Dr. Jeanette Torruella
Life gets complicated. Sometimes we lose our footing, question ourselves, or simply need a place to figure things out. You may know something needs to change without being entirely sure what that change looks like—or how to get there. I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 15 years of experience supporting individuals and families in New York City and New Jersey. I specialize in working with women and teens who are trying to find—or find their way back to—themselves. Many of my clients are capable and accustomed to meeting expectations, yet underneath it all struggle with anxiety, self-doubt, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or feeling disconnected from their own voice. For women, this often happens during seasons of change—when relationships shift, children grow, careers evolve, or the version of you that worked for years simply doesn’t fit anymore. Our work is about understanding what you need now, letting go of old patterns, strengthening boundaries, and learning to trust yourself again. For teens, the questions may sound different, but the struggle can be surprisingly similar: Who am I? Where do I fit? Am I enough? I offer a space to exhale and figure things out without judgment while navigating friendships, family, school, expectations, emotions, and identity. I also support parents and blended families navigating the sometimes messy realities of parenting and co-parenting while staying connected to the children they love. My approach is warm, collaborative, curious, and grounded in the belief that you already carry important strengths and resources within you. I bring compassion, thoughtful questions, practical tools—and a little humor when we need it. Therapy isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about becoming more fully yourself. If something here feels familiar, let’s talk. Schedule a consultation to see if working together feels like the right fit.
First session
Your first session is really about getting to know each other. You don’t need to arrive with your story perfectly organized or know exactly what you want to work on. We’ll start wherever you are. I’ll ask questions to better understand what brought you to therapy, what’s been happening in your life, and what you’d like to be different. We’ll talk about what’s working, what isn’t, and some of the experiences or patterns that may have shaped where you are today—but we’ll move at a pace that feels comfortable. You’ll also get a sense of who I am and how I work. I want therapy to feel collaborative, so there’s room for your questions, concerns, and even uncertainty about the process. By the end of our first session, my hope is that you leave feeling heard, a little clearer about what brought you in, and with a sense of where we might begin. We won’t solve everything in one session—and we don’t need to. The first step is simply beginning the conversation.
Strengths
I think one of my greatest strengths is my ability to connect with people and make therapy feel like a real conversation. I’m warm, curious, and compassionate, but I’m also willing to ask the questions that help you look at something differently. I’m a counselor, but I’m also an educator at heart. I believe there is power in understanding why we do what we do. I often help clients make connections between their experiences, relationships, patterns, and the ways they’ve learned to move through the world. Sometimes simply having language for what you’re experiencing can shift the way you see yourself. I also bring creativity into my work. My background in theater, education, counseling, and supervision has taught me that there is rarely only one way to reach someone or approach a problem. Therapy doesn’t have to look exactly the same for every person. Most importantly, I don’t see myself as the expert on your life—you are. I bring clinical knowledge, experience, perspective, and tools, but I’m interested in helping you discover what fits you. I listen for strengths as much as struggles and for the things you may not yet recognize in yourself. And there’s room for humor. Therapy can hold difficult things without every moment feeling heavy. Sometimes we reflect deeply, sometimes we challenge an old story, and sometimes we laugh. All of it can be part of healing and growth.
Ideal clients
My ideal client is someone who knows something needs to change, even if they can’t quite name what it is yet. They may appear capable and put-together on the outside but privately struggle with self-doubt, anxiety, overthinking, people-pleasing, or the pressure to meet everyone else’s expectations. They may be navigating a transition, questioning a relationship, struggling to set boundaries, or realizing that old ways of coping no longer fit who they are becoming. For teens, this may show up as questions about identity, belonging, friendships, family, or the pressure to figure out who they are while everyone seems to have an opinion about who they should be. I especially enjoy working with clients who are curious about themselves and willing to look beneath the surface. You don’t need to arrive knowing exactly what you want or how to get there. You just need some willingness to explore. Ultimately, my ideal client wants more than simply feeling “less anxious” or getting through the next difficult moment. They want to understand themselves, trust their own voice, develop healthier relationships, and feel more grounded in who they are. You don’t have to have all the answers. That’s part of what we’ll discover together.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use CBT especially when working with anxiety, self-esteem, and relationship concerns. Together, we identify distorted or unhelpful thinking patterns and explore how they affect the way you feel, see yourself, and respond to others. I’ll help you challenge those thoughts, develop more balanced perspectives, and build the confidence to respond differently in your everyday life.
Narrative
I believe the stories we tell ourselves have tremendous power. In Narrative Therapy, I’ll challenge you to look at the stories you’ve carried about yourself, your relationships, and your experiences and ask: Is this still true? Does this story still serve me? We keep what works, let go of what doesn’t, and begin authoring a story that better reflects who you are and who you’re becoming.
Somatic
Emotions don’t just live in our thoughts—they show up in our bodies. I use body awareness to help you recognize and process emotions as they arise and understand what your nervous system is communicating. Through breathing, grounding, and body-awareness practices, you’ll learn how to regulate your nervous system so that, over time, you can recognize what you need and regulate yourself more confidently.
Location
Virtual sessions