Therapy Specialties

Our Services

Integrative Psychotherapy

Schema Therapy

An integrative approach that combines attachment, cognitive-behavioral, and experiential therapies to understand and modify the self-defeating life patterns rooted in childhood development.

Paul DelGrosso, LCSW-C
Paul DelGrosso, LCSW-C Advanced Certified Schema Therapist · Supervisor & Trainer · Schema Therapy Institutes of NJ-NYC

What Are Schemas?

Schemas are defined as self-defeating life patterns that have roots in childhood development. As children we develop ways of being based on our biology, how we are raised, life experiences, and other factors. These adaptations become patterns of coping that are gradually ingrained as automatic responses.

What may have partly helped us cope in childhood, however, may not be as helpful as adults. Schemas give us a language to understand these broad patterns — and schema therapy a path to modify them.

Recommended Reading

A good starting point for exploring schemas and schema modes:

Reinventing Your Life

Jeffrey Young PhD & Janet Klosko PhD
Attachment-Based Family Therapy

Attachment-Based Family Therapy

Grounded in interpersonal theories showing how improving the quality of family relationships leads to better mental health outcomes for adolescents and young adults.

Paul DelGrosso, LCSW-C
Paul DelGrosso, LCSW-C Certified ABFT Therapist · Trained at ABFT International

Overview

ABFT is grounded in interpersonal theories showing how improving the quality of family relationships leads to better mental health outcomes for adolescents and young adults. Originally developed to reduce depression, suicidality and self-harming behaviors in youth, ABFT has since been expanded to other challenges, including anxiety, trauma, estrangement (including estrangement secondary to LGBTQ+ identity), and other family issues.

Although families often seek family therapy for challenges in adolescence and young adulthood, ABFT is also helpful to many families who experience estrangement later in the life cycle as a means to heal and repair.

Experiential Therapy

Clinical Hypnosis

An experiential therapeutic process that relaxes the conscious mind so that the unconscious mind can open to greater self-awareness, fostering a sturdier sense of self, improved distress tolerance, and lasting change.

Paul DelGrosso, LCSW-C
Paul DelGrosso, LCSW-C Trained at the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis · Supervised by Dr. Louis Damis

Overview

Clinical hypnosis is an experiential therapeutic process that relaxes the conscious mind so that the unconscious mind can open to greater self-awareness. This process fosters a sturdier sense of self, improved ability to manage distress, and subsequent changes in behavior.

Training was completed at the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis under the supervision of Dr. Louis Damis, who developed methods of insight-oriented clinical hypnosis aimed at improving internal ego strength.

Specialized Service

Family Estrangement Repair

A structured, evidence-based process to explore whether healing, boundary-setting, or limited reconnection is possible, without minimizing your pain.

Paul DelGrosso, LCSW-C
Paul DelGrosso, LCSW-C Certified ABFT · Advanced Certified ST · Four years post-graduate BFST at The Bowen Center

Overview

Family estrangement is a growing phenomenon in an age of increased family fragmentation, interpersonal disconnection, and societal polarization. Many people caught in this dynamic choose cutting off from others as the first solution, frequently before thoughtful consideration of other options.

The value of bridging cut-off or emotional distancing applies not only to the family relationship itself, but to one's capacity to form and maintain healthy relationships in all areas of life.

Estrangement often emerges from legitimate pain, childhood abuse, feeling unsupported, clashes in values, or ongoing disrespect. Family Estrangement Repair does not minimize these hurts, but creates a structured process to explore whether healing, boundary-setting, or even limited reconnection might be possible.

The program is guided by the pioneering research of Karl Pillemer PhD and Joshua Coleman PhD, and integrates Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT), Bowen Family Systems Therapy (BFST), and Schema Therapy (ST).

Recommended Reading

In preparation for therapy, please read one or both of the following:

Fault Lines

Karl Pillemer PhD

Rules of Estrangement

Joshua Coleman PhD
Mentalization-Based Family Therapy

Mentalization-Based Family Therapy

Enhancing the ability to understand thoughts, feelings, and intentions — in oneself and in others — to foster greater empathy, reduce negative assumptions, and improve interpersonal relationships.

Paul DelGrosso, LCSW-C
Paul DelGrosso, LCSW-C MBT Training at McLean Hospital · Supervised by Bob Drozek & Brandon Unruh

Overview

Mentalization refers to the ability to understand thoughts, feelings and intentions in oneself and in others. Many factors influence how well we mentalize. Early childhood relationships are key to shaping mentalization and the associated skills of emotional regulation.

The primary goal of MBT is to enhance one's ability to mentalize in order to more accurately reflect the thoughts, feelings and behaviors in oneself and in others.

Training in mentalization-based therapy (MBT) was completed at McLean Hospital with Bob Drozek and Brandon Unruh.