Peaceful Living Mental Health Counseling, PLLC

Counseling helps develop a deeper understanding of your own thoughts, emotions and behaviors. Our therapists help clients identify the sources of their distress and achieve a sense of control over their feelings and behaviors.

Here are some specific areas that you may identify with:

Getting easily irritated or annoyed
Feeling constantly alert or on edge
Difficulty concentrating
Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
Recurring / On-going physical pain
Feeling unable to handle life’s challenges
Feeling sad, lonely & disconnected
Questioning your own identity or how you really feel
Low self-esteem/poor self image
Past experiences of physical, sexual or emotional abuse
Relationship struggles & conflict
Frustration and exhaustion with managing your child’s behavior

Please call our office at (914) 222-3983, Ext.1 to speak with Joanne, our intake coordinator, to schedule an appointment!

Reiki therapy is a spiritually based hands on treatment that is used for stress reduction, relaxation and healing. We are all made up of energy, and sometimes stress, physical illness, or traumatic experiences can impact the flow of our energy. Events that cause distress can erode and train our bodies for physical ailments.

Visit our website for more information: https://peacefullivingmentalhealthcounseling.com/services/reiki/

Walk and Talk Therapy is a therapeutic psychotherapy session that takes place while walking outside. These sessions are not used as a form of exercise; the client determines the pace and the rhythm of the walk. Fortunately, the client will reap the benefits of engaging in this physical activity, either way. These sessions are instead used as a form of Mindfulness, and as a catalyst to get clients to talk more openly about their emotions. The shift from the traditional office setting into nature helps the client feel more relaxed and engaged. Clients can choose when and how often to utilize the Walk & Talk sessions and have the option to move the session back to an indoor traditional setting at any time.

Being in nature is meditative and grounding. So, before we begin the session, we’ll engage in some traditional mindfulness techniques to transition from the craziness of work or rush hour traffic and into our Walk & Talk Therapy session. Mindfulness is the art of noticing; the art of living in the present moment so prior to diving into conversation we’ll take time to breath, to pause, to be still, to let go and to remember. So many of us go through life on autopilot; these mindfulness techniques are important to gain clarity before engaging in conversation.

Valerie Nivar is our therapist who specializes in Walk & Talk Therapy.

Many elite athletes routinely use visualization techniques as part of training and competition. There are many stories of athletes who have used these techniques to cultivate not only a competitive edge but also to create renewed mental awareness, a heightened sense of well-being and confidence. All of these factors have been shown to contribute to an athlete's sports success.

Kate Giordano is our therapist who specializes in helping athletes increase their success.

Therapy for Couples & Parents
Are your kids or your partner driving you crazy? Are you thinking "it shouldn't be this hard?"
The earliest relationships in our lives can set the tone for all of our future relationships. Relationships with significant others and your own children can be affected by the expectations developed in earlier relationships.

Typically, relationship issues transcend generations until someone breaks the cycle. We help clients break this cycle by exploring the sources of conflict in their lives. This self-exploration leads to an improved understanding of oneself and a drastic increase in the quality of their current relationships.

Signs you and your partner may benefit from counseling or parenting help
difficulty communicating
fighting more than usual
inability to see eye-to-eye
constant stressful conversations
having thoughts of separation or divorce
past experiences of trauma that may be affecting your relationship
feeling unable to deal with your child's behaviors
difference in parenting styles
desire to want to understand your partner better

Please call our office at (914) 222-3983, Ext.1 to speak with Joanne, our intake coordinator, to schedule an appointment!

Do you have a sense that your child is more difficult than others? Is your parental instinct telling you that your child needs help?

Approaches for child therapy can vary broadly across the spectrum. Our work with children focuses mostly on behavior and the underlying factors. When a child is displaying an inappropriate or undesirable behavior, we work to find out what function the behavior is serving. We then work closely with the family to put a new plan in place to create behaviors that will replace the maladaptive processes.

We work in a very concrete way to develop a plan for the child and family to achieve reachable goals with ease and competence in all settings. Whether it be challenging behaviors or difficulty in social situations, we help clients (children and parents) achieve a sense of optimism about the future and confidence that they are heading in the right direction.

Signs that your child may benefit from therapy
developmental delay in speech, language, or toilet training
learning or attention problems (such as ADHD)
behavioral problems (such as excessive anger, acting out, bedwetting or eating disorders)
a significant drop in grades, particularly if your child normally maintains high grades
episodes of sadness, tearfulness, or depression
social withdrawal or isolation
being the victim of bullying or bullying other children
decreased interest in previously enjoyed activities
overly aggressive behavior (such as biting, kicking, or hitting)
sudden changes in appetite (particularly in adolescents)
insomnia or increased sleepiness
excessive school absenteeism or tardiness
mood swings (e.g., happy one minute, upset the next)
development of or an increase in physical complaints (such as headache, stomachache, or not feeling well) despite a normal physical exam by your doctor
management of a serious, acute, or chronic illness
signs of alcohol, drug, or other substance use (such as solvents or prescription drug abuse)
problems in transitions (following separation, divorce, or relocation)
bereavement issues
custody evaluations
therapy following sexual, physical, or emotional abuse or other traumatic events


Valerie Nivar & Kate Giordano specialize in working with adolescents. Contact us to schedule your consultation.