Black, Queer Therapist for Anxious High Achievers in New York City, New York
MEET NIESA
Aurora Psychotherapy LMHC PLLC is a private-pay therapy practice where Niesa White, LMHC-D, a Black, queer therapist and New York native, offers therapy to adults in New York City and across New York State, with a focus on Black and queer high achievers carrying imposter syndrome, self-doubt, anxiety and burnout. Sessions are currently online.
My clients are Black and queer high achievers who look fine on the outside and are exhausted on the inside. Some are mid-career professionals carrying imposter syndrome. Some are navigating identity and belonging in spaces that were not built with them in mind. Some are doing it all and quietly running on empty. Together we work on the inner voice that says you are not qualified, the pressure of being the only one in the room, and the cost of holding it together for everyone else.
You are enough
I came to this work because I know what it feels like to be the only one in the room. To be the high achiever on paper and the person quietly wondering, in private, whether you really belong here. To carry the pressure of being a credit to your community and a reassurance to everyone else, while your own doubt has nowhere to go.
I work with individuals to bring out their strengths as they deserve. Society can make it challenging for minorities to see themselves succeeding without doubt. The journey in finding the “what” and the “how” of the future can be exciting to explore together. I believe everyone deserves to live by their values and see their dreams fully realized without having to go against who they are.
My Approach to Therapy for Anxious High Achievers in New York City, New York
My approach is strengths-based and solution-focused. I earned my MA in Mental Health Counseling from Adelphi University in 2022, and I am currently completing a certification in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, which means we spend less time on what is wrong and more time on what is already working, and we build from there. I also draw on CBT, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Narrative tools when they help. Sessions are collaborative. You bring what is on your mind. I bring the questions, the framework, and the cheerleading.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a strengths-based, forward-looking approach to therapy. You are already doing more than you give yourself credit for. SFBT helps you see that clearly and use it. For most clients a typical course of SFBT runs six to twelve weeks, though it varies based on what you are bringing in and what you want from the work.
Therapy with me in NYC is
Affirming
I have experience working with the LGBTQIA+ community, people of different ethnic backgrounds, as well as those who practice different religions. I dedicate my work to learning how to best support people of all walks of life.
Supportive
No matter what you bring to the room, I’m here to listen! I can still help with challenging and calling out negative thoughts or behaviors conflicting with growth, but there is absolutely no judgment in the room.
Individualized
You’re the expert of your story. We take what you come in with and explore how to overcome challenges in ways that are relevant to you
What does a first therapy session in NYC look like?
During our first session, while reviewing your intake paperwork, I want to learn about you. Not just what brings you to therapy, but your full picture. What are your passions, your pet peeves, your guilty pleasures? Whatever helps you feel more like yourself during the session. I also hold space for you to ask me any questions about therapy, as I know it can be scary to open up to a complete stranger. This is a collaborative process, so I want to set the stage for us to be comfortable enough to work together. Every session is 50 minutes at the standard rate, and the recommendation is meeting once a week to make sure we’re staying current on your goals and I can provide the support you’re looking for (although we can further discuss frequency at any point based on your needs!). Payments for sessions can be completed through your online client portal.
Therapy Services for Anxious High Achievers in New York City, New York
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![Anxious Black Woman]()
Anxiety
When your brain will not stop running the worst-case scenario. We work on what is driving the spiral and what helps you come back to the moment you are actually in.
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![Burnout]()
High Achiever Pressure and Burnout
The exhaustion of always being on. The fear that slowing down means falling behind. Learning to set a pace you can actually sustain without dropping the parts of your life that matter.
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![Black Woman with Self Doubt]()
Imposter Syndrome and Self Doubt
The voice that says you do not belong here, despite the credentials and the work. We name it, work with it, and stop letting it run the show.
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![Woman celebrating life transitions and change]()
Life Transitions
New job, new city, new relationship, new chapter. The grief and excitement of letting one version of your life end so the next can begin.
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![Identity Discrimination]()
Identity and Belonging
Being Black and/or queer in this society can carry a weight not felt by cisgender, heterosexual, or White counterparts. The work of building a self that is not defined by other people’s expectations.
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![Black Woman]()
Women's Issues
Navigating careers, relationships, family expectations, and the labor of being everything to everyone. We make space for what you actually want, not just what is being asked of you.
Outside of the Therapy Room
I am a Black, queer, New York native who enjoys tea, video games, music of every genre, sports, and a good sitcom or reality show when the day is done. I love my city and supporting those who live in it.
Key facts about Aurora Psychotherapy LMHC PLLC
- Practice
- Aurora Psychotherapy LMHC PLLC, a private-pay psychotherapy practice
- Therapist
- Niesa White, LMHC-D (founder)
- License
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC-D), New York State, license #015471
- Service area
- New York City and across New York State. Sessions are currently online.
- Serves
- Adults 18 and over who are located in New York State at the time of each session
- Works with
- Black and queer high achievers
- Specialties
- Imposter syndrome and self-doubt, identity and belonging, high-achiever pressure and burnout, anxiety, life transitions and women's issues
- Approach
- Strengths-based and solution-focused. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (certification in progress), with CBT, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Narrative tools
- Sessions
- 50-minute individual sessions, usually weekly
- Fee
- $175 per session
- Insurance
- Out of network. Superbills provided, and Thrizer verifies benefits, submits claims and completes reimbursements on your behalf
- Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund
- Partner provider. The fund covers therapy for Black women and nonbinary clients who are awarded a voucher
- How to start
- Complete the form on the Contact page to set up a free 15-minute phone consultation
- Reply time
- Within one business day