ourselves to ourselves. In addition to asking “why do I feel this way?”, we can ask: “what is this feeling asking of me?”

-Sonia

10/12/2021

We've done a massive overhaul of our website. Please have a look!

www.aitiacounseling.com

We offer therapy online and in person (proof of vaccination required), and strive to make sure excellent treatment is not cost prohibitive or a clerical hassle, regardless of your insurance situation. If you don’t have out of network benefits, ask about our income-based sliding scale policy. (We a...