As a highly compassionate, empathetic, and solutions-oriented therapist and life coach, I have acquired a deep knowledge in psychotherapy, life coaching and substance use disorder counseling. I have years of experience in providing individual therapy to persons with dual diagnosis impacted by mental illness and substance use disorder.
I help alleviate your suffering through therapy and work to help you build the coping skills you need to provide you with lasting emotional stability as you move forward on your journey. I specialize in supporting people of all ages and populations who have been affected by childhood trauma or disrupted or damaging family attachments.
What to expect in therapy
My therapeutic practice is based on the individual needs of the client. In our initial session, I will determine your history, your specific needs, strengths, and goals you want to achieve in therapy. From here we identify priorities and the best way to move forward for you. If you are struggling with substance abuse, depression, anxiety, loneliness, grief, difficult relationships, or trauma, we will work together to get you to a place where you are feeling better and then move on to achieve happiness, balance, and wellbeing. You can read more about my approach to therapy here.
What to expect with life coaching
I provide life coaching to both young and old adults who feel stuck in their lives, unable to make decisions because of fear and vulnerability. Each individual’s needs are different. I help individuals identify “smart” goals that are reviewed weekly to assess their progress. Similar to therapy, life coaching is also based on your individual needs and can be combined with therapy.
Some people think of life coaching as steps and assistance to Life Transformation. When we want to make positive changes in our lives we first need to gain an understanding of where we are and where we want to go. Many of us have never really stopped to ask ourselves what we truly want out of life; if you don’t ask, how would you know? At a certain stage in our lives, we need to stop and take a deeper look into ourselves so we can discover what it is we truly want. From there, we begin the exciting process of developing and taking action steps to get us where we want to be.
The support of a life coach can make all the difference in your journey. This is because change always comes with risk, and if we are transforming and changing our lives, it is essential to have support. The backing, encouragement, and gentle guidance of a life coach will help you establish a structure and plan for your life. Together we will help you find the purpose you are looking for and develop a plan that will bring you the change you are looking for.
Telemental health and online therapy
If you are not living in the New York City area, I also provide therapy and coaching online and on the phone. If you would like to learn more, you are welcome to call and book your first in-office, online, or phone appointment, or just fill out the contact form and click Send.
Penny Justus, LMSW, is a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst and life coach. She is CASAC-T Life-Coach Certified and SIFI certified.
