Unlocking the Possibilities
Clients dealing with mental health issues or relationship problems can find the help they need in a supportive environment at New Jersey Therapy & Life Coaching.
Over the past three decades, Dr. Larry Cohen, a therapist and founder of New Jersey Therapy & Life Coaching, has certainly honed his skills in listening, showing empathy, and helping clients resolve issues in a non-judgmental manner. But his development in those areas began much earlier—all the way back in childhood, in fact, thanks to the example set in his own home.
“I think I get it from my father—he was an easy guy to talk to, and I picked it up from him,” Dr. Cohen says. “Caring, being present, and being able to make myself available to everyone who comes into the room, that’s all important as well.
“In grad school, I was training to be a researcher and a professor, but I discovered that what I really loved the most was working with people and doing psychotherapy. That’s why I decided to become a therapist, and I wouldn’t still be doing it after 30 years if I didn’t love it. I find it inspirational.”
New Jersey Therapy & Life Coaching offers individual psychotherapy, marriage and couples counseling, and life coaching for adults at its primary office in Voorhees and satellite offices in Marlton and Cherry Hill. The practice’s approach is based on an integration of cognitive therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy to get to the root causes of mental health and other problems in order to produce real change.
The process starts with an assessment and information gathering, leading to the cognitive step of determining how a person’s thoughts and beliefs impact his or her emotions and, ultimately, behavior. The psychodynamic aspect involves an examination of the person’s childhood or past trauma and the influence that it might be having. All of this is done within an inclusive, person-centered therapy framework.
“If someone comes into our offices, we accept them where they are, for who they are, and for what they’re struggling with. This allows them to grow as a person and begin the helping process,” Dr. Cohen says. “If you regard someone positively, they feel safe, trusting and connected.”
In marriage counseling, sessions can sometimes be adversarial, so it’s critical for the therapist not to assign blame and to identify the underlying causes of common arguments the couple may be having. It could be related to childhood trauma, the family dynamics they came from or problematic past relationships.
The practice offers a marriage and relationship seminar on Sundays at its Voorhees location. The seminar allows couples to listen to the guided discussion on breaking out of repetitive disagreements, communicating more effectively and restoring intimacy. Couples don’t have to share if they don’t feel comfortable, so there is no pressure to participate.
“The goal is to resolve differences in a calmer way, and to understand and hear each other better,” Dr. Cohen says. “In therapy, we can slow the process down so that couples can really listen to one another and understand where their partner is coming from. They see where compromise can be made so that they can live in a more peaceful, connected way.”
In life coaching, Dr. Cohen and his team focus on the goals the client wants to achieve and help them identify what is blocking them from accomplishing those goals and how to overcome the obstacles.
Dr. Cohen raves about the other two therapists at the practice, Rosalind Redd and Ellia Michalski, for their ability to connect with people and even to use treatment methods different from his own. One aspect that makes New Jersey Therapy & Life Coaching stand out from the large “therapy mills” that have become common in the field is that clients have more choice in which therapist they see and are not just randomly assigned, but matched with the person who best suits their needs.
His private, self-pay practice is also not bound by which treatments insurance will cover and can therefore customize its offerings rather than use a cookie-cutter model.
“The insurance companies seem to think that everyone should be treated in the same way,” Dr. Cohen says. “They limit the number of sessions that people can have, and they limit the kinds of therapeutic methods that can be used. What makes us different is that we don’t have those constraints.”
While social stigmas surrounding therapy have certainly eased up since Dr. Cohen first started practicing, he realizes that it is still a very brave step for someone to seek help. What keeps him going is the transformation that can take place at any age.
“I work with adults, and adults are absolutely able to change the way they see things, what their perspective is, change their attitude, and their behaviors,” he says. “Being able to see the positive changes people can make is very gratifying. There’s really nothing like it.”
New Jersey Therapy & Life Coaching
Voorhees, Marlton and Cherry Hill
(856) 352-5428
