Danielle LaNatra

Dr. Danielle LaNatra has been in private practice for the past 7 years in Larchmont, NY, working with children, adolescents, young adults, and adults. In her work with children and adolescents, Dr. LaNatra treats psychological issues associated with developmental delays and learning disabilities, as well as issues associated with the spectrums of anxiety, depression, and autism. Dr. LaNatra’s adult clientele often begin therapy due to struggles with managing  feelings of anxiety, fear, and frustration related to work and family balance, effective parenting, and relational issues within the family system and within the social world. Parents will seek therapy as a place to thoughtfully discuss and devise the best ways to approach developmental and emotion regulation difficulties with their children, whether the difficulties have arisen within an acute adjustment situation or if the difficulties have been escalating over a longer period of time throughout the child's development.  This discussion can be expansive to include the best ways for parents to manage and support their children across settings including school, summer camp, and extracurricular activities. Therapy discussions focus on developing a support system for the child, including the consideration of inviting in specialists to assess and offer recommendations when it seems useful, and implementing the coordination of appropriate support across the settings in the child’s life. The ultimate goal is to find ways to surround the child with an environment more attuned to his/her needs, and to communicating to the child that his/her needs are understood and being addressed.  Increasing this type of attunement to the child significantly reduces anxiety within the family system and allows the child to relate to others in a more effective and gratifying way. In addition, parents emerge with a greater sense of clarity around questions of when to add support, and when and how to set limits to help children through their growing pains.

Dr. LaNatra’s approach to parenting depends on the situation. She first meets with parents, then meets with the child/adolescent several times, then comes back together with parents to discuss first impressions, identify and define areas of need and struggle for the child and parents, and provide recommendations. Within this conversation, a plan will be developed that will either combine weekly individual psychotherapy for the child in addition to parenting sessions every 4-6weeks, or parenting sessions only might be the best course of action.

Dr. LaNatra also works with adults who come for individual psychotherapy to address adjustment to life situations, wishes for career changes or career development, relational issues with partners and parents and children, dating and intimacy struggles, and in general, to spend time developing insight and self-reflection toward better emotion management and a more peaceful inner world. Sessions feel conversational and connecting, and therapeutic approach combines developing understanding and clarity, and finding ways to create behavioral changes toward the client’s desired life goals.

Dr. LaNatra meets weekly with all patients, formerly in person at her private practice office in the town center of Larchmont, NY. However, currently, all sessions are held through video-conferencing or phone (for adults only) if preferred. As soon as it is safe to return to in-person sessions, an option for in-person sessions will resume. New clients may reach out by phone message and a time will be set up for an initial 10-15min call at no charge, and if it seems a good fit, a 45-60 minute first consultation meeting will follow.