Lindsay Mathews PhD

I earned my PhD in Clinical Psychology with Forensic Specialty from John Jay College and the Graduate Center CUNY. I have worked clinically with justice-involved adolescents within the NYC detention system, young adults at Brooklyn College Counseling Program, and a number of hospitals completing rotations on in psychiatric emergency, inpatient adult, inpatient adolescent, and with outpatient adults and families. I worked as a Clinical Supervisor for 4 years with NYC Health+Hospitals Correctional Health Services at Rikers Island, providing assessment, evaluation, and treatment for individuals with serious mental illness on specialized treatment units. I also have several years of private practice experience working with high-functioning, high-achieving adults of all ages. My approach is curious, authentic, and non-judgmental. I believe humor, spontaneity, and empathy are crucial elements in facilitating corrective emotional experiences.

Painful and distressing symptoms are part of a built-in warning system that alerts up to an awakening of the true self. This awakening can make you feel out of control or like a failure. As social beings, we need others to help us get back in sync with who we truly are and how we really feel. Otherwise, we may feel like we continuously fall back on old strategies for dealing with reality. Therapy aims to get you back in touch with the wise consciousness at the core of your being so that you can stop wasting the precious time of your life. Therapy allows for a witnessing of the pain of life in order to prevent suffering through life. I believe that everyone should have access to mental health treatment and support to ensure that we are being the best "I" that we can be. My training and early career was focused on marginalized and underserved groups, and I currently support efforts aimed at reentry treatment for former offenders/formerly incarcerated individuals and their families.