The Best THERAPISTS

Though recommending a therapist should be as common as passing on an excellent upholsterer, there is still a stigma to tending to one’s mental health. Another complication: Sometimes the person you most trust for a recommendation isn’t someone with whom you want to share a therapist. So we decided to ask 31 notable New Yorkers about their therapists and are publishing their referrals in their own words. (A note: Pricing and insurance vary from patient to patient, so it’s best to be in touch directly.) BY LOUIS CHESLAW AND LIZA CORSILLO

Amy Jones, L.C.S.W. amyjordanjones.com PATIENT: DESIGNER RACHEL ANTONOFF

amy is incredibly kind, intelligent, and curious, and I have found seeing things framed through her lens immensely helpful. My work with her often feels like we are doing investigative work on my mind and memories.

Shawnee Benton-Gibson, L.M.S.W. shawneereneebenton.com PATIENT: CHEF KEESHA O’GALDEZ

vision of what therapy is: sitting on the couch and talking to somebody. That’s not what my experience was. I met Shawnee through my yoga instructor around 2016. I was in my early 30s, going through a horrible relationship with my ex. The vision I had for my life wasn’t matching up with what I was actually doing. Shawnee’s program was in person for about three months with an intimate group of women of all different ages. The youngest was 19, and the oldest was 65. We did different exercises, made vision boards, even went through our dating and mating history to see if there were any repeated cycles. Our group is still very close, and we check up on each other. Shawnee’s curated a huge tribe of people, and that’s kind of phenomenal, especially in a pandemic.

Anita Gulati, L.C.S.W. anitagulati.com PATIENT: INTERIOR DESIGNER NICOLE GIBBONS

i’ve been seeing Anita Gulati for about five years, and she has helped me grow in ways I didn’t even know I needed to. I never realized how much weight I carried from childhood experiences and how it has impacted the way I’ve viewed myself and the world throughout my life. Therapy has helped me to process those experiences so I could break away from limiting beliefs and behaviors and grow. As a startup founder, I deal with an immense amount of day-today stress and anxiety, and she helps me work through that so I can be more focused and productive.

Mark Kidding Not accepting new patients PATIENT: ACTRESS PARKER POSEY

is from the Lacan school of psychoanalysis. I think the dynamic between us is a lot like director to actor—when it’s proper and in the art of it, there’s no thinking, it’s “fun,” and you don’t realize it’s work. I’m not good when I’m working hard on something, only when I’m playing. A good director helps get you to this place that they know is the source or intended theme, whether you’re conscious of it or not, and they know your capacity—how far to push your limits—to help you be in a wonderful space of contentedness or equilibrium, and close to your desire, and what’s “charged,” or has “aliveness,” and “energy.” One of the things Mark has said lately is “information isn’t connection.” I think so much is strange about life these days, even before the pandemic. We’ve talked about that a lot because I think it’s a strange time, and not following the norms of everyone else can make you feel alienated and lonely. If you’re going to hold on to your own desire and creativity, then “the swarm mentality” is a big distraction from that. So being able to stand alone is something to come to terms with. When I first started seeing Mark, I had been grieving the loss of my first analyst, Mildred Newman, and hadn’t seen anyone for five years. I had so much anxiety then, and the simple words “Loosen the knots” helped me a lot. Language is a tool. Sometimes we can’t find the words when emotion is involved. And with loss especially, people can’t find the words to say to you. A good analyst-therapist is an important ally. They help you create a larger scope of awareness while strengthening your own reserves. My favorite thing he’s said lately is “Isolation breeds inferiority.”

Elizabeth Greene, L.M.H.C. lizgreenetherapy.com PATIENT: KORĒ CO-FOUNDER DIANNA MESION-JACKSON

after suffering a major pregnancy loss, I needed help sorting through my grief, anger, and utter sadness. I had been trying to conceive via IVF for over a year, and I thought this baby was the one. I needed someone other than my husband, who was suffering his own grief, to speak to. From the moment I met Liz Greene, I felt as though she had known me for some time. In our first meeting, she let me cry for the full

45-minute session. She laughed at my jokes when I needed a break from the grief. She exhibited a warmth and compassion that’s hard to put into words. When I had setbacks after what felt like positive progress, she grounded me. We came up with mantras that I would use when I had a negative feeling or felt anxiety creeping in. We identified my happy place, and she taught