Warm, practical therapy for navigating anxiety, ADHD, relationships, and life’s transitions—with greater clarity, confidence, and connection.
About
I’m Dr. Sarah Mandelbaum, PhD, LCSW, a psychotherapist who works with teens, young adults, and adults navigating anxiety, depression, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, dating and relationships, self-esteem, and major life transitions. I offer in-person therapy in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, and virtual therapy throughout New Jersey and New York.
My style is warm, collaborative, and practical. I help clients better understand their emotions, relationships, and recurring patterns while developing tools they can use in everyday life. Clients often come to me when they feel anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure how to move forward. Others are coping with dating and relationship stress, friendship challenges, family dynamics, academic or career pressure, burnout, identity questions, or changes in how they see themselves and their future.
Dating and relationships can be an especially meaningful focus of therapy. I work with clients who want to understand their relationship patterns, communicate more effectively, set healthy boundaries, navigate dating with greater confidence, or make sense of uncertainty within a relationship. For clients from religious or culturally traditional communities, we can explore dating, relationships, identity, family expectations, and personal values in a thoughtful and culturally sensitive way.
My approach is person-centered, evidence-based, and responsive to each client’s individual needs. I draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Motivational Interviewing, psychoeducation, mindfulness, self-compassion, and strengths-based and psychodynamic approaches.
Some sessions may focus on practical skills, such as managing anxiety, improving emotional regulation, addressing negative thought patterns, strengthening executive functioning, setting boundaries, or navigating difficult conversations. Other sessions create space to explore depression, relationship patterns, beliefs, past experiences, or emotions that feel tangled, overwhelming, or difficult to name. Together, we’ll develop an approach that feels useful, manageable, and connected to your goals.
Before beginning my private practice, I spent more than a decade working in middle and high schools, supporting students, families, and educators. That experience continues to shape how I understand teens and young adults—not in isolation, but within the context of their relationships, responsibilities, environments, and developmental transitions.
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York and New Jersey. I earned my master’s degree from the NYU Silver School of Social Work and my PhD from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work. I also teach in master’s-level social work programs at Wurzweiler and Touro University, focusing on clinical practice, mental health, and ethics.
Clients describe me as warm, thoughtful, and easy to talk to. I bring a steady, nonjudgmental presence to therapy and meet each person where they are. At its core, I believe therapy is about connection. I aim to create a space where you can be honest, feel understood, build practical skills, and develop greater confidence in your ability to create meaningful change.
I look forward to connecting with you.
Credentials & areas
Credentials
Modalities
Specialties
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