A place to be truly listened to—and deeply understood.
Psychotherapy for individuals, couples, and families on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
About the practice.
For more than twenty years I have sat with people through the quieter and the more difficult passages of their lives—grief, transitions, relationships that have grown strained, anxieties that resist easy explanation. And I have shared in the other side of that work: the pride, the relief, and the quiet joy that come as people grow. My work is grounded in psychoanalytic and psychodynamic thinking. Together, we pay attention to what is happening in your life and relationships while listening for what emerges beneath the surface—the patterns that repeat, the feelings that are difficult to name, and the deeper meanings that unfold.
I trained at the Derner Institute and completed postdoctoral training in psychoanalysis at New York University. Alongside my private practice, I teach and supervise other clinicians at several postdoctoral institutes, and currently serve as Director of Training of the Psychology Externship at the National Institute for the Psychotherapies in New York.
- Ph.D. Clinical Psychology Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies
- Postdoctorate Certificate in Psychoanalysis NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis
- Director of Training Psychology Externship, National Institute for the Psychotherapies
- Faculty & Supervisor Manhattan Institute of Psychoanalysis National Institute for the Psychotherapies China American Psychoanalytic Alliance
- Supervisor Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies
The Initial Consultation.
Therapy is, at its heart, a relationship. Whether we are a good fit matters a great deal—and that is what these first sessions are for.
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Three sessions of forty-five minutesThe consultation begins with three initial sessions in which you tell me your story—what has brought you here, what has come before, and what you hope for. You do not need to arrive with the words ready; we find them together.
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A mutual sense of fitThese first sessions are also a chance for you to get a feel for how I work, and for what it is like to talk together. What matters most is that you feel comfortable, safe, and understood.
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A commitment to work togetherIf it feels right to continue, we decide together how to proceed—how often we'll meet, and what shape the work will take.
My work is collaborative and exploratory—an effort to understand, together, what has been difficult to think about alone.
We meet regularly—usually once to several times a week—and you are invited to speak freely, following what comes to mind. Gradually, patterns emerge: in relationships, in memories, in the ways difficulty repeats itself. Understanding those patterns, in the context of a steady and honest relationship, is what allows them to change.
This work is for people who have the sense of finding themselves in the same place again and again—despite their best efforts to change. Together, we look beyond immediate symptoms to understand what lies beneath them, making room for change that is not only relieving, but lasting: the feeling of being more at home in one's own life.
Areas of focus.
I work with teenagers, young adults, adults, couples, and families. I also see fellow clinicians seeking treatment of their own. My practice is a welcoming and affirming space for people of all identities, orientations, and backgrounds, including the LGBTQIA+ community.
Individual Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis
In-depth, relational work with people navigating anxiety, depression, life transitions, identity, and the patterns that are hard to make sense of on one's own.
Couples Therapy
Helping partners understand the patterns between them—where they came from, what they protect against—and to repair what has grown strained, so that something new becomes possible.
Family Therapy
Working with families to surface what has gone unspoken, repair connection across generations, and support each member through change.
Bereavement, Grief & Trauma
Careful, paced work with grief, loss, and the enduring effects of trauma.
Some of the most common reasons people reach out.
- Anxiety, worry & overwhelm
- Depression, or a persistent low mood
- Wanting a relationship, and wondering what stands in the way
- Difficulties within a relationship
- Grief, and living with loss
- Life transitions, welcome and unwelcome
- Parenting, and strain within families
- What gets passed down through a family
- Questions of identity—who you are, and who you are becoming
- Trauma & its aftereffects
- The wish to understand yourself more deeply
- A quiet sense something is off
Supervision & Consultation.
Alongside my clinical practice, I supervise doctoral candidates, postdoctoral fellows, and licensed clinicians working psychodynamically or psychoanalytically. My supervisory affiliations include the Manhattan Institute of Psychoanalysis, the National Institute for the Psychotherapies, the China American Psychoanalytic Alliance, and the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies.
I enjoy working collaboratively with clinicians at all stages of their professional development. I offer private supervision and case consultation, whether for ongoing work or a meeting or two. Those interested are warmly invited to be in touch.
Inquire About Supervision
Contact.
Please feel free to contact me by phone, text, or email to arrange an initial consultation.
- Phone (917) 399-9555 — call or text
- Email joy.levinson@gmail.com
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Office
180 East 79th Street, Suite 1D
New York, NY 10075 - Format In person & virtual
- Hours By appointment, Monday – Friday
Dr. Levinson is an out-of-network provider with all insurance companies. Documentation for reimbursement will be provided. The standard fee is $400 per session. A limited number of reduced-fee sessions are available based on financial need.