Alexandra Kavanaugh, LCAT
Message from Alexandra
“Being human is not hard because you’re doing it wrong, it’s hard because you’re doing it right” - Glennon Doyle Being human in today’s world can be overwhelming. Given daily pressures from all of our personal and professional responsibilities and the unstable nature of our lives, it becomes easy to feel consumed with anxiety, worry, anger and frustration, or even numbness. Entering therapy is taking a GIANT first step in what can feel like a vulnerable journey. And I’m happy to wade into the swampland of the soul with you as we co-create a safe and trusting environment. My role is to act as your guide in exploring your past and present with empathy to help you to develop insight, feel entitled to all of your feelings, and establish a more empowered future for yourself. Our therapeutic relationship will be a collaborative approach. We’ll start by meeting you where you’re at and getting to know your strengths and struggles, and what you want to get out of therapy. My style is warm, supportive, nonjudgmental, and playful, but I will challenge you when the time is right. I’m a drama therapist, but don’t be afraid! I practice traditional talk therapy, while I use my background to inform my thinking and interventions. As our journey progresses, I may present you with an opportunity to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in new creative ways, but this is always optional! My experience includes working with substance use disorders, autism spectrum disorder, mental illness, anxiety, depression, trauma, and eating disorders. During our work together, my goal is to help you address self-destructive thoughts and behaviors in order to develop healthier coping tools and strengthen self-esteem, so you can live your best life!
About Alexandra's practice
Weekends After 5pm
Weekdays 9am - 5pm
Weekends 9am - 5pm
Weekdays After 5pm
$$$
Sliding scale
Reflective
Body-based
In-person available: Yes
Virtual available: Yes
Depression
Anxiety
Eating Disorder
Addiction and Substance Use
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Self-Esteem
Codependency
Grief and Bereavement
Out of network providers
NY
Why state matters
Get to Know Alexandra
What is unique about the work you do, or how have you found your work to be different than your colleagues'?
What I believe makes me unique as a therapist is my creativity and spontaneity with you in the room. While your needs and comfort level always come first, I'm not afraid to suggest creative interventions or activities to try together that I believe could help you express yourself in new and unconventional ways and develop important insights, that may have been difficult to arrive at just by talking. For example, you may say something that I may respond to with an image, story, or metaphor, that we can then play with as we continue to explore. If you are having relationship issues, I may invite you to engage in role play. I will always encourage you to be brave and try something new, while simultaneously respecting your needs and readiness.
How participatory are you during sessions?
I'm as participatory as you need and want me to be. If you need the whole session to vent your thoughts and feelings, that's perfectly fine. If you need me to provide more structure, and desire homework or journaling assignments between sessions, we can go in that direction as well. My participation level in your sessions is entirely based on YOUR NEEDS.
Are there any philosophies or values that inform your work that I should know about?
I believe that all therapy (and most forms of recovery) are not just about wanting to feel better; they are processes meant to help YOU get better at feeling. At first, this is not always comfortable or pleasant, because learning how to sit with life's more challenging emotions can be very scary. But I can promise that I will sit in that dark scary place with you and remind you that you are not alone down there.