About Doris
Doris Aptekar is a licensed mental health counselor with 36 years of professional experience based in New York. She focuses on common but heavy problems like stress, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Doris aims to make the first step feel doable for people who are worried about reaching out.
She helps people navigate relationship concerns and parenting stress, as well as communication problems that make daily life harder. Her practice also addresses deeper themes such as abandonment, attachment issues, guilt and shame, and the pain of separation and divorce.
How Doris works
Doris works with clients on obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, social anxiety, and feelings of isolation. In sessions she creates an open, nonjudgmental space where thoughts and feelings can be talked through. Conversations focus on what feels most urgent to the client and on small, practical steps toward change.
She encourages people to build self-love and to reconnect with a clearer sense of life purpose. Doris uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to guide the work, choosing approaches that match each person's needs and goals. Sessions are collaborative and paced to the individual's comfort level.
Her goal is to help clients gain tools they can use between appointments. People who want straightforward talk, steady guidance, and practical coping skills often find her style helpful. She emphasizes kindness, realistic goals, and concrete strategies for handling everyday stressors and relationship challenges.
What Doris works with
The areas below are the ones Doris selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Parenting issues
Also listed
Training and background
| Register | LMHC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 36 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | New York |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Practical approaches and online options
Evidence-based therapeutic techniques are used to address the problems people bring to sessions. One common approach focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thought patterns so anxiety and low mood can lessen; this involves tracking thoughts and practicing different ways of thinking. Another approach emphasizes building skills for managing stress and strong emotions through small, repeatable exercises and behavioral changes that help in daily life. These methods suit worries like stress, obsessive thoughts, social anxiety, and relationship communication.Picking the right approach is part of the work and will be done together. The therapist will listen to your goals and concerns, try techniques, and adjust the plan based on what helps. Collaboration means you and the therapist agree on practical targets and the pace of change.
Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect. Video calls let you talk face to face; phone sessions are useful when bandwidth is limited or cameras are not wanted. Live chat and text-based messaging support brief check-ins, homework review, or ongoing support between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and let people choose what feels most comfortable.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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