Dr. Bratt has been in private practice as a Psychoanalyst/Psychotherapist in NYC & Livingston NJ for over 30-years:
Psychoanalysis & psychotherapy oriented toward helping individuals and groups resolve resistances to successful living.
- Special interest in Resilience Studies, resilience building, and Complex Trauma.
- Author, public speaker, and guest expert on radio and TV about work with children, families and couples.
- Consulting: staff development seminars, professional presentations for mental health groups.
My Therapeutic Approach
Everyone deserves a chance to get along better in life, work, and relationships. In decades of practice with adults, adolescents, children, and couples I observe that it is the capacity of the therapist to listen with unbiased attention or agenda, and to welcome a collaborative approach in therapy that leads to success. The trusting partnership of the therapeutic relationship is key.
My goal in in working with those who entrust me with their concerns and vulnerabilities is to enable them to find creative solutions to life dilemmas. Sometimes the work involves patiently being with someone and encouraging them to sift through the troubling issues that bring them to therapy. Others respond better to a more directive, problem-solving approach. I believe a competent clinician should have access to many tools, or techniques with which to approach even the most difficult situation. No matter what, it is the calm, accepting space provided in the relationship that leads people to discover themselves, what drives their behavior and feelings, and to uncover what they really want in life. Once someone feels centered in the understanding of him or herself, they are more open to using the therapeutic partnership to resolve whatever stands in the way of feeling satisfied with life, and to becoming emotionally resilient.
Clinical Supervision
Anyone whose work involves repetitively listening to stories of the hardships, trauma, and disappointments of others needs multiple resources to help bolster emotional resilience. Therapists are vulnerable to the uncomfortable feelings induced by those who come to them, and stories often resonate with their own life history, making it hard to tolerate listening. At the same time, surprisingly, there is a personal benefit they can gain through the complex process of working in a therapeutic relationship.
In clinical supervision the therapist is helped to recognize personal triggers, and identify responses to induced feelings that may be interfering with the case. It is also an opportunity to receive the type of positive feedback and reinforcement that can alert them to their own growth through their work. It is a chance for the supervisor to highlight the creative, competent aspects of the therapist’s functioning they may not recognize on their own. This interactive loop between clinician and supervisor promotes a process of reciprocal resilience that enhances self-esteem and a sense of meaningfulness for both.
Patricia Harte Bratt, MA, PhD, PsyaD, LP, ACS
NJPsya 48PA00000100
NYPsya 000374 VT0098=0000095
NCPsyA495
850 Seventh Ave., Suite 805
New York, NY 10019
(212) 969-9677
e-mail: patbratt@comcast.net
Cell: 973-477-9228
301 South Livingston Avenue
Livingston, NJ 07039
(973) 629-1007