where we are all a work in progress…
Denise Ardito, LCSW, PsyA
You sometimes find yourself wondering how did I get here, where am I going in life, what is important to me, how am I doing this same behavior again, why do I keep ending up in relationships like this, and who am I?! We all have a story and we’ve all pondered these same questions and struggled with these human feelings. Each of our stories is unique and includes events and relationships that shaped who we are today. You’re curious about how you became who you are today and how you can best make some healthy changes. ​These feelings left you feeling stuck in the past, anxious about the future, disappointed, lost, depressed, and anxious. You want change but don’t even know where to start.
The good news is that therapy is a great way to begin to look at what is beneath the surface of why we do the things we do and what has brought us to this version of ourselves. You and I will form a trusting, open, non-judgmental therapeutic relationship in which we will come to a deeper understanding of your story and how you can become the best version of yourself. During this journey, we will explore the patterns you have formed in relationships in your life, gain insight into what drives your emotions, come to a greater understanding of who you are and aid you in gaining better control over your life. Through therapy, you can improve your relationships, experience relief from the symptoms that brought you into therapy, increase your feelings of self-worth, and live a happier, emotionally healthier, and balanced life. I say a lot to clients, but also to family and friends, life is hard enough, why do it alone? This is where yours and my story begins as I walk alongside you in this therapy journey. We all have our stuff, let’s sort through yours together. I'm excited to be part of this next chapter in your life with you.
Here’s a little about me:
I am the founder and Clinical Director of Healing Connections Counseling Center, LLC. I am also a wife, mother to a just teenage son (how will I survive the teen years?!), dog mom to two pups, Eli and Nikki (if we do telehealth, I’ll introduce you), daughter, sister, friend, and a business owner learning new things everyday. I have been on the ‘other side of the couch’ in my own therapy, because hey, what business do I have being a therapist if I haven’t worked on myself first? I know therapy can be a vulnerable process and am humbled that you would work with me on your own personal journey. I love this field. I enjoy helping and watching people gain those “AHA!” moments of why they are doing the things they are doing. Making these connections helps us make REAL change and growth in our lives to become the best versions of ourselves.
Here are my credentials:
I am an LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) in New Jersey and a psychotherapist, intake coordinator, and founder of Healing Connections Counseling Center, LLC. I received my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Montclair State University in 2001 and received my Master’s Degree in Social Work from Hunter College in 2003 and have been practicing in the field ever since. I am also a NJ Certified School Social Worker and am certified to provide Clinical Supervision through the NASW (National Association of Social Workers) to other therapists and those seeking licensure in the state of New Jersey. I am also a graduate of The Institute for Psychoanalytic Studies, Inc, making me a certified Psychoanalyst for those of you seeking traditional psychoanalysis.
I have extensive experience working with adolescents and adults with anxiety and depression and have a strong background working in schools with children, adolescents, and their families. I received much of my postgraduate clinical training working in a local therapeutic high school (Sage Day Schools) in Rochelle Park, NJ for ten years with at risk, emotionally fragile teens where I provided individual, group and family therapy to students and their families while also receiving intensive clinical training via individual, peer, and family supervision. I then went on to run an in-district therapeutic program through Sage In-District Services in Wayne Public Schools while having a small private practice on the side. As life happens, that program got cut out of the district’s budget and left me jobless! This gave me the needed guts to FINALLY launch into full time private practice, something that scared me for years, but alas, life poses challenges that oftentimes give us the nudge we need to CHANGE and GROW. After working solo for a few years, I established Healing Connections Counseling Center, LLC in November 2019 and hired therapists so we could create a therapeutic community together as colleagues and to serve even more clients in our community.