Psychodynamic Therapy in NYC and Brooklyn
The Right Relationship
Changes Everything.
You don’t have to wait for a crisis to know something needs to change.
About the practice
For the Adults Who Have It All Together — but Feel Stuck Inside
Most people who find their way here have already tried, in their own way, to understand what they're carrying. What brings them to therapy isn't a lack of insight — it's the gap between understanding something and actually being able to change it.
This practice is built for that gap. Through psychodynamic work and somatic awareness, we move beyond symptom relief toward something more fundamental — understanding the patterns that shape how you live, relate, and see yourself.
Patterns aren't problems to eliminate. They're information to understand. The goal isn't just relief. It's self-trust.
A Practice Built on Depth
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Psychodynamic Therapy
The work pays attention to the deeper patterns that shape how you relate to yourself and others.
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Somatic Awareness
Experiences are not just cognitive— they are held in the body. Alongside what you're saying, attention is given to the physical sensations, emotional responses and what they reveal beneath the surface.
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Relational Work
The therapy relationship itself is an integral part of the work. It offers a real-time space to explore connection, trust and patterns as they emerge.
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Integrative Philosophy
Influenced by psychoanalytic training and yoga philosophy, the work considers the mind, body, and relational history as interconnected.
Ready to learn more? LEARN ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER.
Ready to learn more? LEARN ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER.
— INDIVIDUAL THERAPY —
The work begins
with a conversation.
In-person in Brooklyn | Remote across New York State
MEET THE THERAPIST
Alissa Friedlander, LCSW
I'm a psychotherapist in Brooklyn. A lot of people come to me after therapy that felt one-sided — across from someone who gave very little back. I work differently.
My work is psychodynamic and relational. The relationship between us isn't the backdrop to the work. It is the work. You'll feel me in the room with you, curious and invested, from the start.
I came to this work through literature — I studied writing and English long before I trained as a therapist — and I still think of therapy as a kind of storytelling. We all carry stories about who we are and why our lives have gone the way they have, often without realizing it.
Together, we look closely, and slowly a new story takes shape.
AREAS OF FOCUS
The Work Often Begins Where Words fall Short.
Not a clear crisis — but a pattern, a feeling, or a dynamic that keeps repeating in ways that don't fully make sense yet. The work is always shaped around the individual — not reduced to a category.
Anxiety
Many clients arrive with a low, persistent sense of unease — overthinking conversations, second-guessing decisions, or feeling a quiet pressure they can't fully explain. Together, we look at what the anxiety may be pointing to underneath.
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Attachment
Many of the ways we relate — to others and to ourselves — are shaped early, often outside of awareness. With more awareness, those patterns become less fixed and more open to change.
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Relationships
Relationships often bring patterns into sharper focus. The work explores the dynamics that continue to show up — how you attach, what you expect, what feels difficult to trust or express.
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New Moms
The transition into motherhood can be disorienting, even when it's deeply wanted. This work creates space for all of it — the visible and the unspoken — so that you don't have to navigate it alone.
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Frequently Asked
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An approach that looks beneath the surface of what’s happening right now—into the patterns, relationships, and experiences that have shaped how you think, feel, and respond over time.
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I provide in-person sessions at my office in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which is located near McCarren Park and the L and the G trains.
I also offer teletherapy for residents across New York State. Sessions are conducted via a secure video platform and offer the same quality of care and attention as in-person work.
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My approach is psychodynamic and relational.
Psychodynamic therapy explores how past experience and unconscious patterns shape present behavior.
Relational therapy recognizes that healing happens through relationships — what unfolds between us in the room is part of the work.
I also integrate somatic awareness, attending to what the body is holding alongside what's being said.
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Adults who are high-functioning, curious and self-aware but carrying something that hasn't shifted despite their best efforts.
They're often navigating anxiety, complex relationship dynamics, life transitions, or a quiet sense that something isn't working — and are ready to look more closely at why.
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My fee per session is $225 and sessions are 50 minutes.
As an out-of-network provider, I do not bill insurance directly. I can provide a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement — I'd recommend checking your benefits before we begin.
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I ask for 48 hours notice to cancel or reschedule a session. This allows time to offer the slot to someone else who may need it.
Sessions cancelled within 48 hours are charged at the full session fee.