Therapy for Childhood Emotional Neglect NYC | CEN Therapy
Once you make sense of how childhood emotional neglect has touched your life, the healing can begin.
One-on-one, childhood emotional neglect therapy online for adults in NYC and New York State, where you can be honest about what you’ve gone through with someone who understands.
The effects of childhood emotional neglect (CEN) can have lasting consequences, impacting not only our current relationships but also the way we relate to ourselves.
It can feel like nobody understands you, and like every important relationship is destined to end, leaving you feeling worried, even panicked.
Or you might find yourself avoiding relationships altogether because the anxiety that comes up when you try to connect is too much.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Your reactions seem to come out of nowhere at times
You tend to assume that people don’t care about you
Guilt and shame feel like a constant
You struggle to be compassionate towards yourself
You feel undeserving of love
You feel guilty when you stand up for yourself
You notice that you push people away, even though you want so badly to connect
Romantic relationships are anxiety provoking
You’re easily consumed with self-loathing
You feel intense, unresolved anger
You gravitate towards people that mistreat you
You turn to drugs, porn, and/or sex for distraction, or to feel better about yourself
It’s hard for you to trust others and open up
You notice that you tend to repeat painful and self-destructive patterns in relationships
You feel intense loneliness
If you answered “yes” to any of the above, know that getting therapy for childhood emotional neglect can help you feel better.
Childhood emotional neglect often gets normalized in Latinx and BIPOC communities, and as a result we may not even realize that we experienced it.
Or when we do realize it and we open up, we get invalidated, sometimes with a story about how much worse our parents had it, leaving us feeling guilty.
Not all therapists are equipped to help people who’ve experienced childhood emotional neglect and/or abandonment.
There are so many ways this experience can affect us, and the aftermath can be painful and confusing. You need someone who gets it, and who knows what they’re doing, and can see the invisible scars.
Hi, I’m Rene Gonzalez, LMHC (he/him) an experienced trauma specialist in NYC who specializes in childhood emotional neglect and abandonment.
When you’re in the thick of it, you need someone with expert knowledge who can impart their wisdom with warmth and compassion, and help you make sense of what you’re going through. I offer a comforting, safe therapeutic space where you can be honest about what you’ve been through.
My commitment to helping survivors of childhood emotional neglect, abandonment and abuse stems from my first-hand experience seeing how this kind of trauma affects people, in addition to some of my own experiences.
I want you to know that this is my life’s work, and it’s my goal to provide you with a warm and trusting relationship that can develop over time.
Everyone’s experience with childhood emotional neglect is different, so I don’t offer a one-size-fits-all approach.
For some people, there were plenty of hugs, and their parents said I love you but didn’t really pay attention when the big stuff happened.
For others, the status quo in their home was that kids were to be seen and not heard, and consequently feelings got ignored.
And if you’re LGBTQIA+, keeping that secret can mean you didn’t get the emotional support you needed, and perhaps you can still feel the effects of that when you’re in a relationship.
Therapy Types & Modalities
I pull from different modalities, including but not limited to:
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Attachment Based Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Psychodynamic Therapy
Somatic Therapy
Childhood emotional neglect therapy is different from other types of therapy.
I’m trained in multiple trauma modalities, including peripheral biofeedback—what this means is I have a deep understanding of the mind-body connection, and I use this to help you improve your ability to manage your reactions and emotions.
And if you’ve ever tried to change your distressing thoughts, you’ve probably noticed that your head might think one thing, but your body doesn’t necessarily believe it. That’s why I use modalities that aren’t solely focused on our thoughts and emotions, but also our bodies.
Profound change requires us to approach our trauma from multiple angles, and the “somatic” or bodily approach is an important piece of healing trauma.
Expertise
Childhood trauma can look like a lot of things, and anxiety and depression are big ways in which trauma shows up.
I’m skilled at treating anxiety and depression, in addition to PTSD and complex trauma.
I primarily help people who experienced trauma early in their lives.
Childhood Sexual Abuse
Childhood Emotional Neglect and Abandonment
Childhood Trauma
Anxiety
Depression
PTSD
Complex trauma
If your primary reason for coming to therapy is substance abuse, eating disorders, personality disorders, OCD, or ADHD, I highly recommend seeing a specialist in those areas. Visit NOCD for OCD providers that take insurance, or Psychology Today to find providers for your specific needs.
If you’re currently in a domestic violence situation, I recommend reaching out to an organization that offers more than just psychotherapy, such as Safe Horizon or CONNECT, for more immediate help.
If you’re currently suicidal or in crisis, I recommend reaching out to 988, or calling 911, or going to your nearest emergency room.
Online therapy for childhood emotional neglect and/or abandonment requires a good fit with the right therapist.
And if you’ve experienced trauma, you might also struggle to figure out what matters to you most, and how to trust your gut so that you can make big decisions. When you’re ready, reach out to someone like me who understands the pain of childhood emotional neglect and can help.
