Therapy for a small shore community
Mantoloking is one of the smallest boroughs in Ocean County, a slim stretch of land between Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Route 35 runs its length, and the water is never more than a short walk away. Summer brings full houses and busy beaches. Winter can feel very quiet.
That quiet has two sides. It offers peace, and it can also leave people alone with whatever they are carrying. Finding a therapist nearby is not simple either, and the off-season can make it harder to ask for help when friends and neighbors have left for the winter: getting to an appointment often means crossing the bay and driving inland, which is a real commitment in a nor'easter or on a summer weekend.
Dr. Audrey Kteily works with Mantoloking residents entirely online. She is a New Jersey Licensed Professional Counselor and does not have a New Jersey office. Every session takes place over secure video, so you can meet with her from your own living room, with the bay or the ocean outside the window.
When the storm is over but the stress is not
Superstorm Sandy hit Mantoloking especially hard in 2012. Homes were destroyed, the barrier island was breached, and families spent years rebuilding. For many people, the visible damage was repaired long ago while the emotional impact lingered.
Disaster-related stress can show up in ways that do not seem connected to the original event:
- A spike of anxiety every time a hurricane forecast appears or the wind picks up
- Trouble sleeping during storms, or checking the weather compulsively
- Feeling on edge each fall around the anniversary
- Strain between family members who coped very differently with loss and rebuilding
- A sense of grief for homes, neighbors or a way of life that never fully returned
It is never too late to address these reactions. Trauma therapy helps your nervous system recognize that the immediate danger has passed, even when you still live with real weather risks. Dr. Audrey starts with stabilization and grounding skills, many drawn from dialectical behavior therapy, in which she holds C-DBT certification, before moving at your pace toward processing what happened.
What can a therapist help Mantoloking residents with?
Storms are only one part of the picture. People reach out to Dr. Audrey for many reasons, including:
- Trauma, PTSD and complex PTSD from accidents, assaults, abusive relationships or difficult childhoods
- Anxiety and depression, including the low mood some people feel in the off-season
- Grief and loss, from the death of a spouse or parent to the loss of a long-held family home
- Life transitions such as retirement, an empty nest or a move to the shore full-time
- Family conflict among adult siblings, parents and grown children, or blended families sharing a house
- Couples concerns, especially when partners handle stress in opposite ways
- Teen struggles with anxiety, self-harm, school stress or identity
Dr. Audrey's PhD is in Family Studies, and her doctoral specialty is family systems counseling. Shore houses often bring several generations together under one roof for part of the year, and that can surface old family patterns quickly. Family sessions can help everyone understand those dynamics and talk about them more calmly.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911. Dr. Audrey's practice is not a crisis service.
Privacy in a town where people know each other
In a borough this small, neighbors notice things. A car parked outside a counseling office in a nearby town can turn into a conversation you did not want to have. Online therapy removes that concern. There is no office, no waiting room and nobody to run into on the way in or out.
The video platform Dr. Audrey uses is secure and HIPAA-compliant. Your link opens in your browser; there is nothing to download. On your end, choose a room with a door, use headphones if guests or family are staying with you, and you have a private space for therapy right at home.
Can I keep therapy going if I split time between homes?
Many Mantoloking homeowners divide the year between the shore and another residence. Online therapy can follow you, within licensing limits. Dr. Audrey is licensed in New Jersey (LPC), New York (LMHC) and Texas (LPC-S), and she can meet with you whenever you are physically in one of those states during a session.
So if your primary home is in northern New Jersey or New York City and you spend summers in Mantoloking, sessions can continue in both places without changing therapists. If you travel elsewhere, plan sessions around those dates. New Jersey and New York clients are scheduled on Eastern Time, and scheduling is flexible. Learn more about how online therapy works for New Jersey clients or visit the New Jersey therapy page.
What happens in the first session?
Starting therapy can feel like a big step, especially if you have managed on your own for a long time. The first session is meant to be manageable. Dr. Audrey will ask what prompted you to reach out now, what daily life feels like, and what you would like to be different a few months from now. She will also ask about your history and the people who matter in your life, at whatever depth feels comfortable.
You will not be asked to walk through a traumatic experience in detail. If a topic becomes overwhelming, you can pause or change direction. Dr. Audrey will explain confidentiality and how she works, answer your questions, and suggest a starting plan, which might include individual sessions, a few sessions with a partner or family members, or a focus on specific skills for sleep and anxiety.
Many people find it reassuring to have the first session from a familiar chair at home. After it ends, there is no drive back over the bridge; you can take a walk on the beach or sit quietly with what came up.
Dr. Audrey's background
Dr. Audrey Kteily has been practicing for more than two decades. She earned a PhD in Family Studies and a BA in Psychology at Texas Woman's University and a Master's in Counseling at Dallas Baptist University. She has been a Texas LPC since 2001 and an LPC-Supervisor since 2004, and holds a New Jersey LPC and a New York LMHC. She is a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations, holds Evergreen Certifications' C-DBT credential in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and has published on family dynamics. Her practice is LGBTQ+-friendly and LGBTQ+-owned. You can learn more on the Dr. Audrey home page.
For further reading, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the World Health Organization offer accessible mental health information. The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy shares resources on how therapy works, and the National Center for Biotechnology Information indexes research on trauma and disaster recovery.
How to begin
Dr. Audrey is an out-of-network provider. She provides a superbill you can submit to your insurer for possible out-of-network reimbursement, so check your out-of-network mental health benefits first. The New Jersey appointment request form is another way in.
A text is the easiest way to start. Please keep health details out of texts; just mention you are in Mantoloking and looking for a therapist. She responds within one business day.
Request a therapy session, or text or call (917) 905-3183.