Licensed to practice in New Jersey and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in Anxiety, Domestic Violence, Life Transitions and 8 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
I’m Lisa Duncan, LCSW, a therapist who provides a nonjudgmental space where you can feel heard, understood, and supported. I work with adults navigating anxiety, depression, ADHD, life transitions, relationship concerns, and self-esteem challenges. I have a specific interest in helping people heal from emotionally unhealthy, manipulative, or abusive relationships. My approach is person-centered, strengths-based, practical, and grounded in evidence-based practices, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution Focused Therapy. I believe therapy works best when it is collaborative rather than one-size-fits-all.
Your first session is a chance for us to get to know each other and talk about what brought you to therapy. We’ll explore what’s been happening, what you’d like to change, and what you hope to gain from therapy. There’s no pressure to have everything figured out. We’ll start where you are and work together to create a plan that feels right for you.
I bring warmth, empathy, authenticity, and a practical, down-to-earth approach to therapy. I meet clients where they are, help them recognize their strengths and patterns. My personal and professional experiences with mental health, domestic violence, grief, anxiety, depression, and recovery from emotionally unhealthy and abusive relationship dynamics allow me to offer genuine empathy, understanding, and practical guidance to my clients.
My ideal client may feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of themselves or how to move forward. Many have experienced difficult relationships involving emotional abuse, manipulation, chronic invalidation, gaslighting, or controlling dynamics that left them questioning their judgment, confidence, or even their sense of reality. They may also struggle with anxiety, self-esteem, or life transitions. They’re looking for a nonjudgmental space to make sense of what they’ve experienced, recognize unhealthy patterns, rebuild confidence, and create meaningful change.
I use CBT to help you understand the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Together, we look at patterns that may be making things harder for you, such as overthinking, worrying, avoiding things, seeking reassurance, or being overly critical of yourself. We work on noticing these patterns and finding more helpful ways to respond. This may include looking at whether your thoughts are based on facts or fear, learning ways to manage difficult emotions, changing behaviors that keep anxiety or other concerns going, and practicing new skills between sessions. The goal isn't to force you to think positively or tell you that your feelings aren't valid. Instead, CBT helps you develop a more balanced way of looking at situations so you can make choices based on what matters to you rather than automatically reacting to anxiety, fear, or negative thoughts.
I use CPT to help you work through the thoughts and beliefs that can develop after a traumatic experience. Trauma can sometimes change the way you see yourself, other people, or the world, and those beliefs can continue to affect you long after the event has ended. Together, we identify thoughts that may be keeping you stuck and examine whether they are still serving you today. The goal is not to erase what happened or tell you to "just move on." Instead, we work toward understanding what happened, reducing the impact it has on your present life, and developing a healthier and more balanced perspective.
I use DBT to help you better understand and manage intense emotions, stress, and difficult situations. We focus on practical skills that can help you slow down before reacting, tolerate uncomfortable feelings, communicate more effectively, and handle conflict or difficult relationships. DBT can be especially helpful when emotions feel overwhelming or when you find yourself reacting in ways that you later regret. We work on skills you can use in everyday life to feel more in control of your responses while still recognizing and accepting how you feel.
I use solution-focused therapy to help you identify what you want to change and focus on practical steps toward getting there. Rather than spending every session focused on what is going wrong, we also look at what is already working, your strengths, and times when you've been able to handle difficult situations successfully. Together, we identify realistic goals and small changes that can make a difference in your everyday life. This approach can help you move from feeling stuck to identifying what you can do next.
I use a trauma-informed approach by considering how past experiences may affect the way you think, feel, behave, and relate to others today. We focus on creating a sense of safety and control in therapy and move at a pace that feels appropriate for you. Rather than judging your reactions or asking, "What's wrong with you?" we look at what may have happened to you and how you learned to cope with it. Therapy can help you understand these patterns, develop healthier ways of coping, strengthen boundaries, and feel more in control of your life.