Survey Response: Wendy Newman, LCSW
This survey was last updated in April 2018.
Degrees/Licenses Held:
MSW
LCSW State of NJ
Contact Information:
103 Park St., Building B
Montclair, NJ 07042
(973) 567-1668
www.wendynewmanlcsw.com
Number of years in practice helping people with TMS: 6
Number of clients you have seen who have had TMS: Dozens
What is your association to the TMS community? As a psychotherapist in private practice, I regularly see clients who are believed to have TMS. I received my training from Dr. Arlene Feinblatt.
Have you ever suffered from TMS? If so, how did you recover? (optional)
Yes, it was only after anything medical was repeatedly ruled out that I was able to consider a mind/body connection. Working with a psychotherapist helped me heal and paved the way for my professional journey in working with TMS.
What insurance plans do you currently accept? Out of network only
Do you have a sliding scale of payment for people who are not covered by insurance? Yes, I do have a limited number of spots available.
Are you able to conduct sessions over the phone and/or via internet video services (i.e. Skype or FaceTime)? Skype sessions available to New Jersey residents only.
What have you done to educate yourself about TMS, and what plans do you have for further education about TMS?
Besides formal training and supervision with Dr. Arlene Feinblatt, I attended the 2012 PPD conference in NYC as well as two Master Classes with Drs. Anderson and Sherman. I am an active member of the TMSwiki professional listserv and read relevant books and scientific publications supporting the Mind/Body approach to symptom relief.
What mindbody books do you recommend to your patients? In particular do you recommend Dr. Sarno's books?
I recommend all of Dr. Sarno’s books in addition to books written by Dr. Howard Schubiner, Dr. David Hanscom, Dr. David Schechter, and Steven Ozanich.
As we are going to post your answers on the TMS Wiki, feel free to write some text to introduce yourself.
Having treated clients with eating disorders for over 20 years, helping people heal from TMS/PPD was a natural progression. Both eating disorders and somatic pain syndromes are symptoms that manifest from underlying emotional turmoil and conflict. After witnessing a family member’s dramatic recovery from debilitating TMS and recognizing my own TMS symptoms, I began to spread the word about Dr. Sarno’s groundbreaking work and sought training to treat clients whose healing would come about through psychotherapy. With warmth and compassion, I utilize techniques drawn from short-term dynamic, psychoanalytic and mindfulness-based approaches in order to help my clients make sense of their symptoms and discover more adaptive ways to express their authentic selves. I am also trained in EMDR and Somatic Experiencing, both are body based modalities that can be exceedingly useful in helping clients heal from developmental trauma or adverse childhood events that can lead to TMS.
Questions Specific to Therapists
What is your general psychotherapeutic treatment approach?
Psychoanalytically-informed psychotherapy combined with mind/body techniques such as EMDR and Somatic Experiencing.
How does your approach to treating TMS differ from your general psychotherapeutic treatment approach?
I make it very clear from the start that I “get” TMS in a way that gives clients hope for recovery. My office is a place for clients to talk about their physical pain and where we become curious together. By exploring how and when symptoms change in intensity, where they move, under what circumstances, etc, clients can begin to hone their awareness of how and why their symptoms may be manifesting the way they are. We look for triggers and search for inner conflict that often keeps people “stuck” in their symptom. My goal is to help clients increase their ability to experience and tolerate emotional states that may be out of their conscious awareness.
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