Bryan Batista-Thomas, LCSW
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Message from Bryan
My style is marked by a deep openness to experience and a revisiting of emotions and memories in a nonjudgemental and collaborative environment allowing you a greater sense of freedom. In this jointly created space, we’ll work toward possible goals such as: stopping repetitive destructive behaviors, achieving satisfying relationships, and reaching your creative, emotional, and professional potential. I have post-graduate training in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and Eating Disorders, Compulsions, and Addictions, and am currently a psychoanalytic candidate at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR). I also have training in Performance Studies from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. I have lived, studied, and worked cross-culturally in Israel, Brazil, and Argentina. I speak Portuguese and English fluently, as well as Spanish and French.
About Bryan's practice
Weekdays After 5pm
Weekdays 9am - 5pm
Weekdays Before 9am
$$$
Sliding scale
Reflective
Body-based
In-person available: Yes
Virtual available: Yes
Infidelity
Sexual Identity
Creative Blocks
Existential Crisis or Transition
Personality Disorders
Artist-Related Stress
Sexual Fear or Addiction
Anxiety
OON only
NY + 3 more
Why state matters
Get to Know Bryan
"Bryan is smart [...] he is always resoundingly present and passionately engaged. When he speaks, his comments are incisive and grounding, betraying a thinker always at work. His questions reflect someone who is able to keep very complex material in mind while synthesizing and comparing it to his existing knowledge in interesting ways. A lively mind at work comes across in his commentary, and his contributions spark interesting conversations. "
AS, Colleague
"Bryan is exceptionally present, thoughtful and sensitive in his efforts toward understanding his patients. I believe the respect and compassion he offers toward patients' unique experiences is rare. He brings not only his whole self to his clinical work, but a depth of theoretical grounding and a dedication to ongoing learning in the field. And as far as personality goes, he is a pleasure to be around!"
IB, Colleague
Have you received any particular training beyond your post-Bachelor's training?
Master of Arts in Performance Studies, NYU Tisch School of the Arts; Psychoanalytic Candidate, Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR); Formation Program, Après-Coup Psychoanalytic Association; Eating Disorders, Compulsions, and Addictions & Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, the William Alanson White Institute; Parent-Infant Nonverbal Communication, with Beatrice Beebe, PhD; Argentine Model of Integrative Psychotherapy, Fundación AIGLÉ; Master of Social Work, NYU Silver School of Social Work
Where did you work before going into private practice?
I’ve worked in supervised visitation in family court. I’ve done community-based art therapy with orphan children in Argentina. Prior to becoming a psychotherapist, I worked in advertising and marketing in Brasil. For years I volunteered as an end-of-life doula visiting and shepherding isolated terminally ill individuals to their deaths both in their homes and in hospital.
Do you assign homework, activities, or readings for me to do between sessions? Why or why not?
Typically not. I might mention a book in passing if it seems relevant. I come from the mindset that you are always working in therapy. The healing that comes from therapy happens in life. I am just around to make slight course corrections. That is one of the reasons therapy takes time. A little course correction here, another there, suddenly! you’re in new territory (i.e. you’ve changed).
What is unique about the work you do, or how have you found your work to be different than your colleagues'?
My work is very experiential. Somehow the present, past, and future collapse into a moment and become what we’re experiencing in the moment. I also work with many people where other therapies have failed or only gotten mediocre results. I am skilled at working with people who have a diffuse sense of self or experience holes in their sense of self and experience.
How long should I commit to being in therapy, at least in the beginning?
Duration of treatment varies upon you and what you hope to achieve from the process. I work in an open-ended way and will provide you with my recommendation on duration, but it is ultimately up to you. Some people work with me nearly daily for years, while others come once a week for a few months. On the whole, I would recommend a minimum of six months with a minimum frequency of once a week. Over the course of treatment, we can check in where you are at in the process and see where you would like to move on from there.
How can you tell if I am benefiting from working with you?
The things you will talk about are less emotionally charged. You will have a more open disposition to yourself, others, and the process of therapy. You will see yourself in a new light with fresh opportunities in places where maybe it all seemed hopeless. Your bodily disposition will be more relaxed.
Is there ever a time when you would encourage me to leave or graduate? Or how do I know when it's time to end or move on, or time to stay and explore more?
For most people, therapy should not be lifelong. Along our journey together, if I feel you have made sufficient progress and we get the sense that the material is very circular and you are coming to the same conclusions and thoughts I am, then perhaps it is time for us to part ways. Sometimes, this appears like it is the case when in fact it’s the very thing you came to therapy struggling with! If that is the case, I will mention it and hope we’ll work together for more time to resolve it. Overall, we can consider parting ways when you can work, love, and have hobbies at a level you are satisfied with.
Are there any philosophies or values that inform your work that I should know about?
We are all attached to our stories. I try really hard to listen to everything you tell me but to stay clear about what's real and what's fantasy, and what is contemporary, historical, and a venture into the future. This is something that can be really hard to do for yourself; I'm an ally in helping you figure out the difference between the past and the present, fantasy and reality. My goal is to work alongside you, so you can discern what's actually happening, and so you can understand what, in your current circumstances, is a result of things that have happened previously; what's a result of things you are doing today; and what is actually happening.
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?
Your experience in therapy would be unique and special between you and me. I cannot predict how it will go. What I can tell you is that it is a deeply moving and meaningful process that is often riddled with doubts and ambivalences, and worries and fears. If you are considering going to therapy, then there is probably a splinter on your side that you are wanting to address and why not give it a shot! You know, just as much as we want to change, even the simplest, most positive change can be hard, disruptive, and challenging. As much as we might not like how things are, we are familiar with how they are, and change necessarily implies venturing forth into new territory. We often underestimate how threatening this can be - and how it can lead us to be attached to our troublesome patterns and behaviors, even as we want desperately to change them. There’s a seesaw feeling that happens throughout the entire course of therapy.
From your perspective, what is therapy?
As a whole, the process of revisiting memories, talking through things, and experiencing emotions in the present is the work of therapy. It’s the opportunity to experience yourself in a new way with someone else. One of the main outcomes of therapy is an ability to live your life more fully and freely.
How should I prepare for my first session with you?
Come as you are. No need to prepare anything.
How will our relationship be different than relationships I have with friends/loved ones?
Our relationship is bound by “the frame.” You can imagine a picture frame for the scene that we’re painting together. “The frame” is a bit defined. We have a mutually agreed upon fee, time and place to meet, and certain non-normalized conventions -- you speak and I mostly listen. But of course when I have something of value to say, I’ll say it! Because of the definition of “the frame” there’s infinite ways we can explore you as a unique person and work through what is troubling you at any given point in time.
How do you approach diversity in the room or working with clients who may come from a different background than you?
I come from the position of curiosity. Trying to understand the other person’s perspectives and unique relationship to the world, themselves, and me in the room with them. Having lived, studied, and worked, in Israel, Argentina and Brazil, I’ve experienced many moments of awkwardness that become exciting points of shared growth and learning.
What is the best part of the work for you?
The moment when a person realizes that all their hard work over the course of treatment has paid off and they have realized they’ve changed. It’s a special moment where the person is a little surprised, filled with joy, yearns for possibilities in the future, and experiences a tad of nostalgia for the way they use to be. It’s a special moment.
How can you tell if I am feeling stuck, unseen, or unheard?
If you're feeling stuck, I might notice that your body language sort of closes up and changes from its normal position. Maybe you’ll cross your arms or legs. Angle your body away from me. Your facial expressions might tighten and you might look away from me. Even the slightest shift in breaking eye contact during discussing something painful can imply you’re feeling unheard, unseen and maybe even stuck or perhaps that it’s all too overwhelming. These are really delicate moments that deserve special attention on my part.
What led you to become a mental healthcare practitioner?
Experiences living in Argentina and working in an orphanage doing art therapy solidified for me the power that human connection and empathy can have when supporting a person make changes in their lives. There’s something uniquely special about the therapeutic encounter—a kind of closeness and understanding not easily found in the outside world. Cultivating that space for someone so that they feel able to take a risk, perhaps for the first time in their lives, to change the course of their life led me to this work.
How much do you share about yourself during our time together and why?
I typically share very little about myself, especially when I’m just getting to know you. This is deliberate! Because I want to hear your voice. If I were to share about myself, I may be giving you information, but I'm taking away from you the opportunity to imagine your own version of the answer. The intention is for us to get to know you and share a space. That space that makes you a unique individual in the world.
How participatory are you during sessions?
I’m very mindful of my presence in the room with you. If I start noticing that you’re feeling like I’m distant and cold, I’ll talk more. Maybe even crack a joke - mine aren’t always the best, but I try. If I notice that my presence is bothering you or you’re a little overwhelmed, I’ll stop talking. I'm trying to understand your experience, and to notice when and how it's helpful for me to speak with you to optimize your comfort and offset that with your growth.