National registry of mental health professionals

I specialize in the treatment of women. My patients and I work together so that they develop the courage to stand behind their intelligence and creativity, while also enjoying intimate relationships in which they feel loving and vulnerable. The women I see find ways of listening to their voices, figuring out their lives, and embracing their capacity to live fully, whether they're in a relationship or single. To me, the main goal of therapy is the development of inner freedom--freedom to be yourself, to love genuinely, and to do your best and most creative work.

In terms of the therapy itself, the patient's ability to feel safe comes first.In my office I try to maintain an atmosphere of warmth and calm. In our work together my patients learn how to listen to their own voices, figure out how they really want to live, and develop the courage to be real. Together we work toward finding solutions to a wide range of life challenges and psychological issues.

Sometimes the effects of trauma make it hard to trust others. Sometimes depression drains us of emotional energy. I am trained to treat both. The patient's ability to feel safe in my office comes first. We work together in an atmosphere of warmth and calm. This is the patient's journey. I will do everything I can to hear your words, and feelings and perceptions, and to help us both toward the deepest understanding of who you are. Blending conventional and alternatives approaches to therapy, I draw on a variety of styles and techniques, incorporating what is most helpful to the individual.

In addition to relational problems I also have an interest in helping women who suffer from depression, PMS, Postpartum Depression, menopausal depression, and anxiety and panic disorders

For further information, or to arrange a consultation with me, e-mail dowlingcolette@earthlink.net. Or call me at 718-594-0201.

Supplementing my clinical expertise is a long career in research and writing. In addition to THE CINDERELLA COMPLEX, some of my other books are: WOMEN'S HIDDEN FEAR OF INDEPENDENCE, YOU MEAN I DON'T HAVE TO FEEL THIS WAY?: NEW HELP FOR DEPRESSION, ANXIETY AND ADDICTION, RED HOT MAMAS: COMING INTO OUR OWN AT FIFTY, and THE FRAILTY MYTH: REDEFINING THE PHYSICAL POTENTIAL OF WOMEN AND GIRLS.

For a consultation with me, or for more information, I can be reached at dowlingcolette@earthlink.net Or, you may call me at 718-594-0201

My articles on special aspects of women's mental health can be found at http://www.womens-wellbeing-and-mental-health.com

Philosophy

I think women's lives are extremely complicated. Somehow, we're just expected to know how to be parents, and workers, and lovers. We're supposed to make it all fit together somehow, but inside us there are conflicting voices: You're taking on too much. You're not doing enough with your life. When will you get it together? Why aren’t you satisfied with your life the way it is? What I have to offer comes from a lifetime of experience, as well as training that allows me to help my patients get underneath what they know about themselves to a deeper truth. With that truth they become stronger, better able to cope with the challenges they face, and better able to express their innermost desires and talents.