Dr. Alisa Rosenberg is a Clinical Psychologist in New York City specializing in anxiety, relationship issues, depression, work stress, and working with new mothers. Dr. Rosenberg’s approach to therapy is strongly spirit- and energy-based, utilizing metaphors, visualizations, and mindfulness techniques to help clients pay better attention to their intentions, emotions, and intuition.
We asked Dr. Rosenberg more about her work with clients and her guiding philosophies on therapy.
Dr. Rosenberg’s background and personal life
How did you decide to become a therapist?
I was about 16 years old when it occurred to me that my purpose in life was to heal and help others. While I wasn't sure at that time how this would play out educationally and practically, I knew it meant a lot to me to be a good friend and a good person, and I often found myself wanting to be that person that others trusted and opened up to. It made me feel special and loved in a way.
Since that time, my "practice" keeps evolving, and I keep finding new ways to connect and heal others, not only in verbal exchanges, but in energetic ways too.
What clientele do you work with most frequently?
I've worked with many different people at various times in life, from elderly clients in nursing homes to children on the autistic spectrum. However, I have since been able to narrow down my focus and preferred area of expertise to working with women and couples.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
In my free time, I'm with my family and kids being mommy. If not that, I am taking long walks, reading research, engaging in workshops about topics that interest and inspire me, eating yummy things, planning for the future, redecorating/re-organizing, and working on being my best self.
Dr. Rosenberg’s specialties and therapy philosophies
What guiding principles inform your work?
Love. Love vs. fear, and the understanding that love is bliss – it's expansion; it's internal and external peace; it's trust, it's calm; it's bountiful and at the heart of human experience and happiness; and it's accessible.
I set the intention to access love in myself and share it with others in order to make the world a more beautiful place by being a more beautiful me. I send love, and hope, and my best self to my clients and the world with the intention that it connects with just the right people needing it at any given time. Love is void of judgement, it is the basis of self-esteem, worth, connection, joy and motivation, expression, and purpose. It informs my being and my work among many other things, but is by far a profound principle in my approach.
What clientele do you work with most frequently?
I mostly work with successful women who are working on their self worth and may struggle with symptoms of anxiety, depression, disordered eating, difficulty in connection or relationships, obsessive thinking, interpersonal conflict, career confusion, and/or excessive struggle in one or many aspects of life where the burden feels too great to bare.
Can you tell us more about your work with women balancing motherhood and their career?
I help women feel empowered and clear away judgement from others and society about what they "should" and "shouldn't" want or do or say or feel as a woman. I help clients get in touch with what is right and best for them by strengthening their intuition and being able to create boundaries that allow them manifest or create what they really want.
Can you tell us more about your specialty in anxiety?
I work with clients to cultivate a sense of internal peace and ease of life while being able to tell the difference between what is their own energy versus what it other's energy in their space.
I help clients clear out beliefs that continue to trap them in a cycle of automatic thinking and behaviors so that they get out of the anxiety path or depressive emotions that are in their way of feeling strong, confident, happy, and inspired.
Can you tell us about your work with couples and clients experiencing relationship challenges?
I work with couples to address issues within the relationship being encouraging them to identify and address personal issues as a way of helping the couple dynamic. I help couples by reading their energy and giving practical suggestions as well as actively sharing my knowledge and insight about vulnerability, love, trust, and sexuality.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
It's so rewarding to know that a client trusts me with their deepest vulnerabilities and trusts me to help them on their personal journey.
It's an honor and privilege to be held in this light by someone else, and it's so rewarding when my clients say, "I appreciate you so much" or "you've helped me change my life." I also just love connecting with my clients and knowing them. I feel like my professional relationships fill my life and "fill my cup," so to speak, in ways that help me grow, laugh, wonder, and challenge me. I absolutely LOVE my job.
Therapy sessions with Dr. Rosenberg
What will our first session together be like? What happens in ongoing sessions?
Our first session is casual and comfortable. We will talk about you, whatever is relevant for you at the time. I then provide some insight or feedback to help you know that I am listening and interested and open to learning more. You can talk about current issues, thoughts, and feelings, or you can discuss your past, your family, your job, or your hopes.
Are there any books you often recommend to clients?
I often recommend The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav.
Do you assign “homework” between sessions?
Sometimes. It depends if homework would be helpful to you at that time, and it depends what we are talking about and where in the work we are.
How do you help ensure I'm making progress in therapy?
We will have sessions where we talk about how you feel about your progress, and what I have noticed about your progress. Sometimes it's hard to notice exactly how things are shifting when you're in the thick of it, but when you begin to feel stronger, more connected, and more aligned with your self and your intuition, you will know you're on the right track.
How can I prepare for our first session?
Have good wifi and a private quiet space (even a car) if we are doing a virtual session. You don't have to work or put in effort to connect (something we'll talk about) or "prepare." The best thing you can do for yourself each day and throughout the day is clear your energy and ground yourself so that you're present and connected and in-tune with yourself. If you don't know how to do that, I'll help you!
Why should I seek therapy, rather than turning to my partner, friends, or other loved ones?
Not everyone you love is a healer. Intentions are very important and if a person's intention is not to be an empathic and attuned listener for the sake of healing and helping, you may come up short or be selling yourself short.
What advice would you share with therapy seekers?
Find a person you feel is genuine and everything else can be negotiated.
Visit Dr. Rosenberg’s profile to watch her introductory video, read more, and book an initial call!