Elana Bluementhal, LCSW
NYC & NJ Therapist
Senior Therapist, Clinical Supervisor
Elana Blumenthal is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience. She is deeply committed to helping clients gain new insight into themselves and believes that the possibility of a richer, more satisfying life is available to anyone willing to do the work.
Clients seek Elana’s support for a wide range of reasons—often rooted in their relationships with others, but just as often, in their relationship with themselves. Many find they’ve been repeating the same unhelpful patterns for years. Elana’s work focuses on helping clients identify those patterns, understand where they come from, take ownership of them, and ultimately find more intentional, healthy ways of navigating their internal and external worlds.
Whether she’s working with a teen struggling with anxiety or depression, or an adult caught in painful family dynamics, Elana helps clients put language to what they’re feeling and express it with greater clarity and self-awareness. Her approach is psychodynamically informed, grounded in the belief that past experiences often shape current behaviors—especially the ones that no longer serve us.
Central to Elana’s work is the belief that trust is the foundation of effective therapy. She understands that building a strong alliance between client and therapist takes time and attunement. But once that trust is established, it creates the conditions for meaningful progress. She offers a space where clients can show up fully—without shame or judgment—and begin to move toward the personal growth and emotional clarity they’re seeking.
Enjoying a cup of coffee while sitting in my backyard next to my garden is a very important daily ritual for me.
What keeps me grounded?
One of my favorite podcasts is Psychiatry and Psychotherapy with David Puder— he covers all kinds of topics within the mental health world— different therapies, diagnoses, different treatments. It’s an excellent, interesting and informative podcast.
What I’m always listening to:
I actually love traveling on my own and generally like going to places off the beaten path— like tree houses in Oregon, ice hotels in Canada (which I still have yet to do), and exploring small undiscovered and unheralded towns.
My idea of rest?
I think there are many roles and experiences that have shaped me personally and as a therapist. I think having my own therapy and being able to see and accept myself as a good but imperfect human being has allowed me ultimately to have more empathy and compassion for others.
What shapes how I show up in the therapy room:
Eleanor Roosevelt had a famous quote: “Do something every day that scares you.” I happen to love this quote as I try to see every day as a an opportunity to challenge myself and master something— even if it’s something small.
A quote I return to:
If I hadn't become a psychotherapist, I might have become a naturalist with a specific interest in trees and forests. I have a strong interest in nature, the outdoors and the environment and I always have.
A surprise fact?
Modern and lightly disruptive. Speaks to people who are tired of surface-level therapy.
