John Kaplan, LMHC
Message from John
My name is John Kaplan, I've been a working psychotherapist for over 25 years. My initial training was with Jules Roth, Director of Training at the Primal Institute in Los Angeles. I have since graduated Gestalt Asssociates For Psychotherapy here in NY, as well as Basic Training from the Parnell Institute in EMDR. I have also been a working playwright for 30 years; the focus on understanding as deeply as I can the lives of others (and myself!) and the need to live one's truth has informed the more organized and structured work I do as a therapist... I've found that over years of doing therapy the same basic human needs show in all their complexity- To want to love and be loved, to trust in one's own being in the world, to be able to connect to feeling in a way that may have been denied earlier in life. Helping people know themselves, know what they want in this world is the collaborative work I love to do...
About John's practice
Weekdays After 5pm
Weekdays 9am - 5pm
$$
Sliding scale
Reflective
Body-based
In-person available: No
Virtual available: Yes
Out of network providers
NY
Why state matters
Get to Know John
"If you are looking for a therapist who will really get you who can gently, effectively sort through conflicted emotions, unwanted behaviors and all the noise in your head, call John. Like talking with a wise friend, the dialogue is free-flowing and candid, always supportive, with surprising results. I find his humor and genuine commitment to my well being opens doors I was previously unaware were locked."
Jeff, Client
"Prior to working with John, I'd had numerous experiences with therapy and psychotherapists. Some of these were useful, and supportive, yet I'd never achieved anything resembling a true psychic and emotional shift. That changed quickly after I met John, yet the process was only beginning. The work we've done together is as deep as it gets, and goes beyond intellectualization and fancy concepts. It's work that requires not only a technically skilled therapist but one who has the empathic capacity to assure a client's trust as they explore feelings and get down to the root of things. The changes and growth I've experienced are immense. You couldn't ask for a better guide or advocate to assist you in doing the kind of emotional work that, to my experience, is necessary for true growth and recovery. I've come to see therapy as a bit of a creative enterprise, and John has been the ideal partner in that ongoing journey."
Sean, Client
"Carrying my own baggage into my first session with John, I was skeptical in believing therapy could help me. John made me feel completely comfortable in our sessions and a strong bond of trust was built over time. John is completely invested in the work he does and at the source of it, it's rooted in love. He is professional, smart, deeply caring and extremely patient and kind. I've never met another person like John, let alone a mental health professional. I am so grateful to John for helping me unpack years of trauma and pain and allowing me to live in peace in my daily life in a way I could have never imagined. Using a basketball analogy, John Kaplan is the best mental health "point guard" there is! Thank you for assissting me. Grateful each and every day! "
Emil, Client
"John's compassion is infectious and I always left my sessions feeling cared for. His is honest with his words, insightful, and easy to connect with. Through our work I was able to see how how my unresolved feelings associated with past experiences were influencing, and at times sabotaging my present day relationships, career choices and general outlook on life. He knew how to gently guide me to these unresolved feelings, and empowered me to express them in a way that resonated with my true inner experience. In the end he showed me what it means to love and be loved for being me. I carry that with me each and every day."
Dan, Client
"I entered therapy a couple of years ago to work through very early trauma from my childhood. One of the things I most needed was to find someone I could trust enough to help me through this process and that is exactly what I've found with John. He understands and respects the need for boundaries, both physically and emotionally, and it is because of this I've been able to open up about anything and everything with him to begin the healing process. There are still times when my pain makes me feel physically and emotionally unsafe but his understanding of how trauma affects us and because of his compassion for those who suffer he can respond in a safe and loving way which allowed me to feell it was safe to ask for what I needed during our sessions. I believe one of the most important qualities everyone needs in a therapist, especially when opening and trying to heal very old and deep wounds is trust. He understands this very well. Working with John has allowed me to understand my shame and pain by allowing me to experience my feelings in a safe and loving environment. Allowing me to feel what I needed to feel without fear of judgement was critical. John Kaplan is one of the most compassionate human beings I've ever had the privilege of knowing."
Tim, Client
"John is a wonderful and caring therapist who changed my life. I would not have a succesful marriage nor business if it wasn't for my work with him. John provides a comfortable and judgement free environment to not only discuss the challenges to everyday life, but to delve into deeper issues that hold us back from finding happiness. He gives you the tools to understand why you behave in certain ways or find fear in a given situation. John helps you learn the best way to navigate through this world in the manner that is most authentic to you."
Chrissa, Client
"My visits have been amazing. What I appreciate most is being able to go at my own pace while John lovingly walks me through."
Mia, Client
Are there any philosophies or values that inform your work that I should know about?
An answer in a nutshell that for me contains multitudes... Feeling our love for ourselves, each other and the world is the antidote to fear, hatred, prejudice, cruelty and the pain of having to disown our selves. That felt sense of love is also where our joy, committment courage, wisdom and just plain old fun come from. It happens through letting yourself feel your own truth. I do believe knowing yourself and the truth of your own experience leads to our natural state of loving; ourselves and each other...
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?
A teracher I had in my Gestalt Therapy training said it perfectly. If you are having the same problem over and over in your life you need therapy. When life is one damn thing after another and you're riding the waves pretty well, you don't need therapy anymore...
How participatory are you during sessions?
That is based on the needs of the client. Sometimes people need me to be very quiet; particularly if that person was never given room to be themselves; for other people it's my participating more that helps them process. In either case though, it's about being able to attune to what the client needs...
From your perspective, what is therapy?
I'll answer this question starting with an account of a news story I once read. I think it's a pretty good metaphor for how therapy can work- The story was this... A freighter sailing past a tiny island in the Pacific suddenly found itself under fire; it was peacetime, why were they being attacked? Turned out there were soldiers on the island who had been forgotten about, so no one had told them the war was over. This is a pretty good metaphor for how unresolved trauma from our past can be stored in our consciousness in a frozen-in-time sort of way; how the old wars we're still fighting can feel like they'll never end. If we live on that island we never get a chance to stop fighting... My job as a therapist can be coming to the shore of that person who was deeply forgotten in some way, to call their name to come out of the jungle where they've been alone, hiding, fighting a battle that was over a long time ago. I call them to break the good news, the war is over, they can come home to themselves... It's never that neat or easy, but I'd say calling people out of the jungle of their past to the shore of the present is my calling. And my calling is my job...