Barbara Zelnick, Counselor

“Barbara has helped me to manage my depression and anxiety. Reminding me that the decisions I make have an effect on my day to day life, and so of course, have an affect on my mental health. I have been a person who has put the needs of everyone else first. Many times at my own expense. Whether it be literal (about money) or about the emotional cost. I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety my entire life. It’s been a constant. When I was 18. I was severely depressed and borderline suicidal. I was lucky though. I had people around me who made sure I was safe and where I would get the help that I needed. Since then I’ve always known that talk therapy was an imperative part of managing my mental health. Today, I’m a person who knows that reaching out for help is key. In fact, it literally saved my life. There are still those who believe that admitting that you need help is a sign of weakness. Then there are those of us that know that it’s a sign of strength. We want to improve our mental health. We want to feel better. I believe that working through my history is key to understanding how I react and make choices in the present. I believe that a person who “goes it alone” will continue making the same poor decisions. Usually repeating the same mistakes. I believe an outside voice. Not a loved one or family member with emotional attachment to you. Preferably, a professional who has been taught to understand the human condition. Someone who knows what makes us think the way we do is the best way forward. When Covid kept us from each other. That was when I first reached out to LifeStance and met Barbara Zelnick. As with all my relationships ours started out with trepidation on my part. I’m not a person who is very trusting. It takes me some time. It’s not until I become familiar with the person that I let my guard down. I think Barbara intuitively could tell and professionally understood this. I also, from my experience with talk therapy, understand that it takes a couple of visits before you know if you and your therapist are a good fit. Online therapy actually makes it easier to switch to another therapist if you don’t connect with the first person. In my case though, I did connect and then felt comfortable enough to share my history and present state of mind with Barbara. Since then we’ve delved deeper into “what makes me… me”. I have been taking the time to think before I just say yes to an ask. Making sure that I put my own welfare first. The phrase “Let me think about it” or “I’ll get back to you” or sometimes even “I don’t know if I’ll be able to help you with that” have come out of my mouth. Until recently my answer was always yes, no matter how it might effect me or how it might not have even been feasible in the past. I’ve met the therapist who I connect with. Who I work together with on my future self. I’m 60. Not so long ago I had decided that it was too late to change the way that I felt. That I should just ride out my remaining years and accept that living with my current depression as it is, was acceptable. I no longer want to accept that fate. I want to be working to improve my state of mind and my life until my last breath here on earth. I fully recommend LifeStance and specifically Barbara Zelnick to anyone who knows how important working on their mental health and future is. This is my one life to live and I want to live it.”

“Wonderful therapist. She is helpful ,kind and tell you how it is. I recommend Barbara because she listen to you and give you helpful tools to use.”

“She is a very coldhearted and unempathic therapist. The testing and providers here were horrible. I should of stopped coming her since the corona virus started and followed my intuition to stay far away from lifestance health since the beginning. No more abuse and humiliation and my life has improved so much since getting rid of all of these phony, fake, and toxic people. Good riddance.”

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