Individual Therapy with Leo Sifflet, LPC in Montclair, NJ

Individual therapy, or personal counseling, is central to the mental health field and naturally to Leo Sifflet’s work as a therapist. It emphasizes a one-on-one therapeutic relationship primarily concerned with your specific needs and circumstances. This is the venue where individuals make changes in their lives, from small adjustments to seismic shifts. Your time with Leo is meant to be a:

• Tool for personal development
• Sounding board for your thoughts
• Path to gaining trust in yourself
• Space to cultivate emotional strength and resilience

Your efforts in individual counseling can provide valuable benefits, including: 

• Improving mental health
• Developing better coping and problem-solving skills
• Increasing self-awareness
• Renewing or improving relationships
• Boosting self-esteem
• Building resilience 
• Overcoming traumatic or painful experiences

You are the only self you’ve got, and we are here to support your investment in it!

Choosing LeoNitas for Individual Counseling

There are many approaches to therapy, and it can help to think of those approaches as a network of paths leading toward a common destination. And if each unique and nuanced approach to therapy is a path, then you can think of your therapist as a guide.

Since self-development is more about the journey than any destination, we want you to find the path and the guide that’s right for you. So, what is LeoNitas about? Are we the right guide for your journey? Let’s take a look at some of what distinguishes Leo Sifflet and his practice.

An Empowerment Model

At LeoNitas Counseling, Leo’s unique approach to individual therapy is focused on empowerment. His gift as a therapist lies in his ability to help his clients access their own wisdom, strength, and voice. He works to help you find your own center–your locus of control–so that you may design the circumstances of your own life. 

An Integrated Approach

Unifying a variety of therapeutic methods, Leo is mindful of and responsive to what will help each client. Being a believer in the harmony of mind, body, and spirit, Leo may recommend exercise, mindfulness practice, fun, or relaxation techniques. Likewise, his clients can expect to feel heard when they experience physical manifestations of their emotional experiences.

Humanistic, Person-Centered Therapy

As an overarching philosophy, Leo Sifflet’s approach to therapy is a humanistic and person-centered one, meaning that we will focus on your:

• Free will
• Potential
• Uniqueness
• Present and future
• Awareness of self
• Feelings
• Purpose
• Whole being

The civil rights, women’s liberation, and anti-war movements of the 1960s and 70s drew heavily on the founding philosophies of humanistic psychology. This revolution of thought around the self-determination of humans forms a basis for Leo’s passion to help his clients heal through self-empowerment.

LeoNitas Counseling Areas of Excellence

To understand how our unique approach looks in practice, let’s take a look at some areas of personal growth that LeoNitas Counseling specializes in helping our clients navigate. 

Trauma and PTSD

Trauma generally originates from an event or series of events that made us feel powerless, and the aftermath of trauma is often the integration or dissonance of that powerlessness. Leo Sifflet’s work with trauma-affected clients is to help them discern the powerlessness of that moment (or moments) from every other moment of their all-encompassing lives. 

We need not remain in powerlessness after trauma, but it is often the body’s natural response to dwell there. We can, with the right support and safe space, begin to use our minds to guide the body back to its natural-born place of confidence and empowerment. Even for those who cannot recall a time in their lives when they felt confident or empowered, LeoNitas offers that support and safe space. See our Trauma and PTSD page for more information.

Anxiety Counseling

Anxiety comes in many shapes and sizes for many reasons, including but not limited to genetics, brain chemistry, and difficult life circumstances. Surprisingly, many people experiencing anxiety are unaware of it. Perhaps expecting panic attacks with a racing heart and shortness of breath, they may overlook a suite of other, less-obvious symptoms: 

• Difficulty sleeping or staying asleep
• Irritability
• Frequent upset stomach
• Busy but not getting things accomplished
• Easily or often tired
• Distractibility or difficulty concentrating
• Frequent colds and viruses
• Intrusive or overwhelming thoughts

Learn more here, and reach out for help if you think you may have anxiety. You deserve inner peace, and we’re here to help you access it. Your work with Leo can help you center and ground yourself so that you may rise above the circumstances that are currently dominating your emotional state.

Post-Incarceration Reentry

Any person who has done it knows that coming back to the “real world” after serving a prison sentence can be a shock. Like a war veteran, you’ve experienced a whole world that no one understands. But you can survive and thrive. Some of the most impactful people in the world have “both kinds of convictions.” 

The reentry journey can be one of moving through powerlessness or oppression…into empowerment. Leo Sifflet is here to help you develop tools, make your own unique way, and create a life where your whole self is welcomed and appreciated. Learn more here.

Substance Abuse

All of the above and more can lead to self-medicating with unhelpful substances. In 2022 in fact, 16.5% of Americans met the criteria for drug or alcohol abuse disorders. The state of active addiction holds us down and keeps us from our potential. 

Individual therapy with Leo Sifflet can help you navigate your path to recovery, either as your primary support or alongside a recovery program. The tools you develop to meet life on life’s terms will empower you to maintain your recovery, however it may look for you. Learn more here. 

Finding Your Voice and Being Heard

Sometimes mental health isn’t about a diagnosable condition at all. Circumstances can drive us to seek support, even when nothing is “wrong.” It can be hard to pinpoint, but almost all of us have had moments in our lives when we can’t seem to make ourselves heard in our community, workplace, or home. No matter how hard we work, we feel unseen, unappreciated, or disrespected. Leo specializes in helping clients find their voice and craft lives where their needs are important. Learn more about finding your voice here.

Individual Counseling Near You in Montclair, NJ

At LeoNitas Counseling in Montclair NJ, we believe in your potential for growth, your ability to heal, and your right to feel empowered to use your voice. Client by client, Leo is dedicated to supporting, guiding, and inspiring each on an individual journey to self-discovery and personal freedom.

Your steps toward a greater sense of purpose, empowerment, and self-respect can begin today. Reach out, and together let’s trace a path to a more meaningful and satisfying life.