Psychotherapy that fits a Ridgewood schedule
Ridgewood runs on a tight clock. Many residents catch an early NJ Transit train toward Manhattan, parents juggle school pickups, practices and homework, and weekends fill up fast. When you finally decide to talk to someone, the last thing you need is another appointment that eats two hours once travel is counted.
Dr. Audrey Kteily, PhD, LPC-S, LMHC, CFLE offers psychotherapy to Ridgewood adults, teens, couples and families entirely by secure video. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in New Jersey, and her practice has no physical office for clients. You log in from home, from a quiet room at work or from wherever you have privacy in New Jersey, and the hour belongs to the work itself.
Psychotherapist, psychiatrist or counselor: what is the difference?
People searching for a psychotherapist in Ridgewood often wonder which kind of professional they actually need. In short:
- Psychotherapy is talk-based treatment. Licensed professional counselors, psychologists, marriage and family therapists and clinical social workers all provide it.
- A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can diagnose and prescribe medication. Some also provide therapy, but many focus on medication management.
- A licensed counselor such as Dr. Audrey holds a graduate degree and a state license to diagnose and treat mental health concerns through psychotherapy. She does not prescribe medication.
Some people benefit from both therapy and medication. If that is true for you, therapy with Dr. Audrey can run alongside care from your own physician or psychiatrist. The National Institute of Mental Health has helpful pages on treatment options for anxiety, depression and PTSD.
What Ridgewood residents bring to psychotherapy
High-functioning people often look fine to everyone around them. They hold demanding jobs, show up for their kids and keep the household running. Underneath, they may be dealing with:
- Anxiety that shows up as sleeplessness, irritability or constant planning for the worst
- Trauma or complex PTSD from childhood, a past relationship or an assault, often never discussed
- Depression that has slowly drained their energy and enjoyment
- Marriage strain, especially when two careers and children leave little time for each other
- A teenager buckling under academic and social pressure, or a young adult struggling after college
- Grief, a divorce, a career change or another life transition
Pressure on Ridgewood teens and young adults
Ridgewood is known for strong public schools and busy, ambitious families. That environment brings real opportunity, and it can also bring a constant sense of being measured. Teens may feel that grades, college admissions, sports and social media all count at once. Some cope by working harder and sleeping less. Others shut down, become irritable or start hurting themselves in private.
Dr. Audrey works with teens ages 12 to 18 on anxiety, perfectionism, school stress, self-harm, identity and mood, and with young adults ages 18 to 29 who are finding their footing after high school or college. She also meets with parents, because a teen's progress usually goes further when the adults around them have a plan too.
Dr. Audrey's specialty in complex trauma is central to her work, not a side offering. She also brings a family lens to everything she does, which helps when one person's distress is tangled up with the people closest to them.
How Dr. Audrey approaches trauma and complex PTSD
With trauma, the right fit and the right pace matter more than any single technique. Dr. Audrey starts by building stability: understanding your triggers, learning skills to calm an overloaded nervous system and strengthening the supports you already have. Her C-DBT certification in Dialectical Behavior Therapy gives clients structured skills for intense emotion and for relationships.
Only when you feel ready does therapy turn toward processing painful experiences. Throughout, she watches for how trauma has shaped your relationships and sense of self, because complex PTSD often lives there more than in any single memory. Studies on trauma-focused psychotherapy are collected in the National Library of Medicine and summarized for the public by the American Psychological Association.
How long does psychotherapy usually take?
There is no fixed number of sessions. Someone working through a recent, specific stressor may need a shorter course of therapy. People addressing complex trauma or long-standing patterns usually need more time, because the goal is lasting change rather than quick relief. Dr. Audrey will talk with you about goals early on and check in regularly on whether therapy is moving you in the direction you want. You stay in control of the decision to continue.
Many clients start with weekly sessions while they build skills and momentum, then space appointments out as things improve. Others return for a few sessions later, when a new stressor or transition comes along. The plan is built around you, not around a preset program.
Therapy for Ridgewood couples and families
Dr. Audrey's doctoral specialty is family systems counseling. Rather than labeling one person as the problem, she looks at the patterns that keep a family or couple stuck. Organizations such as the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy describe why that relational view can help.
Online sessions make family work more practical. A parent can join from the office in Manhattan while the rest of the family logs in from home in Ridgewood, as long as everyone is physically in New Jersey, New York or Texas at the time, which are the states where she is licensed. She works with teens 12 to 18, young adults 18 to 29, parents and couples, and her LGBTQ+-friendly, LGBTQ+-owned practice welcomes every kind of family.
Online sessions for Bergen County clients
Every appointment is a secure, HIPAA-compliant video call that opens in your browser. There is no app to install and nothing to download. New Jersey clients are scheduled in Eastern Time, and times are arranged flexibly rather than from set office hours. Read more about how online therapy works for New Jersey residents.
Dr. Audrey has more than two decades of clinical experience. She earned her PhD in Family Studies and her Bachelor's in Psychology at Texas Woman's University and her Master's in Counseling at Dallas Baptist University. She has been a Texas LPC since 2001 and a Supervisor since 2004, and she is licensed in New Jersey (LPC) and New York (LMHC). She is a Certified Family Life Educator (National Council on Family Relations), C-DBT certified and a published author on family dynamics. Her New Jersey therapy page and the Dr. Audrey home page cover her full range of services.
Starting psychotherapy from Ridgewood
Your first session is mostly listening. Dr. Audrey will want to understand what is happening now, what led up to it and what you would like to be different a few months from now. She will also explain how she works, so you can decide whether it feels right. Nothing has to be resolved in that first hour, and you never have to share more than you are ready to.
Send a request and Dr. Audrey will respond within one business day. The practice is out of network; she provides a superbill you can submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement, so check your plan's out-of-network mental health benefits first.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911. Dr. Audrey's practice is not a crisis service.
Use the secure appointment request form or the New Jersey booking form to get started, or text or call (917) 905-3183. Texting is the simplest option; just leave health details out of the message.