Lucy Prager, LCSW
Message from Lucy
Feelings carry valuable information. They are an essential part of who you are. Because feelings can be difficult to face, many of us have learned to avoid them or push them away, or to escape using addictions that allow us to numb the pain. By exploring challenges and conflicts in the safety of my office, I hope to help you develop compassion toward yourself and to learn what might be getting in the way of improving your connections with others. I offer a deeper, psychodynamic approach to psychotherapy. Taking note of what happens between you and I can sometimes help us explore some of the issues that may be occurring in other relationships. I am also a trained trauma therapist in EMDR training (eye movement desensitization) and have found that working experientially to reprocess traumatic feelings. I have a particular focus in EMDR on treating damage sustained from early childhood attachment issues and have found that EMDR can enable rapid relief and progress in therapy. I also am well versed in Schema therapy to help identify maladaptive schemas that may have been learned in childhood that are no longer serving you. I have a great deal of experience treating personality disorders and in helping you to work with family members or colleagues who may have this diagnosis: I’ve been trained to use DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy). I understand how painful and destructive this condition can be to live with.
About Lucy's practice
Weekdays After 5pm
Weekdays 9am - 5pm
Weekdays Before 9am
$$
Directive
Reflective
In-person available: Yes
Virtual available: Yes
Anger
Vulnerability
Commitment Obstacles
Performance Anxiety
Depression
Anxiety
Self-Esteem
Trauma
Cigna
Aetna
NY
Why state matters
Get to Know Lucy
"I’ve gained the chance to be more reflective during sessions with you. I've always thought I’ve been self aware….but a lot of the questions you ask me while we’re talking are questions I would not have asked myself previously."
Current patient , Client
"I have worked with Lucy for over 10 years. She is supportive and always willing to help even when I have been extremely difficult and in extreme emotional distress. She helps me when I have had questions and answers my calls and texts in a timely manner. She is not afraid to try new processes with me and encourages or pushes me when necessary. She has helped me to overcome some extreme challenges with patience and kindness."
Lorraine Simmons, Client
"Ms. Lucy Prager is a warm, empathetic and highly skilled Clinician. Her integration of psychoanalysis, psychodynamic theory, DBT, and aspects of CBT offers a nurturing matrix that facilitates growth. Ms. Prager's business background expertly informs her clinical work. As such, clients are availed of the opportunity to develop professionally, as well as personally. As a trusted colleague, I have valued ongoing opportunities to collaborate, and recommend Ms. Prager with pleasure."
Dr. Peregrine Kavros, Colleague
"Amazing, sharp, effective, compassionate and genuine therapist, who actively listened to me for six years at The Postgraduate Center for Mental Health, she provided the support, love, patience, and guidance I needed to accomplish three of the most challenging goals in my life. I will love her forever! Lucy is Top Of The Line!"
Awilda Rodriquez, Client
Have you received any particular training beyond your post-Bachelor's training?
I have had a great deal of post-graduate training. I spent a total of nine years in psychodynamic training at both New York Psychoanalytic Society and the Psychoanalytic institute affilated with NYU medical school and I have studied the Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy and have taken Jon Kabat-Zinn's course in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. I also have studied Jeff Young's Schema therapy which I incorporate into my work as well as Dielectical Behavioral Therapy. I also have an MBA and had a background in business before I became a therapist. After studying EMDR for five years, I am certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Densensitization) an evidenced based modality proven to reduce trauma.
Where did you work before going into private practice?
I have an MBA from Columbia Business School and worked in pharmaceutical marketing before I started my private practice. After graduating from social work school, I worked for eight years at a mental health clinic while studying psychoanalytic theory at New York Psychoanalytic Institute. Subsequently, I started my private practice while attending seven years of postgraduate training at the Psychoanalytic Association of New York affiliated with NYU Department of Psychiatry.
Do you assign homework, activities, or readings for me to do between sessions? Why or why not?
I will ask you to complete a schema test or DBT exercise for homework if I feel the approach is warranted. If possible, I ask that you try and remember your dreams as they can offer insight into what you may be going through unconsciously. I may suggest that you practice mindfulness meditation techniques, or ask you to imagine positive resources between sessions if you are working with past trauma.
How participatory are you during sessions?
I try to listen more than I speak and since I'm trained psychodynamically, I know the importance of encouraging that you express a free flow of ideas during sessions. However, some people prefer that I offer structure and guidance as to how sessions and our work together can be most effective. Many patients have commented that they appreciate my being more active if they are at a loss for how to move forward during a session.
How will our relationship be different than relationships I have with friends/loved ones?
You need not be concerned with pleasing me or keeping me comfortable as the session is for you. With friends or loved ones, you may feel pressured to reciprocate or meet their needs. You are coming to my office to talk about your feelings and receive support and guidance. The relationship that forms between you and me gives me insight to some of the challenges and complexities that might be occurring in your relationships outside of therapy. I use this perspective to help you gain insight and if necessary make changes.
What are your policies and practices around insurance?
I am happy to put claims through to insurance companies if it helps you as I have access to an electronic billing system and I am well versed in what insurance companies need.
Do you have experience (5-10 years+) working with any types of obstacles or people in particular?
I have a lot of experience working with personality disorder traits both in patients I work with and in family members and close friends with personality disorders and the challenges that may arise.
How much do you share about yourself during our time together and why?
I share if I feel my personal experience could be helpful to our clinical relationship. I do feel that our common humanity can be very connecting and reassuring. Sometimes personal experience can offer helpful feedback to a given challenge.
What led you to become a mental healthcare practitioner?
The older of my two children had a lot of challenges in his early years. As a mother, I worked hard to make sure he was supported in every way possible so we could emphasize his strong qualities while offering him help and guidance in areas he needed. There were many social workers and therapists that helped me along the way and as I realized I wanted to give back I decided to change careers and never looked back. Other than having children, this work has been among the most rewarding parts of my life.
If I have never been to therapy before, what should I expect? How do I know if I should go, and how do I start?
I am a great believer in trying a session or two to see whether there is a natural and easy fit between therapists and patient. One way that I differ from some of my colleagues is that I adapt my approach depending on the needs of the individual I'm working with, as I realize some patients may need more structure or have difficulty opening up.
What is the best part of the work for you?
I love the work that I do. I feel extraordinarily lucky to be able to work which I find challenging and rewarding while also facilitating growth.
What is unique about the work you do, or how have you found your work to be different than your colleagues'?
My patients tell me that they know that I care and it comes through. If part of the work is helping patients to have more compassion for themselves and be more self accepting, sometimes they require some modeling and for their therapist to offer a sense of hope about the future.