Young Adult Therapy in NYC
Therapy for Young Adults Navigating Anxiety, Relationships, Identity & Life Transitions
Young adulthood can be a time of enormous change. You may be starting college or grad school, living away from home for the first time, navigating new friendships and relationships, graduating, beginning your career, or trying to figure out what you actually want your life to look like.
And while everyone may tell you that these are supposed to be some of the best years of your life, the reality can feel very different.
You might be overwhelmed by anxiety, struggling with perfectionism, questioning your identity, experiencing dating or relationship difficulties, or feeling like everyone else has figured out adulthood except you.
At Empowered Mind Therapy Group, we provide therapy for college students and young adults in NYC and across New York and New Jersey. Our therapists work with young adults navigating anxiety, depression, perfectionism, relationship concerns, trauma, ADHD and other neurodivergent concerns, LGBTQIA+, self-esteem, family dynamics, identity exploration and major life transitions.
You don't have to have everything figured out before starting therapy.
Our clinicians have over 20 years of combined clinical experience. We solely work virtually and accept insurance through out-of-network benefits with fees ranging from $200-250, with sliding scale spots available (check benefits here).
Therapy can be helpful when you're functioning on the outside but struggling internally.
You may be:
Constantly anxious or overthinking
Struggling with perfectionism or fear of failure
Feeling overwhelmed by school or work
Comparing yourself to everyone around you
Having difficulty making decisions
Experiencing dating anxiety or relationship problems
Recovering from a difficult breakup
Struggling with friendships or feeling like you don't fit in
Having difficulty setting boundaries with family
Feeling responsible for other people's feelings
Navigating ADHD or other neurodivergent concerns
Questioning your identity or sense of self
Struggling with confidence or self-worth
Experiencing burnout
Adjusting to college or life after graduation
Feeling uncertain about your career or future
Trying to become more independent from your family
Carrying the effects of childhood or relational trauma into your adult relationships
Sometimes the hardest part is explaining what's wrong when, technically, everything seems "fine."
Therapy gives you a place to figure that out.
Young Adult Therapy for the Things You're Actually Dealing With
Anxiety Therapy for Young Adults
Anxiety doesn't always look like panic attacks.
For many young adults, anxiety shows up as overthinking, perfectionism, people-pleasing, indecision, difficulty relaxing, or constantly anticipating what could go wrong.
You may replay conversations after they happen.
You may worry about whether you made the right decision.
You may spend hours thinking about a text message, a work interaction, a relationship, or your next career move.
And even when you accomplish what you set out to do, you may immediately move on to worrying about the next thing.
Therapy can help you understand the patterns behind your anxiety and develop healthier ways of responding to uncertainty.
Rather than allowing anxiety to make every decision for you, therapy can help you build the ability to tolerate uncertainty while staying connected to your values.
Perfectionism & Therapy for High-Achieving Young Adults
Being successful doesn't necessarily mean you're okay.
You may have spent years being the responsible one—the person who gets good grades, works hard, takes care of others, and meets expectations.
But achievement can become exhausting when your sense of worth depends on how well you're performing.
You may find yourself thinking:
"I should be doing more."
"Everyone else is ahead of me."
"I can't mess this up."
"If I fail, people will be disappointed in me."
"I should be able to handle this myself."
"I'm not doing enough."
"I don't even know what I want anymore."
Perfectionism can create a cycle of high expectations → anxiety → overworking → exhaustion → guilt → even higher expectations.
Therapy can help you understand where those expectations came from and develop a definition of success that includes your emotional well-being—not just your accomplishments.
Therapy for High-Achieving Young Women
Many of the young women we work with are accustomed to being the "strong one."
You're responsible.
You're capable.
People depend on you.
You may be the person your friends call when they need advice, the family member who keeps everything together, or the employee who consistently goes above and beyond.
But being the strong one can make it difficult to recognize when you need support.
You may feel guilty resting.
You may struggle to ask for help.
You may prioritize everyone else's needs before your own.
Or you may have become so accustomed to meeting expectations that you're no longer sure which expectations are actually yours.
Therapy can provide a space to explore who you are beyond your accomplishments and begin creating a life based on your own values rather than constantly trying to meet everyone else's expectations.
Young Adult Relationship & Dating Therapy
Relationships are often where our deepest patterns become visible.
You may find yourself:
Overthinking texts and interactions
Becoming anxious when someone pulls away
Struggling to communicate your needs
Having difficulty setting boundaries
Staying in relationships longer than you want to
Feeling responsible for your partner's emotions
Repeatedly choosing unavailable partners
Losing yourself in relationships
Feeling burned out by dating
Struggling after a breakup
Questioning whether your relationship is healthy
Having difficulty trusting your own judgment
Our therapists work with young adults navigating dating anxiety, relationship difficulties, breakups, boundaries, communication, and patterns that may have developed through earlier relationships.
The goal isn't for your therapist to tell you who to date or what decision to make.
It's to help you understand yourself well enough to make relationship decisions from a place of greater self-trust.
Read More About Relationship Patterns Here.
ADHD & Neurodivergent Young Adult Therapy
The transition into adulthood can bring new challenges for people with ADHD and other neurodivergent experiences.
The structure that existed in school may disappear. Suddenly, you're responsible for managing your own schedule, work, finances, relationships, appointments, and daily routines.
You may know exactly what you need to do and still struggle to get started.
You may also have spent years believing that you're lazy, disorganized, inconsistent, or "not living up to your potential" when the reality is much more complicated.
Therapy can provide support around:
Executive functioning
Procrastination
Organization and time management
Emotional regulation
Rejection sensitivity
Anxiety
Self-esteem
Relationship challenges
Workplace stress
Burnout
Transitions and independence
At EMTG, Vernee Brooks, LPC works with adults, women, creatives, and individuals navigating ADHD and other neurodivergent concerns.
As a creative herself, Vernee especially enjoys working with creatives who are balancing ambition, self-expression, perfectionism, and the challenges of building a life that works for their particular brain.
Identity, Self-Esteem & Becoming Your Own Person
Young adulthood often involves figuring out who you are outside of the expectations you've grown up with.
That can mean exploring your:
Values
Identity
Career goals
Relationships
Boundaries
Cultural experiences
Family expectations
Definition of success
Vision for the future
Sometimes the hardest part is realizing that the life you were working toward isn't necessarily the life you want.
You may have followed the path that made sense to your family, your community, or your younger self—and now you're wondering what you actually want.
Therapy can give you space to explore those questions without judgment.
You don't have to know the answer before you begin.
Career, Burnout & Life Transitions
Your twenties and thirties can involve one transition after another.
Graduating.
Starting your first job.
Changing careers.
Moving.
Getting married.
Ending a relationship.
Making new friends.
Becoming financially independent.
Returning to school.
Trying to figure out what comes next.
Even positive changes can create stress.
You may find yourself asking:
"Is this really the life I want?"
Maybe your career looks successful on paper but leaves you feeling depleted.
Maybe you're burned out and don't know what comes next.
Maybe your friends seem to be moving forward while you feel stuck.
Therapy can help you slow down enough to distinguish between what you want and what you think you should want.
Together, you can explore your values, identify patterns that may be keeping you stuck, and make more intentional decisions about the next chapter of your life.
Young Adults Navigating Family Expectations & Boundaries
Becoming an adult doesn't necessarily mean family dynamics disappear.
You may still feel pressure from parents or family members around your career, relationships, finances, or life choices.
You may struggle with saying no without feeling guilty.
You may find yourself reverting to old patterns when you're around family.
Or you may be trying to create healthier boundaries while still maintaining important relationships.
Therapy can help you understand these dynamics and develop boundaries that allow you to stay connected without losing yourself.
Healing From Childhood & Relational Trauma
The patterns you're experiencing today may have roots in earlier relationships.
Maybe you grew up feeling responsible for other people's emotions.
Maybe you learned that being successful earned approval.
Maybe your needs weren't always prioritized.
Maybe you experienced criticism, instability, emotional neglect, or difficult family dynamics.
These experiences can influence how you approach relationships, work, boundaries, conflict, and your own sense of worth as an adult.
Therapy can help you understand those connections without defining you by your past.
At EMTG, our therapists take a trauma-informed and relational approach to helping clients recognize patterns, develop new ways of responding, and build healthier relationships with themselves and others.
Read more about the Effects of Childhood Trauma, growing up with Narcissistic Parents or Emotionally Immature Parents.
Looking for Therapy While in College?
EMTG also provides therapy for college students navigating academic pressure, anxiety, relationships, identity, ADHD, perfectionism, and the transition into adulthood. For students and families specifically looking for college student therapy, we've created a dedicated resource with more information about therapy during college.
[Explore College Student Therapy in NYC →]
How Young Adult Therapy Works
Therapy isn't about giving you a list of things you're doing wrong.
It's about understanding why you respond to situations the way you do—and developing new ways of responding.
Depending on your needs, therapy may include:
Understanding Your Patterns
We explore where your thoughts, behaviors, relationship patterns, and emotional responses come from.
Building Practical Skills
You can develop tools for anxiety, emotional regulation, communication, boundaries, and managing overwhelming emotions.
Exploring Relationships
Because wounds created in relationships are often healed through relationships, therapy can provide a space to understand how your experiences shape the way you connect with others.
Identifying Your Values
Instead of living according to everyone else's expectations, you can begin identifying what actually matters to you.
Building Self-Trust
The goal isn't to eliminate uncertainty. It's to help you trust yourself enough to navigate uncertainty.
Therapeutic Techniques We’ll
Use in Therapy
Young adulthood can bring up old patterns around achievement, relationships, family, identity, and self-worth—often at the same time you're trying to figure out who you want to become. Our approach is warm, collaborative, and individualized, drawing from evidence-based and relational therapies based on what you need.
Cognitive & Behavioral Work
We help you identify the thoughts, beliefs, and patterns contributing to anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and self-doubt—and develop more flexible ways of responding.Emotion Regulation & Mindfulness
Therapy can help you better understand and manage difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them, shutting them down, or letting them make every decision for you.Attachment & Relational Work
We explore how your early relationships and experiences may influence the way you connect with others, set boundaries, communicate, and navigate intimacy today.Trauma-Informed
When past experiences continue to affect your relationships, confidence, or nervous system, therapy can help you process those experiences while developing a greater sense of safety and stability in the present.Values & Identity Work
Young adulthood is often about figuring out what you actually want. We help you clarify your values, strengthen your sense of identity, and make choices that feel more aligned with the life you want to build.
At its core, this work is about helping you understand yourself more deeply, trust yourself more fully, and build a life that feels like your own—not one shaped entirely by expectations, fear, or the need to keep everyone else happy.
Meet Our Young Adult Therapists
At Empowered Mind Therapy Group, we don't believe there is one "right" therapist for every young adult.
Our clinicians bring different areas of expertise, personalities, and perspectives to the work. During your connection call, we'll learn more about what you're looking for and help determine which therapist may be the best fit. We accept insurance through out-of-network benefits with fees ranging from $200-250, with sliding scale spots available (check benefits here).
About Vernee Brooks, LPC, LMHC
Anxiety & panic • ADHD & neurodivergence • Dating anxiety • Relationships • Creative identity • Entrepreneurship • Self-esteem • Life transitions
Licensed for therapy in New York, New Jersey & Texas. Virtual Only.
I believe that the relationships we have with other people are deeply connected to the relationship we have with ourselves. I work with young adults who are trying to understand why they keep finding themselves in familiar relationship patterns, struggling with dating anxiety, or questioning whether they can trust their own instincts.
As a creative myself, I especially enjoy working with creatives who may be balancing ambition, self-expression, people-pleasing, and the uncertainty that can come with building a life around what matters to you. I also work with neurodivergent individuals (including late diagnosis in young adulthood) and people whose past experiences—including childhood trauma and childhood sexual abuse—continue to affect how they experience relationships, intimacy, boundaries, and emotional safety.
Education
M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Walden University
BA in Psychology, Rutgers University
Credentials
Advanced training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Specialized expertise in anxious attachment, dating anxiety, and relationship overthinking.
Extensive experience with neurodivergent individuals
Particular experience working with Black women and BIPOC individuals navigating dating and relationships.
About Christine Pacheco, LMSW
Anxiety • Perfectionism • High achievement • Dating & relationships • Breakups • Self-worth • Emotional regulation • Life transitions
I am licensed for therapy in New York. Virtual Only.
I enjoy working with high-achieving women who are accustomed to being the strong one and may struggle with the pressure to meet everyone's expectations. These clients tend to have perfectionism and struggle with silencing that harsh inner critic.
My clients are usually at some kind of turning point: getting back into dating after a long relationship ended, trying to figure out why they keep choosing the same type of partner, recent graduate or attending grad school or starting new job (especially the first one!).
As a dating coach, I really enjoy helping young adults manage dating and relationships. A lot of what we work on together is pattern recognition — noticing what you're actually attracted to versus what's good for you, learning to spot a red flag in week two instead of month eight, and getting honest about the compromises you've been making without realizing it. This is practical work. We're not just talking about your feelings; we're building a clearer read on people, stronger boundaries, and the confidence to walk away from something that isn't right instead of hoping it improves.
Education
Master of Social Work, Fordham University
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Brooklyn College
Credentials
Advanced training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Specialized expertise in attachment patterns, boundary-setting, and dating pattern recognition
Extensive experience supporting BIPOC young adult women navigate perfectionism.
Getting Started
The first step is a free connection call. We'll talk about what you're experiencing, what you're looking for in therapy, answer any questions you have, and help determine which therapist may be the best fit for you.
If you decide to move forward, your initial intake session is 60 minutes and is separate from ongoing weekly (or biweekly) therapy sessions, which are 45 minutes.
Understanding Cost & Insurance
We are out-of-network providers, which means we don't bill insurance directly. However, many clients have out-of-network benefits that reimburse a portion of their therapy costs. Reimbursement varies by plan, but our clients typically receive around 50% reimbursement, with some plans reimbursing as little as 30% and others covering up to 100%.
We provide a superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. We also work with Thrizer, which can help simplify the reimbursement process by allowing eligible clients to pay only their portion upfront rather than waiting for reimbursement.
Want to know what your plan covers? [Check Your Out-of-Network Benefits →]
Individual session fees range from $200–$250, depending on the clinician. We also offer a limited number of sliding-scale spots.
We offer virtual therapy throughout New York and New Jersey.
Ready to take the next step? Schedule a free call and let's talk about what you're looking for in therapy.
Therapy For Young Adults FAQs
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Young adult therapy provides support for the unique emotional, relational, and developmental challenges that can arise during the transition into adulthood. This may include anxiety, perfectionism, relationships, dating, identity, career concerns, ADHD, family dynamics, trauma, and major life transitions.
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There isn't one specific age range. At EMTG, our young adult clients are generally in their late teens through their twenties and early thirties. The more important question is whether you're navigating the developmental transitions and challenges associated with early adulthood.
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No. You don't need a formal diagnosis to begin therapy. Many young adults start therapy because they feel overwhelmed, anxious, stuck, disconnected, or simply want support navigating a transition.
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That's one of the purposes of our connection call. We'll learn more about what you're looking for, what you'd like to work on, and your preferences, and help determine which therapist may be the best fit based on your needs and availability.