What does a family therapist do for a Princeton family?
A family therapist looks at the patterns between people, not only at the person who seems to be struggling. When a teenager stops talking at dinner, when two parents keep having the same argument about homework, or when an adult child moves home after graduation and everyone feels on edge, the issue usually lives in the way the household works together.
Dr. Audrey Kteily's doctoral specialty is family systems counseling. In practice that means she helps each person see their part in the cycle, lowers the temperature of recurring fights, and builds new ways of talking that hold up after the session ends. Some families meet together every time. Others mix individual sessions for a teen or parent with joint sessions as the work develops.
Princeton families bring a familiar mix of concerns: academic pressure in a town where school performance is discussed constantly, parents with long commutes into New York or demanding academic and research careers, blended families coordinating two households, and grief or illness that has quietly changed how everyone relates.
When family stress is really unresolved trauma
Many families who reach out are not dealing with ordinary friction. Something happened, or kept happening, and its effects are still moving through the household. A parent who grew up with chaos may find themselves frozen or explosive during conflict. A child who witnessed a frightening event may become anxious, clingy or angry. A couple may still be living around the aftershocks of a betrayal, an assault, or years of a controlling relationship.
Dr. Audrey works with PTSD and complex PTSD, the form of trauma response that develops after prolonged or repeated harm rather than a single event. Complex PTSD tends to show up as chronic anxiety, difficulty trusting people, emotional numbness, and a sense of being on guard that never fully switches off. Those patterns affect partners and children, which is why trauma work and family work so often overlap.
Her approach is paced and steady. Early sessions focus on safety, stabilization and practical skills, including tools drawn from Dialectical Behavior Therapy, where she holds C-DBT certification. Deeper processing comes later, at a speed the person can tolerate. Family members can learn what a trauma response looks like so that reactions stop being taken personally.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911.
Who in a Princeton household can she help?
- Teens ages 12 to 18 dealing with anxiety, depression, self-harm, school stress, identity questions or performance pressure. See more on teen and family counseling.
- Parents who want concrete strategies for a child with ADHD, autism spectrum traits, behavioral challenges or a sudden change in mood.
- Couples whose conflict is spilling onto the kids, or who are adjusting to a new baby, an empty nest or a separation.
- Young adults ages 18 to 29, including students living in Princeton during the academic year, who are sorting out independence and family expectations.
- Whole families facing grief, a move, divorce, a health crisis or the after-effects of trauma.
The practice is LGBTQ+-friendly and LGBTQ+-owned, and aligned with GLSEN and the Human Rights Campaign. Teens and parents exploring identity questions can expect a respectful, informed space.
How online family sessions work from Princeton
Every session is held over secure, HIPAA-compliant video. There is no app to download; you open a link in your browser at the scheduled time. Princeton is in Mercer County, and New Jersey residents are seen under Dr. Audrey's New Jersey Licensed Professional Counselor license. Sessions are scheduled in Eastern Time.
Because there is no office, nobody has to sit in traffic on Route 1 or rush back from the train to make an appointment. A parent can log on from a work laptop in Manhattan, since Dr. Audrey is also licensed in New York, while a teen joins from their bedroom at home. What matters legally is where each person is physically located at session time: New Jersey, New York or Texas.
That flexibility helps families split across two homes after a divorce, and it helps when an older sibling is at college in another of those states. For the step-by-step version, read how online therapy works for New Jersey clients or the main New Jersey online therapy page.
Why privacy and pacing matter in a close-knit town
Princeton can feel small. Parents see each other at school events, at the farmers market and on the sidelines of weekend games, and many families would rather not run into their therapist in the same circles. Online sessions keep the work private: there is no waiting room and no car parked outside a counseling office for neighbors to notice.
Pacing matters too. High-achieving families often want a fast plan, and some of that is useful. Dr. Audrey gives parents concrete steps early, such as how to respond when a teen shuts down, or how to stop a recurring argument before it escalates. The deeper changes in how a family handles stress, closeness and disagreement take longer, and she is honest about that from the start.
Sessions also fit around real calendars. A parent finishing a late class or a long day at the lab can join from a quiet room, and a student can log on between commitments without losing an afternoon. Families who once put therapy off because the logistics felt impossible often find that the barrier was the commute, not the commitment.
What the research says about family-based therapy
Family and couples therapy has a long research base. Professional groups such as the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy summarize studies on how relational approaches help with conflict, adolescent problems and recovery after hard events. Peer-reviewed journals like JAMA Psychiatry publish ongoing work on trauma, depression and anxiety treatment, and general background on how psychotherapy works is available through psychotherapy.org.
No therapist can promise a particular outcome, and Dr. Audrey does not. What she can offer is a structured process built on established methods and adjusted to your family's history, values and goals.
Dr. Audrey's training and licenses
Dr. Audrey Kteily holds a PhD in Family Studies from Texas Woman's University, a Master's in Counseling from Dallas Baptist University, and a Bachelor's in Psychology from Texas Woman's University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York, and a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor in Texas, where she has been licensed since 2001 and a supervisor since 2004.
She is a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations, holds C-DBT certification from Evergreen Certifications, and is a published author on family dynamics. She has more than two decades of clinical experience. Counselor standards and certification in the United States are overseen in part by the National Board for Certified Counselors. You can read her full background on the about Dr. Audrey page.
Getting started as a Princeton family
- Reach out. Use the New Jersey appointment request form or text the practice. Texting is easiest; please keep health details out of texts.
- Short conversation. You will hear back within one business day to talk about what is going on and who should attend first.
- First session. You receive a secure video link. The first meeting focuses on history, goals and what each person hopes will change.
- Superbill. Dr. Audrey is an out-of-network provider. She provides a superbill you can submit to your insurer; check your plan's out-of-network mental health benefits beforehand.
Ready to begin? Request an appointment, or text or call (917) 905-3183. You can also email [email protected], or return to the Dr. Audrey home page to explore other services.