Hello! My name is Alisa Sawyer. I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York with over 7 years of counseling experience. I graduated with my Master’s from University at Albany and have worked in a variety of mental health settings. I am well versed in various treatment approaches and have extensive experience addressing a variety of concerns including depression, anxiety, dealing with life transitions, self-esteem issues, and relationship issues. Beyond my formal training, I believe the most important thing I bring as a counselor is my belief in being truly present and in tune with the person I am working with. My counseling style is integrative and pulls from a few different approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Transpersonal Therapy, and Positive Psychology, but most importantly it is grounded in a client-centered approach. What this means is that sessions are not “one size fits all”. Instead we will work together to figure out what is the best combination of techniques and skills to help you meet your goals and most importantly to help you get on a path of living your best life. There is a story in positive psychology that if you put a plant in a darker room with only a small window, after time you will notice that the plant starts bending, growing and reaching toward wherever the light is and it will seek out what it needs to bloom. This mirrors my belief in people, that even in dark and challenging situations there is something in all of us that continues to want to grow and most importantly wants to reach for and seek out the light in life. It is often the dark challenges and difficult things that spark the idea of therapy but it is a person’s decision to seek this help that I believe is one of the biggest demonstrations of this innate desire for the light, for the goodness and joys of being human in action. I aim to be a window for you, to help let the light in and to help you tap into your own capacity to thrive and bloom!