About Liberty
Hello, I'm Joseph P. Coleman, PhD. I am a licensed psychologist in New Jersey and New York.
I founded Liberty Psychological Services in 2020.
I want to help you learn the meaning of anxiety.
My dream of becoming a psychologist began in high school when I discovered that one can make a career of listening to and caring deeply for others. I held this dream close to me during my academic and clinical development. In 2011 I earned my undergraduate degree from SUNY College at Brockport. I then attended the University of Detroit Mercy where I earned my PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2017. My doctoral training was intensive; it included years of practice and research in therapy clinics, universities, and hospitals. My skills in anxiety management, emotion regulation, and therapy for chronic pain are a result of this training.
My therapy style:
I want to know how anxiety fuels vicious cycles in your life. Anxiety is uncomfortable, and you try to avoid it. Avoidance, however, produces emotional upset and the cycle continues. The therapy relationship can help you break these cycles. We focus on our interactions instead of guessing at the intentions of others in your life. This technique promotes discussion of your feelings and experiences. We use wordplay, metaphors, symbolism, dreams, and storytelling to help you see your life from new angles. Throughout, I teach you the meaning of anxiety and show you how to harness its power. This style is interactive; I take you and your progress seriously and I am not afraid to challenge. The goal? To develop a better understanding of why you approach the world the way that you do. This self-knowledge can lead to flexibility in coping and in relating to others.
Between sessions, I think about our next steps and how I can help you get the most out of treatment. You are my focus. As part of my fee I offer visual and written learning tools that I develop and tailor to you and your treatment. The 'Going Toward' document on the homepage is an example of this. Care coordination services (speaking with your psychiatrist, physician, loved ones) are also included in my fee. These enhance our collaboration in therapy and the effectiveness of our work.
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Other services include:
Presenting, speaking, and consulting for groups who wish to learn more about my approach to treatment and my unique focus on anxiety and emotion management. I love providing a glimpse into the therapy and coaching world while offering refreshing views on common psychological concerns such as anxiety, emotion regulation, relationships and communication, and chronic pain. Also offering: skills coaching for anxiety management. Daily, I witness how a lack of healthy anxiety management skills can stand in the way of personal and professional fulfillment.