Karen Lewis, LCSW, PsyA

Karen Lewis, LCSW, PsyA Is your anxiety stopping you from what you really want to do? Want to make a change? Allow us to work together!

I strive to establish a safe and comfortable environment that is tailored to your individual needs. Whether you are facing struggles in your career, in a relationship, with loss, depression or anxiety, and the difficulties that come with such transitions and change, I will help you find the solutions and confidence needed to get you back on track. While I am skilled in treating the general clinica

l population, I also specialize in the treatment of parent's of children with special needs, including, but not limited to, parents of children with juvenile diabetes and those with a diagnosis on the autistic spectrum. My goal is to empower you by identifying the issues at hand, focusing on your strengths and the goals you want to achieve. This collaborative process will help facilitate your own unique pathways toward growth and change. In addition to my LCSW, I have completed seven years of psychoanalytic training at the New Jersey Institute for Training in Psychoanalysis. Qualifications

Years in Practice: 9 Years
School: New York University
Year Graduated: 2008

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlewis.lcsw

04/17/2026

𝗦𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁.

Saying no is not cruel.

It is honest. And honesty, delivered with care, is one of the most respectful things you can offer another person.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.
💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

04/15/2026

𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝘃𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝘆𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴

Shyness and social anxiety are not the same thing - and the difference matters.

Shyness tends to be a personality trait. Social anxiety is a clinical condition that causes real impairment in daily life.

Signs it may be social anxiety, not just shyness:
1) You avoid situations for days or weeks in advance because of dread
2) You replay social interactions for hours afterwards, looking for what you did wrong
3) Physical symptoms - racing heart, shaking, sweating - in ordinary social situations
4) You turn down opportunities (jobs, relationships, events) because of fear of judgment
5) The fear is disproportionate to the actual situation, and you know it - but can't stop it

Social anxiety is treatable. You don't have to keep structuring your life around avoiding it.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.
💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

04/15/2026

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵

Not all grief comes from death.

Some of it comes from who you thought someone was.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.

💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

04/08/2026

𝟱 𝗺𝘆𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

Therapy has a PR problem. Here are five myths that keep people from getting support they actually need:

1) 'I'm not bad enough to need it' - there is no entry requirement for struggling
2) 'Talking about it will make it worse' - naming it is the beginning of changing it
3) 'Therapy is just venting' - good therapy builds skills, not just awareness
4) 'I should be able to handle this myself' - needing support is not a character flaw
5) 'It takes years to see any change' - many people notice a shift within weeks

If any of these have stopped you from reaching out, save this post. Then take one step.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.
💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

04/03/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲

You can want to get better and still be terrified of change.

Both things are true. And that is not contradiction - that is being human.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.
💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

04/03/2026

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘀𝗮𝗱

High-functioning depression doesn't always look like staying in bed.

It can look like someone who shows up, performs, and keeps going - while feeling hollow, disconnected, or just persistently flat inside.

Signs that often go unnoticed:
• You function well but feel little satisfaction in it
• You go through the motions - work, social events, responsibilities - but feel numb
• You have good days that make you second-guess whether anything is actually wrong
• You're irritable more than you're visibly sad
• Rest doesn't restore you the way it used to

High-functioning depression is real, it is diagnosable, and it does not require you to be visibly falling apart to deserve support.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.
💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

03/25/2026

𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲

You can be surrounded by people and still feel completely alone. Loneliness is not about how many contacts you have. It is about the quality of connection.

Why loneliness persists even when your life looks full:
1) Surface-level interactions do not meet the need for real connection
2) You have learned to perform "fine" instead of showing what is real
3) Vulnerability feels risky, so you keep people at arm's length
4) Grief, life transitions, or moving can quietly shrink your circle

What can help:
- Lower the bar for connection (a real 5-minute conversation beats a curated text)
- Tell one person how you are actually doing this week
- Notice if you are rejecting invitations out of habit

Loneliness is not a personal failure. It is a signal that something needs attention. Therapy is one place where you can be fully honest without performing.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.
💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

03/25/2026

Your worth is not determined by who stays.

People leave for reasons that have nothing to do with your value. Someone not choosing you does not mean you are not worth choosing.

If rejection has been shaping how you see yourself, this is your reminder: you were whole before they left, and you are whole now.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.

💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

03/19/2026

𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲

If rejection feels like a gut punch every time, even over something small, your brain might be treating social threat the same way it treats physical danger.

Rejection sensitivity is not about being "too sensitive." It is about a nervous system that learned early on that disapproval or exclusion was unsafe.

How to start retraining the response:
• Pause before reacting: name the feeling ("I feel rejected") before deciding what to do
• Separate the story from the facts: "They did not reply" is not the same as "They do not care"
• Track the pattern: notice when rejection sensitivity spikes (fatigue, stress, certain people)
• Build evidence: list three recent moments where you were accepted or valued
• Respond, do not react: give yourself 10 minutes before sending that text or pulling away

Therapy can help you work through the original experiences that wired this response and build a steadier sense of self-worth.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.
💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

03/19/2026

𝗧𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

In some families, love comes with conditions. You are only accepted when you agree, perform, or stay quiet.

Signs love might be conditional in your family:
1) Affection disappears when you disagree
2) You are the "problem" whenever you set a boundary
3) Silent treatment is the default response to conflict
4) Support comes with strings attached
5) You feel responsible for managing everyone else's emotions

What to try:
- Name the pattern to yourself (awareness is the first shift)
- Practice a boundary in a low-stakes situation first
- Remind yourself: "I can love them and still protect myself.

Therapy can help you untangle what is loyalty from what is harm, and figure out what healthy family dynamics can look like for you.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.
💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

03/12/2026

𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘃𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

You are not lazy. You might be burned out.

Burnout and laziness look the same on the surface: low motivation, avoidance, and dropped tasks. But they feel completely different inside.

Laziness says: "I do not want to."
Burnout says: "I want to, but I physically and emotionally cannot."

Signs it might be burnout:
• You used to care about this and now feel numb
• Rest does not actually recharge you
• Small tasks feel disproportionately heavy
• You feel guilty for not doing more, even when exhausted
• Your body is sending signals (headaches, tension, poor sleep)

Burnout is not a character flaw. It is your system saying the pace is unsustainable. Therapy can help you reset without blowing up your life.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.
💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

03/12/2026

Spring is supposed to feel hopeful. But for a lot of people, seasonal transitions trigger anxiety, not excitement.

Why spring can feel hard:
1) Pressure to "start fresh" or be more social
2) Routine changes (daylight, schedules, expectations)
3) Comparison to how everyone else seems to be doing

If the shift from winter to spring has your nervous system on edge, try this:
- Name what changed (sleep, light, pace)
- Give yourself a transition week instead of a deadline
- Ground with one thing that stays the same in your routine

Seasonal shifts affect more people than you think. If anxiety ramps up every time something changes, therapy can help you build a steadier baseline.

📍 Licensed in NJ, NY & FL – teletherapy available.
💌 To make an appointment today, email lewisk728@gmail.com, call (201) 290-5550 or visit my website (link in the first comment).

Address

41 Crest Drive North
Teaneck, NJ
07626

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 7pm
Tuesday 7am - 7pm
Wednesday 7am - 7pm
Thursday 7am - 7pm
Friday 7am - 3pm

Telephone

+12012905550

Website

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