Woodstock Therapy Center

I graduated medical school in 2004 and trained as an adult/pediatric anesthesiologist after which I worked in NY state from 2009-2021. I have also had a long-standing interest in death and the mystery surrounding it, and found many parallels between anesthesia and the dying process. In 2019 I pursued death doula training to broaden my understanding of how to be with the dying from a non-medical perspective. In 2020, at the onset of the pandemic I began facilitating virtual death cafes in an effort to help people process its traumatic impact. I continue to advocate for awareness and acceptance of death and dying, leading conversations on various online platforms when time permits. In 2022, after years of listening to a persistent calling, I completed training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and transitioned to Hospice medicine in Albany, NY.

My passion is supporting clients on their path to personal, spiritual, and relational growth. I strive to create a non-judgmental and affirming space where clients can bring their full selves to therapy. I specialize in working with survivors of sexual and relational trauma, people from the LGBTQIA+ communities, and individuals looking to develop deeper spiritual insight including during times of life transitions. My work is grounded in sex-positivity, anti-oppression, somatics, and pleasure. I also support clients in developing an understanding of the impact of systemic injustices and intergenerational trauma in their lives that create obstacles to wellbeing. My approach to psychotherapy centers on healing from both past traumas and managing current stressors by accessing the innate healing wisdom of the body, garnering insight, and developing concrete skills for navigating lifes challenges. I work collaboratively with my clients to support their journey to self-actualization.

I am the director of the Woodstock Therapy Center, a wonderful collection of practitioners who together are greater than the sum of its parts. The center has been serving the community for over 35 years and continues to grow and change to best meet those needs.

I am now offering KAP (Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy) as well as general Psychedelic Integration work. I believe my training in IFS & SE has primed me for deeper healing work with my clients and am now very excited to add KAP to my toolbox.

I am a psychodynamic psychotherapist with a private practice in NYC and Upstate NY. I have spent the past 5 years delving deeply into the world of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, completing a psychedelic integration certificate program with Fluence and conducting KAP at the Woodstock Therapy Center. I am excited to be engaging in this new modality, which presents exciting opportunities and challenges. Diving into psychedelic work requires courage, openness, and an ability to withstand discomfort. I apply psychodynamic principles to my KAP sessions when appropriate; helping clients explore fears and themes related to whats come up in our prep and integration sessions. With kindness, compassion, curiosity, and humor, I try to blend my genuine interest in peoples stories with a passion for helping people break maladaptive patterns, attachments, and narratives.

My approach is grounded in the core belief that each person holds everything that they need within themselves to navigate life's challenges, and that healing is a collaborative process where we need others to help us recognize, feel, and trust that ability we possess within ourselves. I'm here to walk this path with you, providing a compassionate and non-judgmental space where you not only feel seen, heard, and supported but also learn how to see, hear, and support yourself simultaneously

I am a psychotherapist and healing witness, friend, creative, and neighbor. Born and bred where the East coast meets Midwest, shaped further by the Bay Area, and now once again settling in back on the East coast in the lower Hudson Valley, I am inspired and influenced by the artists, teachers, mentors, and environments encountered along the way. I offer psychotherapy for individuals and couples/relationships and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy through the Woodstock Therapy Center. In addition, I offer psychedelic preparation and integration support.

Based on my broad experience with other treatment modalities, I believe that ketamine assisted psychotherapy provides patients a rare opportunity to heal from within. KAP seeks to address the deep psychological and spiritual wounds which are the core of many illnesses. Often, the experience helps patients who have struggled for years to fix what is wrong with themselves a direct experience of their whole, healthy, and connected Self. Used in conjunction with the help of a skilled and supportive therapist, it can act as a catalyst to empower the life changes necessary to sustain wellbeing and healing.

I have an MA in Counseling Psychology and an MA in Spiritual Psychology (University of Santa Monica). I have a coaching degree through The Coaches Training Institutes Co-Active program. I am a certified Imago Therapist and have advanced training in Emotionally Focused Training for couples (EFT). This training allows us to look at what may be happening on a deeper level, what soul lessons we may be here to learn, and how we repeat patterns until we become aware and choose differently.

Seema Desai, MD is a board certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist with a particular clinical interest in the intersection of spirituality and psychiatry. She integrates principles of mindfulness into her clinical work with patients and teaches on topics of mindfulness and mental health. She has been a study therapist at NYU in research examining the effects of psilocybin on depression and existential anxiety related to end stage cancer diagnosis. She is currently a study therapist in a MAPS trial examining the effects of MDMA assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of PTSD. She provides psychopharmacology treatment and ketamine assisted psychotherapy in her private practice