Holistic Trauma Therapy in NYC
(Virtual therapy in NY, NJ, DC, & MD)

Therapy to Heal from Anxiety, Trauma, People-Pleasing, and the Pressure to Be Everything to Everyone

For those ready to stop overthinking, overgiving, overfunctioning, and overriding their own needs.

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Holistic Trauma Therapist Alyssa Kushner Auburn Hair Blue Shirt White Pants Smiling

You feel stuck in patterns of over-thinking, over-giving, and putting everyone else first so you are left feeling exhausted.

You constantly put other peoples needs before your own, struggle to say no, and overanalyze every interaction. It’s exhausting, and deep down, you’re craving permission to finally choose yourself.

You appear “put together” - always achieving and doing - but underneath, you’re battling burnout, low self-esteem, and a constant sense that you’re never doing enough. Rest feels like a luxury you haven’t earned.

You find yourself in one-sided relationships, constantly feeling responsible for other people’s emotions, moods, and fixing their problems. You want to learn how to attend to your needs and practice self-compassion, but you don’t know where to start.

  • You may be caught in cycles of self-doubt,urgency, over-thinking, hypervigilance (always on high alert and scanning peoples tones/body language to see if they’re mad at you).

    You replay conversations, fear rejection, and feel responsible for how everyone around you feels. It’s tiring and you don’t know how to just be without scanning for danger or performing for approval.

    Trauma, chronic stress, and unmet needs can keep your nervous system in fight-flight-freeze-fawn 24-7.

  • You’ve built a life that looks good on the outside - but inside, you’re always bracing. You’re always people pleasing. Always putting everyone else first. Always feeling responsible for other people.

    You don’t fully trust yourself, your emotions, or your relationships. You might feel anxious, avoidant, or like you’re on autopilot through life.

    Deep down, you’re longing for safety, connection, and a way back to yourself.

  • You’ve tried talk therapy before, but it didn’t stick or you haven’t truly connected with your therapist. You found yourself aware of some patterns, but nothing changing.

    You are ready for the right connection with a therapist who deeply gets you and participates in the convo. You want an actual plan to address what is going on and heal the patterns to make lasting long term change.

    Learn more about my holistic approach here

Hi! Im Alyssa

I look forward to getting to know you and connecting!

I am a holistic trauma therapist passionate about helping adults who feel stuck in cycles of anxiety, people pleasing, big feelings, and self-doubt finally feel safe in being authentic. I work with clients who are outwardly successful and high achieving but inwardly overwhelmed - those who have spent years taking care of everyone else, overthinking every decision, and second guessing their worth. If you’re craving deeper healing and a more compassionate relationship with yourself, I’d be honored to support!

I will always prioritize creating a comfortable, safe, and supportive space and build the relationship and trust between us first before diving in. I believe that one size doesn’t fit all with therapy approaches, so depending on your needs we can collaborate to individualize your treatment plan together pulling from various approaches I use.

I will be there to listen, to validate, and to hear you and I also offer feedback, guidance, accountability, and strategies to make meaningful change.

You deserve to feel safe in your own mind, body, and relationships!

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How I can help

I specialize in holistic therapy for deeper change.

  • You might feel anxious in relationships, fear abandonment or rejection, or constantly question if you're "too much" or "not enough."

    Maybe you shut down completely to avoid getting hurt and struggle to trust people - or find yourself stuck in push-pull dynamics that leave you emotionally drained and struggling to trust others.

    These patterns often stem from early attachment wounds, unmet needs, or relational trauma.

    Some examples of either could be:
    -Taking on adult like roles and having to caregiver or support at a young age
    -Emotional neglect
    -Being chronically invalidated or gaslit
    -Having emotionally immature parents or caregivers that were inconsistent
    -Witnessing a caregiver with extreme mental health or substance use challenges
    -Unpredictable caregiving or a parent/partner/sibling with severe mood shifts or anger outbursts
    -Lack of boundaries in the family system
    -Betrayal from parents or partners

    I help clients understand where these cycles come from and how to begin healing them.

    Together, we’ll work toward building more secure, grounded, and authentic connections - starting with the relationship you have with yourself.

    Learn more about trauma therapy here!

  • If your nervous system is always on overdrive - over-thinking, over-planning, over-performing, over-extending - it’s no wonder you feel exhausted.

    Anxiety can look like worrying, ruminating and replaying convos over and over, indecision, expecting the worst case, and feeling irritable. It can also show up physically like feeling nauseas, headaches, panic, impending doom, a pit in your stomach, or tightness in the chest.

    I support clients in regulating chronic anxiety, stress, and overwhelm, understanding emotional triggers, and shifting out of fight-flight-freeze-fawn responses.

    Together, we’ll help your system feel safe enough to slow down, so you can move from survival mode and a state of urgency and stress into grounded calm.

    Learn more about anxiety therapy here!

  • You might be the one everyone relies on - the overthinker, the peacekeeper, the helper who always puts others first. You say yes when you mean no, neglect your own needs, and feel like you have to earn your worth.

    Underneath all of that? Exhaustion, resentment, and a deep fear that if you stop doing and pleasing, you’ll lose connection.

    These are often protective strategies developed in response to emotional neglect, criticism, chaotic households and unpredictable caregivers, emotionally immature parents or family members with severe mental health challenges, enmeshment, having to take on adult roles too early, or being taught love was conditional and earned or proved.

    In therapy, we’ll explore the roots of these patterns and the narratives keeping you stuck in cycles of guilt, burnout, and self-abandonment - and we’ll begin to rewrite them together.

    Learn more about people pleasing, codependency, and perfectionism therapy here!

  • If you feel numb, disconnected, or like you're just going through the motions - that’s not you being lazy or unmotivated.

    It’s often your nervous system in a functional freeze response, trying to protect you from overwhelm or past trauma. Whether it shows up as emotional flatness, burnout, or a deep sense of disconnection, you don’t have to stay stuck.


    Through somatic therapy, EMDR, and mindful self-compassion, I help clients gently reconnect to their emotions, find relief from shutdown, and begin to feel again - safely and at their own pace.

    Learn more about depression, burn out, and therapy for functional freeze here!

How it works

Finding a therapist is overwhelming enough. Let me make this part as effortless as possible.

Click this link to choose a day and time for a free, confidential 15 minute phone consultation. I will take the time to get to know you and your therapy needs, answer questions you may have for me, and together we can determine if we are the right fit to get started.

I’m Also here to help with…

  • Trauma, PTSD, C-PTSD

  • Anxiety & Overwhelm

  • Depression & Burn Out

  • Relationship Difficulties

  • Big Life Changes & Stressors

  • Self-Esteem & Self-Trust

  • ADHD

  • Codependency

  • People Pleasing & Perfectionism

  • Disordered Eating Patterns

  • Alcohol Use & Sober Curiosity

Learn about my services

  • I offer online virtual therapy for adults in New York, New Jersey, DC, and Maryland navigating anxiety, people-pleasing, relational trauma, c-ptsd, and burn out. Whether you're constantly overthinking, feel stuck in guilt, or never feel “good enough,” therapy can help you reconnect to your needs, your boundaries, and your sense of self.

    My approach is trauma-informed, relational, and holistic - weaving in EMDR, somatic work, and mindful self-compassion to support real, lasting change.

    I do offer a hybrid model of therapy in NYC for those who want to come in once a month.

    Learn more about my therapy approach here!

  • Women’s Relational Trauma, Anxiety, And Self-Trust Support Group: A space to stop people-pleasing, heal trauma in connection to others, and start trusting yourself!

    This virtual support group is for women ready to break patterns of perfectionism, people pleasing, self-abandonment, and chronic caretaking.

    Together, we’ll explore how trauma, relational dynamics, and early emotional neglect shaped these patterns - and how to start choosing yourself instead. You’ll build community, self-trust, create healthier boundaries, and a deeper connection with your voice, and your needs with like minded women on the same journey of self love.

    Learn more about the women’s relational trauma, anxiety, and self trust support group here!

  • Being a therapist is one of the most rewarding and beautiful, yet challenging jobs. To hold space for your clients going through life, while also navigating our own humanness is tricky. It’s extremely important to have your own support system and make sure you are being taken care of too.

    For therapists searching for a supervisor, I would be happy to assist! I provide clinical supervision to mental health professionals looking to work through your cases, get consultation and guidance, develop your unique therapist skill and grow as a clinician, and build a career that feels fulfilling and meaningful.

    I will be there to help provided support, accountability, feedback, validation, and make sure we are hitting the intentions and goals you came with. Through exploration, countertransference work, guided practices and teaching, and making sure you are creating a true work-life balance, together we will make sure you are showing up for your clients and yourself at a pace that feels sustainable.

    If you are interested in consultation around a case, your career, about building a private practice, creating and running support groups, social media, or marketing - I offer as needed business consultations as well! I am passionate about private practice and I know how important it is to get the right support regardless of where you are at in your journey.

    Please reach out to me to schedule a free phone consultation to discuss your needs!

    I have been in the field for 10 years, received my MSW from NYU in 2018, and been a clinical supervisor to other therapists for several years now. I have worked in PHP/IOP, group practice, and private practice settings. To learn more about my background, check out my about me page.

  • Need more than what weekly therapy offers? Intensives are a powerful option for those ready to dig deep and create meaningful change - fast. These extended sessions are designed to help you move through stuck points, process trauma, and gain clarity around patterns that are keeping you overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected.

    Whether you’re navigating stored trauma, anxiety, people pleasing, a disconnect from yourself, or a stressful event, intensives provide a focused, supportive space for deeper healing.

    Ideal for high-functioning adults who are insightful and self-aware -but still feel stuck.

    ✨ What’s included: a personalized pre-intensive assessment, questionnaire, an intake session for history taking and goal setting, the 2-4 hr session, custom post-session workbook, and follow-up integration session, plus support to help you stay grounded and implement what you’ve uncovered. Additional hours or days can be discussed.

You’re not alone.

Let’s Connect!