NEW YORK CBT THERAPIST | LICENSED CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER

Michael Braverman, LCSW-R

I started my career working in some of New York City’s most notorious inpatient psychiatric units. I did this work to learn to understand and empathize with people in the most difficult circumstances. I thought that, if I could do that, I could do just about anything in this field. I found that, with empathy, courage and patience, it was not difficult to build therapeutic relationships with people at their worst moments. 

While working on inpatient units, and continuing into community mental health clinics, I began learning more about evidence-based treatments, meaning treatments that had been proven effective at alleviating clients’ distress. While, as the late, great Dr. Aaron T. Beck, father of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) once said to me and my trainees, “We have something to learn from all modalities of psychotherapy,” approaches like his were especially appealing to me because they help people to feel better and achieve their goals quickly. 

I specialize in anxiety disorders of all kinds – from social phobias to obsessive compulsive disorder to Generalized Anxiety Disorder and everything in between. Through the use of CBT and mindfulness, I can help you face your fears and cope with inevitable life stress. 

I also have a great deal of experience working with the LGBTQ+ community, and in particular, with gay men. I found that, being a non-gay identified man who can be empathic and caring allowed me to form positive therapeutic relationships with my clients, most of whom had experienced some degree of rejection by their fathers / primary male caregivers. I have experience helping men navigate their unique challenges in finding a long-term partner, but am also educated on the ins and outs of Ethically Non Monogamous relationships. 

I also specialize in issues faced by physicians and other healthcare providers. I worked in hospitals for the better part of a decade. I have doctors in my family. I have close friends who are doctors. I have tremendous respect for the medical profession. I speak doctor. I understand the pressures, the long hours, and the traumatic human tragedy that you just can’t bring home because your partner didn’t sign up for that; your family didn’t sign up for that; your friends didn’t sign up for that. I signed up for it. Whatever is weighing you down from your work, you can drop it off with me. 

I believe that the greatest source of suffering is trying to avoid feeling feelings. Together, we can demonstrate that you are capable of tolerating sadness, anxiety, anger, guilt and shame.

Education 

• LCSW-R, New York State

• M.S., New York University, New York

• B.A., New York University, New York

Training and Focus 

• Beck Institute CBT Certified Clinician

• Cognitive Processing Therapy

• Prolonged Exposure Therapy