Psychotherapy & Psychoanalysis  ·  New York

Feeling
Stuck?

Depth-oriented therapy for anxiety, OCD, and the patterns that keep you from living more fully.

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Jordana Alhante, LCSW

Jordana Alhante, LCSW

Let's make it
make sense.

If you're reading this, maybe it's your first time looking for a therapist. Maybe you've been in therapy before and you're looking for something more. Either way, one thing is certain: you want to feel differently than you do right now. You might be caught in thought spirals that won't quiet down, or you keep ending up in the same place no matter how hard you try. Whatever it is you're carrying, there's room for it in my office.

I take a different approach than a lot of therapists you might have seen. Most therapy focuses on managing what's happening on the surface: the anxious thought, the compulsion, the spiral. That kind of work can help, and I use those tools too. But real, lasting change usually requires going a level deeper: understanding why your mind keeps doing this, not just learning how to stop it. Whatever is happening in your mind deserves to be understood, not just silenced. That understanding is usually what makes the scariest thoughts lose their power.

We don't just work to stop the obsession. We work to understand why the mind needed it in the first place.

That means our work together isn't just about feeling less anxious. It's about feeling more alive, more integrated, and more fully yourself.

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in New York, currently in my second year of psychoanalytic training at the American Institute for Psychoanalysis (AIP).

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Licensed in New York State

Psychoanalytic Training

Second year candidate, AIP

Clinical Focus

OCD, anxiety, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, ERP, ACT, DBT

What we work on

Grounded in evidence, deepened by psychoanalytic understanding.

01

OCD & Intrusive Thoughts

Specialized work with obsessive-compulsive dynamics, combining symptom reduction protocols with depth-oriented exploration of why the mind needed the obsession in the first place.

02

Anxiety & Worry

Rather than just managing anxiety, we investigate its roots. The underlying structures of personality and history that fuel it, so relief is lasting rather than temporary.

03

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Depth work for those seeking genuine transformation. We explore recurring patterns, relational dynamics, and the unconscious landscape to achieve freedom that coping skills alone cannot provide.

Fees & insurance

In-Network

Aetna

I am an in-network provider for Aetna. If you have Aetna coverage, your standard in-network benefits apply. Please verify your mental health benefits with your plan directly.

Out-of-Network

All Other Carriers

For all other insurance carriers, I am an out-of-network provider. Many PPO plans offer out-of-network benefits that reimburse a significant portion of the cost. I can provide a monthly superbill for you to submit. I recommend calling your provider to ask about your out-of-network mental health benefits.

On fees

I view the financial arrangement as an integral part of the clinical work, not just a business transaction. During our initial consultation, we will discuss your fee together, looking at your resources, your commitment to the process, and what the investment represents for you. Establishing a fee that feels both sustainable and significant ensures our work is grounded in mutual respect and serious intent.

Common questions

These are the questions I hear most often. If something isn't covered here, I'm always happy to talk through it on an initial call.

Most therapy today focuses on what is happening on the surface: the behavior, the thought, or the symptom. While that can offer temporary relief, a psychoanalytic approach asks why the symptom exists in the first place. We view anxiety or obsessions not as problems to be deleted, but as messages from the younger versions of yourself. By understanding the underlying structure of your personality and your history, we can achieve a type of freedom that coping skills simply cannot provide.
It's okay to be skeptical. Contemporary psychoanalysis has evolved significantly since the days of cigars and velvet couches. At its core, it simply means we are curious about what you don't yet know about yourself. It involves looking at your recurring patterns, your dreams, and even the here-and-now of our relationship to see how you move through the world. We'll also do plenty of processing of family dynamics to understand how your environment shaped you. We aren't just looking for insights. We are looking for a shift in how you experience your very existence.
Meaningful change is difficult and requires momentum. Meeting multiple times per week, often referred to as intensive work, allows us to go deeper than a standard weekly check-in. Research in neurobiology and psychotherapy suggests that increased frequency fosters a stronger therapeutic alliance and allows for a more continuous exploration of the mind. It prevents us from spending the whole hour just catching up, allowing us to stay with the deeper material that usually gets avoided.
I am an in-network provider for Aetna. For all other insurance carriers, I am considered an out-of-network provider. Many PPO plans offer out-of-network benefits that reimburse a significant portion of the cost. If you wish to utilize these benefits, I can provide you with a monthly superbill that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. I recommend calling your provider beforehand to ask about your out-of-network mental health benefits.
Collaborative, honest, and straightforward. I'm here to guide the process, bring ideas to the table, and keep things moving.

Let's work
together.

Our patients get better treatment when we work together. That's not just a nice idea; it's something I've seen firsthand. The thinking this work asks of us gets sharper when it's shared, and the isolation of private practice doesn't serve anyone. These two projects are my attempt to do something about that.

Clinical Consultation

Deepening the work with OCD

OCD cases can be genuinely hard to hold, especially when symptom-focused protocols stop being enough. I offer consultation for clinicians who want to think more carefully about what's underneath the obsession, and how to integrate depth-oriented approaches alongside ERP, ACT, or DBT. Whether you're stuck on a specific case or want to rethink how you're working with OCD more broadly, I'm glad to think alongside you.

Send me an email
Community

Metro Psychoanalytic Exchange

I founded MPsE because I believe our practice is only as strong as the community supporting it. True to our social work roots, knowledge is best shared. MPsE is a listserv and member directory for psychoanalytic clinicians in Manhattan and Brooklyn, built to make referrals easier, get resources into more hands, and create a real holding environment for our collective professional growth.

Join the listserv

Book a consultation

The first step is simply reaching out. Use the calendar below to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation, a chance to ask questions and see if we might be a good fit.