Paul Pasternak , LMHC

Paul D. Pasternak is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) practicing in New York with more than 25 years of clinical experience. He has worked with a wide range of individuals across varied settings, building a deep reservoir of practical knowledge that informs his approach to therapy.

Paul focuses on helping people navigate anxiety, depression, addiction, parenting challenges, relationship difficulties, and major life transitions. He also supports older adults facing the stresses of aging and those coping with grief or trauma, offering guidance tailored to each person’s situation. His work often involves helping clients strengthen coping skills, manage stress, and rebuild intimacy and connection where it has been strained.

Using a strength-based, client-centered model, Paul places the client’s goals and values at the center of the therapeutic process. He commonly employs Motivational Interviewing to explore and enhance a person’s readiness for change and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. Together with each client he develops a specific care plan, tracks progress, and adjusts strategies as needed to support meaningful change.

Paul’s style is nurturing and empathetic, attentive to the impact of past trauma, and focused on practical steps toward growth. He emphasizes hope and effort as the foundations for change and invites clients to take a collaborative journey toward the life they want.

Approaches That Guide Online Care

Paul integrates client-centered care, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing into his online practice to address a wide range of concerns. Client-centered therapy emphasizes the client’s own goals and experiences, offering a supportive space where the therapist follows the client’s lead and helps amplify personal strengths. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying patterns of thought and behavior that contribute to distress and teaches practical skills to shift those patterns, which can be especially helpful for anxiety, depression, and stress. Motivational Interviewing helps clients clarify their reasons for change and build motivation, making it useful for addiction, behavior change, and situations where ambivalence is common.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Paul works collaboratively with each person to determine which methods best fit their needs, goals, and preferences. Together they create a tailored plan and adjust it as progress unfolds, ensuring therapy remains aligned with what the client wants to achieve.

Online therapy with Paul offers flexibility in how sessions are delivered - video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging - so clients can choose the format that fits their schedule and comfort level. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care, manage busy lives, and access licensed professionals from different locations when in-person visits are not practical.