What does a counselor for Alpine residents actually help with?
Alpine looks calm from the outside. Wooded lots, quiet roads off Route 9W and the cliffs of the Palisades above the Hudson River give the borough a feeling of distance from everything. That distance does not keep stress, grief or old trauma out of the house, and it can make reaching out feel harder.
Dr. Audrey Kteily, PhD, LPC-S, LMHC, CFLE is a licensed New Jersey counselor who works with Alpine adults, teens, couples and families entirely online. The people who contact her from Bergen County often describe a mix of concerns rather than one tidy problem:
- Anxiety or panic that started after a specific event, or that has been there for as long as they can remember
- Symptoms of PTSD or complex PTSD, such as being constantly on guard, flashbacks, numbness or trouble trusting people
- Depression, low motivation or a sense of going through the motions
- Grief and loss, including losses that other people do not recognize as losses
- Recovery after domestic violence or sexual assault
- Family conflict, tension between parents and teens, or strain in a marriage
You do not need a diagnosis to start. Many people simply know that what they have been doing to cope is no longer enough.
Why complex trauma calls for a different kind of counseling
A single frightening event can leave lasting effects, and that is what most people picture when they hear PTSD. Complex trauma is different. It usually grows out of repeated or long-lasting harm, often in relationships that were supposed to be safe: a chaotic childhood home, an abusive partner, years of emotional neglect. The result can shape how you see yourself, how you handle emotion and how close you let people get.
Because of that, trauma counseling with Dr. Audrey does not start by pushing you to retell the worst moments. The early work focuses on safety and stability: understanding your reactions, building skills to steady your body and mind, and making sure you have support outside of sessions. Her training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (she holds C-DBT certification through Evergreen Certifications) gives you concrete tools for intense emotions, distress tolerance and relationships. Her doctoral work in family studies helps her see how patterns from your family of origin may still be playing out today.
Some signs that complex trauma may be part of the picture:
- You react strongly to situations that seem small to other people, then feel ashamed afterward
- You often feel responsible for keeping everyone else calm
- Closeness feels risky, so you keep people at arm's length or stay in relationships that hurt
- You have a harsh inner critic that is hard to quiet
Processing painful memories comes later, at a pace you help set. If you would like to read the research behind trauma treatment, the New England Journal of Medicine and the American Psychiatric Association both publish accessible material on PTSD and related conditions.
How do online counseling sessions work from Alpine?
Every session is a secure, HIPAA-compliant video call. You click a link at your scheduled time and it opens in your web browser. There is nothing to download, no app to set up and no waiting room full of neighbors. Dr. Audrey does not see clients in person, so there is no office to get to and no traffic on 9W or the Palisades Interstate Parkway to plan around.
A few practical points for Alpine clients:
- Licensing: Dr. Audrey holds a New Jersey Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) license. You need to be physically located in New Jersey, Texas or New York during each session.
- Time zone: New Jersey sessions are scheduled in Eastern Time.
- Setting: Most people join from a private room at home. Some prefer a parked car or a closed office during the workday.
- Scheduling: Appointment times are arranged flexibly with you rather than from a fixed menu of hours.
You can read a fuller walkthrough of how online sessions work for New Jersey clients, including what to expect from the first call.
Privacy matters in a small borough
Alpine is one of the smallest communities in Bergen County by population, and in a place that size it is easy to feel recognized. Some people put off counseling for years because they do not want their car seen outside a therapist's building or to run into someone they know in a lobby.
Online counseling removes most of that worry. Nobody sees you arrive, because you never leave home. Your appointment is between you and Dr. Audrey, and the video platform is built for health care privacy. When you reach out by text, she asks that you keep health details out of the message and save them for the session or the secure request form.
Counseling for couples and families in Bergen County
Trauma and stress rarely affect only one person. A parent's anxiety can shape how a teenager handles pressure. An unresolved loss can create distance in a marriage. Dr. Audrey's doctoral specialty is family systems counseling, an approach that looks at the patterns between people instead of treating one person as "the problem."
That can mean couples counseling for partners who keep having the same argument, parent counseling for a mother or father trying to support a struggling teen, or sessions with several family members together. Because sessions happen by video, a college student at school, a parent at home in Alpine and another relative elsewhere in New Jersey can join the same call, as long as everyone is physically located in a state where she is licensed.
She also works with teens ages 12 to 18 and young adults ages 18 to 29 on school stress, performance pressure, identity questions and mood. Her practice is LGBTQ+-friendly and LGBTQ+-owned, so young people exploring identity can talk openly.
Dr. Audrey's training and experience
Dr. Audrey Kteily has more than two decades of clinical experience. She earned a PhD in Family Studies and a Bachelor's in Psychology from Texas Woman's University and a Master's in Counseling from Dallas Baptist University. She has been a Texas Licensed Professional Counselor since 2001 and a Supervisor since 2004, and she is also licensed in New Jersey (LPC) and New York (LMHC).
She is a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations, holds C-DBT certification and is a published author on family dynamics. Professional groups such as the American Counseling Association describe what licensed counselors do, and the World Health Organization's mental health overview is a useful starting point if you want broader context on mental health care.
You can learn more about her background on the New Jersey online therapy page or explore her full practice from the Dr. Audrey home page.
How to get started with a counselor from Alpine
Starting is simpler than most people expect. You reach out, Dr. Audrey responds within one business day, and together you decide whether working with her makes sense. The first session is mostly about getting to know your situation and what you want to be different. You are not expected to share everything at once.
The practice is out of network with insurance plans. After sessions, you receive a superbill you can submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement, so it is worth checking your plan's out-of-network mental health benefits before you begin.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911. Dr. Audrey's practice is not a crisis service.
When you are ready, use the secure appointment request form on this page or the New Jersey booking form. You can also text or call (917) 905-3183. Texting is usually the easiest way to reach her.