Diane Botta, LCSW
Message from Diane
I work with individuals seeking to shift how they think about themselves and the world around them, individuals looking to clarify their values, individuals looking to strengthen their ability to create boundaries and communicate needs and preferences, and individuals looking to find more meaning and fulfillment in their lives. We often develop stubborn, fixed beliefs about ourselves that result in feeling poorly about our options. My goal and purpose is to assist in shifting thought patterns that are not helpful and to provide hope and a new outlook to my clients. A graduate of Columbia University, I am deliberate about asking questions that will challenge your perspective, an intervention also known as socratic questioning. When working with clients I often explore family dynamics, intergenerational themes, inherited beliefs, strategies for getting needs met and models for emotional expression. I thrive when getting to the root of an issue and assisting clients to see themselves and others differently. I have always been interested in people’s stories and the power that they hold; it’s the stories that we tell ourselves that shape who we become. It is my objective to empower clients on the journey of discovering and re-writing these narratives.
About Diane's practice
Weekdays After 5pm
Weekdays 9am - 5pm
$$$
Sliding scale
Directive
Reflective
In-person available: No
Virtual available: Yes
Self-Reflection
Anxiety
Cultural Competence
Recently moved
Career-Related Stress
Life Transitions
Depression
Aetna
UMR
Oscar
United / Oxford
Oxford
Optum
NY + 1 more
Why state matters
Get to Know Diane
What degrees do you have and what techniques are you trained in?
I have a BA in Psychology and Anthropology from Columbia University and an MSW from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. I received additional training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing through the Thrive NYC Mental Health Service Corps. Independently, I also sought out training in Cognitive Processing Therapy and Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy.
What led you to become a mental healthcare practitioner?
A long-standing interest in cross-cultural psychology drives and informs my work. Growing up in South Brooklyn, I was surrounded by the sounds of Mandarin, Russian, Yiddish, Korean, Hindi, Spanish, Italian, Georgian, Turkish, Greek, and Arabic, among many others. From an early age I was intensely curious about other cultures and how they differed from my own. While an undergraduate at Columbia University, I chose to study both Psychology and Anthropology, as I felt that the two disciplines were inseparable; I believe that we cannot truly understand a person’s habits, choices, and patterns of thinking unless we understand where they are situated. A chance encounter with an explosion near Grand Central Station during this time helped me understand the impact of trauma first-hand and sent me down the path of seeking to understand how to heal it as a result.
What is unique about the work you do, or how have you found your work to be different than your colleagues'?
A thinker as well as a feeler, I enjoy challenging my clients to think about situations differently. I am deliberate about asking questions in sessions that will open up deeper layers of conversation and provide opportunities to challenge your perspective, an intervention also known as socratic questioning. I utilize an integrative approach in my work, drawing from psychodynamic, cognitive, family systems and humanistic philosophies and I believe that therapy should provide clients with tangible tools to make real changes in their lives. In our work together we will explore your values, family dynamics, intergenerational themes, inherited beliefs, strategies for getting needs met and models for emotional expression and coping. We will work to challenge existing negative core beliefs that you may hold as well as discover your relationship to boundaries in different areas of your life. I am partial to evidence-based interventions and tend to utilize elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (MCP) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) with most clients. However, as a clinical social worker, I believe that one’s environment and broader social context is important to consider as well.