Zachary Schwartz

After working in the corporate world during the early years of my professional life, I felt a pull to pursue a different path that would allow me to make an impact in a more personally meaningful way. I have now been in the field of mental health for the past 17 years and feel humbled to be trusted and connected to the emotional lives of many adults, teenagers and families. Prior to my current full-time private practice, I gained extensive experience working as a therapist in mental health centers and schools. Additionally, as a former director of a school-based mental health services organization, I contributed to the growth and development of numerous in-district counseling programs for students and families throughout New Jersey. My therapeutic approach is to create a space that allows clients to feel more comfortable expressing themselves inside of my office which can then translate into clients feeling more comfortable in addressing issues and taking actions outside of my office.

I have an openness and comfort level in working with all populations in which I have areas of specialty. In keeping with my training and experience, I believe it's initially important to learn about my clients by meeting them and understanding their world prior to sharing which of my personal beliefs/interests may be beneficial to disclose during their treatment. That being said, I do encourage clients to ask me questions as they come to light and in some situations (particularly with adolescents) I will answer them directly, but in others it may be useful to explore the nature of the questions further before providing an answer. Additionally, in instances when I decide not to answer a question directly, I will always share why I have made that determination so that the client can hopefully appreciate the rationale behind it, which is ultimately to deepen the therapeutic work we do together.