Description
This women's therapy group focuses on learning from interpersonal process in the "here and now". Members share their life journeys, process struggles, and heal within a therapeutic community of fellow travelers. Group topics include relationships, work, life transitions and stressors, mental health struggles, family, motherhood and empowerment. Members come to understand and overcome the harmful impact systems, family and society have had on their sense of self and well-being, including around issues of identity, race, gender and sexual orientation.
This attachment and trauma-informed group provides a safe, empowering space for members to gain insight into interpersonal patterns. Group helps members transcend loneliness and overcome obstacles to emotional intimacy and belonging.
Group members support and empower one another on their unique journeys through practicing emotional honesty and relational mindfulness. Group helps members discover the courage to be their authentic selves, find more fulfilling relationships, and create lives of greater purpose, passion, courage and love.
Group Therapist
Dr. Erica Gardner-Schuster is a clinical Psychologist and group therapist located in New York, NY. Dr. Gardner-Schuster enjoys supporting clients through transitional stages, including the natural life transitions that occur in a person's twenties, thirties and forties.
Many of her clients seek group therapy services to boost their self-esteem and confidence. Others want to grow their resilience and learn how to better cope with disappointments, frustrations or difficulties in their lives. Dr. Gardner-Schuster specializes in relationship issues such as conflict, toxic patterns, codependency, trauma or feelings of unfulfillment. Clients learn how to cope effectively when they feel overwhelmed through honoring their emotions, bodies, stories and relationships. Dr. Gardner-Schuster has particular expertise in social anxiety, bullying, empowerment, identity, Women's issues, anxiety, depression, trauma, perfectionism, shame and existential/spiritual crises.
Dr. Gardner-Schuster works from an integrative framework to facilitate personal growth and to help individuals cultivate more fulfilling relationships and lives. She has extensive training in psychodynamic, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), and more. Dr. Gardner-Schuster is an anti-racist whiteness educator and trauma consultant. Dr. Gardner-Schuster believes that moments of crisis and crossroads in life - when faced with courage, honesty and compassion - provide unique moments for healing and transformation.
Dr. Gardner-Schuster has a PhD in Psychology. She trained at Columbia University, Harvard University, The New School for Social Research, NYU-Bellevue and McLean Hospital. She has served as President of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, Instructor of Group Therapy at The New School, and Associate Editor for GROUP journal.
Dr. Gardner-Schuster offers group teletherapy (sometimes combined with individual or couples therapy). She welcomes your reaching out to talk about how Group Therapy can help you heal and experience more connection and meaning.