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At IPG Counseling, we have been a leader in providing sensitive, affordable, and expert mental health care in New Jersey since 1983. Our unique approach blends empathic, client-centered counseling with the latest advances of brain science and alternative health techniques. We treat individuals, couples, families, and children with a variety of problems including depression, addictions, anger management, AD/HD, and many others. All clients are seen in our private offices, where strict confidentiality is maintained. The majority of our referrals are word of mouth, but our clients may be referred by their insurance companies, or by other professionals. We are convenient to most of south/central and northern Jersey and lower Manhattan, are on most managed care panels, and accept most insurance plans. Click to read more about:
We have a tradition of serving groups of people who frequently cannot get quality health care elsewhere (see Our History). But that is not the only thing that makes us unique. As a group we share a commitment to social justice, which in health care means that all people regardless of background or lifestyle or beliefs, are entitled to state-of-the-art medical and psychological services. Finally, we believe that the most important thing a therapist can offer you is their compassion and empathy for you, and their honesty and openness as a fellow human being.
Our reputation has grown because we offer something that most people want, but which few therapists are trained to provide: expert help, delivered from the heart. We view our clients as our peers. Each of us at IPG has had our share of life problems, and we've all needed to ask someone else for help at times. So we know how much courage it takes to be a client-to own up to one's issues, to seek help from another person. We've used our own difficulties for self-growth, and we're not afraid to share our personal experiences with our clients when it is appropriate.
We develop a "program of treatment" for each individual that weaves together emotional, intellectual, scientific, humanistic, and at times spiritual perspectives. We are "solution focused": it's often more important for you to solve your problem than it is to talk about what led up to it.
We begin by making a person-to-person connection with each of our clients. We see the people we counsel as members of our extended family, not just "patients" and certainly not "customers." We know that for therapy to work, we must hold our clients in positive, unconditional regard... and that they must feel the compassion and sensitivity we try to give. So we immediately set out to learn the uniqueness of each person, not only the problems that bring them to us but also their strengths, skills, and inherent worthiness.
But though we are informed by our hearts, we also know there is a technical side to quality counseling as well. We diligently follow the discoveries of the exciting new field of brain science, including neuropsychology, research on "emotional intelligence", and pharmacology, and we keep current on the research in different methods of psychotherapy. We are students of "mind/body" techniques as well, and incorporate holistic methods into treatment: methods that combine high-tech and simple, intuitive wisdom.
Our primary priority is that you guide your own journey. It has been said that the expert therapist "follows her client, one step ahead." The core of our job is to help you define your deepest needs and wishes, and then to offer you methods that will help you reach your own goals. We have humility: we know that change is 90% about you, and only 10% about us.
In the process of doing all this, we're not like most therapists. We talk plenty in sessions, giving you honest, direct, feedback and both technical and practical advice (yes, some counselors think it's just fine to give advice!). In some sense we walk as fellow humans with you on your journey, and your pains and joys become ours. That's why many of our clients stay in contact with us, and continue to refer their friends and families to us long after they've left our doors.
Licensed psychologists, social workers, and counselors have, by law, a privileged position regarding confidentiality. We are prohibited even from telling anyone that you are in treatment, and our records cannot be subpoenaed without a special court order. So it goes without saying that we will not speak to anyone regarding you or your treatment without your consent. We are also sensitive about what information we provide to insurance companies; we only give the most basic information necessary, and we avoid stigmatizing diagnoses, such as any diagnosis referring to sexuality or substance/alcohol abuse, because they may prevent you from getting life or health insurance in the future.
IPG's philosophy is rooted in a commitment to serve all people, especially those who are unable to get high quality care from "mainstream" psychology. We were founded with the express purpose of providing therapy to the gay and lesbian population. Many of our staff are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered, and all are gay affirmative. In the last few years we have expanded to include services for bisexuals, transgendered people, and those involved in the BDSM community. We are internationally recognized for our expertise in this area. Recently, we have turned our attention to the special problems faced by members of ethnic and racial minority groups. We know that people often feel most comfortable working with someone who shares their background, so we are actively recruiting more psychotherapists of color. In addition, all our staff is trained to understand the issues faced by African-Americans, blacks with Caribbean or Latin American background, Hispanics, and East Indians. If you are a member of an ethnic or racial minority, you may find an IPG therapist who shares your background. You will definitely find a therapist who is free of conscious prejudice and working on his or her own unconscious biases.
If you come to IPG through word of our reputation, you come expecting that we will be current on the best methods to solve your problems. We believe we can give you the best treatment by keeping ourselves abreast of "state of the art" developments in technique and styles of therapeutic approach. Every month our staff meets with experts from different specialized areas: e.g., AD/HD in children and adults; treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and other anxieties; the latest advances in treatment of depression; issues facing sexual minorities and ethnic minorities.
Collectively, our staff has background in a dozen or more specific treatment theories and methods. Some of these are methods that emphasize only the here-and-now and focus on quick, pragmatic solutions to very specific problems: your child suddenly refuses to go to school; your boss and you are fighting; you begin to have crippling panic attacks. Other techniques help with communication: you and your partner can't understand each other; there are fights in your family between kids and adults. Some approaches help you understand repetitive patterns in your life by leading you to make connections between earlier experiences in your life and the way these experiences have shaped your choices; frequently, this helps you "catch" yourself before you react to current situations with old, outmoded responses from the past. Still others teach you to calm, and soothe yourself through relaxation training, meditation, or self-hypnosis. And some map out a program of behavioral actions that counter-act deeply ingrained anxiety or anger responses.
Because our staff has been trained in so many different methods, we can help you formulate a unique treatment plan where your goals are clear and attainable. Then, you and your therapist together develop a multi-faceted strategy to achieve them.
Sometimes the "first-line" treatment for a particular problem involves a combination of therapy and other health treatment. We will collaborate with other competent professionals in related fields if necessary- our goal is to provide you with the most comprehensive treatment, tailored to suit your needs.
In fact, we are more progressive than most psychotherapists in this kind of collaboration. For example, we were one of the first group practices in New Jersey to affiliate with psychopharmacologists, even before the advent of Prozac and the "new breed" of antidepressants. If you might benefit from a medication evaluation, we can refer to you to psychiatrists and clinical nurse practitioners with whom we work closely. Similarly, we work with alternative health care practitioners, with internists and other M.D.'s, and often can suggest yoga centers, meditation teachers, or nutritionists.
Your first telephone call to IPG will usually connect you to Debora Williamson, R.N, our Assistant Director. Debbie has held this position for nearly a decade, and shepherded thousands of people in distress through the first steps of entering treatment. Anyone who speaks to Debbie, in person or on the phone, immediately feels her welcoming spirit, her expertise, her sense of fun and humor, and her deep concern for the suffering of others. Debbie and you will explore your reasons for seeking help so that she can match you with the therapist who will best suit your needs. Your own preferences will be respected as well: if you would feel more comfortable with a male or female therapist, a gay therapist, or a therapist with a particular specialty, chances are we will be able to accommodate you. Debbie will research your insurance benefits and book your appointment around your schedule. We are on most insurance plans, and we have flexible fees for those without adequate insurance coverage. We have office hours six days per week and both day and evening hours. To make an initial appointment for any of our offices, contact us at (800) 379-9220
Our main office and largest facility is located in Highland Park, New Jersey. This central Jersey location is accessible from the New Jersey Turnpike and Routes 18, 1, and 27. Our downtown Jersey City office is a few blocks from the Turnpike and Routes 1 and 9, making it a convenient commute from many north Jersey towns. In addition, this office is within walking distance of the PATH and thus minutes from lower Manhattan. Our newest office is in Freehold, New Jersey and serves many Monmouth and Ocean county communities. For directions to any of our offices, contact us at (800) 379-9220, and we will provide them to you over the phone, by fax, or by email.
A smile, a hello, an offer of herbal tea, coffee, cookies, a slice of birthday cake, children playing with Legos or coloring books - when you enter the IPG waiting area, you can feel the relaxed and positive attitude from staff and therapists, who clearly enjoy relating to you and each other. Our office is warm and casual- there are no imposing desks or grim-faced doctors in suits. We keep paperwork to a minimum, so you'll spend only a few minutes filling out forms before you enter the privacy of one of our counseling rooms. There, you'll sit face to face with a therapist you call by first name, and he or she will gently but actively guide you through a description of your problems. By the end of the session, you will have at least one new insight or piece of information you can use in your everyday life.
IPG employs more than two dozen part- and full-time experienced and licensed therapists. Because we have such a variety of professionals, we can match your needs with a specialized provider. And we've assembled a diverse staff trained in a variety of treatment techniques. We are trained in Imago Relationship Counseling, Reality Therapy, sex therapy, Cognitive/Behavioral Training (CBT), Objects Relation Theory, family systems theory, Gestalt Therapy, and psychodrama. We are also trained in techniques specific to PTSD and grief counseling, and are experienced working with those with HIV. In addition to the numerous publications of IPG's founder and director Dr. Margaret Nichols, many members of our staff are known for their published writing in areas that include domestic violence, and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues.
The day-to-day operations are run by Debbie Williamson, R.N. Debbie's clinical nursing experience and administrative skills make her uniquely qualified to run our practice. Debbie acts as "triage counselor", assessing the needs of the client and matching them with the therapist whose skills and personality best suit their needs. She also handles problems that arise with insurance or the treatment itself, and trouble-shoots any other issues that may arise during the course of your therapy.
In the early 80's, IPG's founder, Dr. Margaret Nichols, Ph.D., made the decision to devote her practice to serving the gay and lesbian community. She saw that most therapists lacked knowledge and understanding of this under-served population, most often treating their sexuality as a disease, or with complete ignorance. When she opened her practice, she saw the extent of the demand for services. People came from all areas of New Jersey and New York to see her, and she had more clients then she could handle. In response to this overwhelming need, she assembled a highly skilled group of therapists, most of whom were gay. The Institute for Personal Growth was incorporated in 1983 and quickly expanded to more than a dozen psychotherapists serving hundreds of clients per year.
As early as 1982, Dr. Nichols was familiar with the disease then called GRID (Gay Related Immunodeficiency Virus), which was later called AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease), and ultimately labled simply HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). At first, this devastating illness appeared to be concentrated mainly in the gay male community, and early efforts to help "P.W.A's" (People With AIDS) were organized by gays and lesbians in major urban areas around he United States. In 1985 Dr. Nichols and the IPG staff created a sister non-profit group, the Hyacinth Foundation, which served as a funding source for the lesbian magazine Conditions and provided physical space for a variety of gay and lesbian groups. Under the auspices of Hyacinth, the IPG staff donated time to start services to PWA's, as well, who until then had to go to New York to obtain help. By 1986, as the AIDS epidemic exploded, Hyacinth became completely focused on this crisis. Dr. Nichols and others obtained state and private funding for AIDS social services, and Hyacinth was re-named the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation. Dr. Nichols served as the first Director of the Hyacinth AIDS Foundation until 1988. By then, Hyacinth had become a huge, multi-faceted organization, well able to exist on its own, and Dr. Nichols stepped down from her leadership position in order to devote full-time to AIDS research and to the running of IPG.
Throughout the 80's, IPG grew as our core gay clientele began to recommend us to their non-gay friends because we provided such high quality care. We recruited staff, both gay and straight, with a wide variety of ethnic and personal backgrounds, training, and areas of expertise. Managed care contributed to our diversification so that by the mid-90's we had become a 'mainstream' organization with a strong specialization in all sexual minorities.
In addition, during the 90's we began using alternative and eastern methods like meditation, and learning about the newest research in brain science. The advent of new and improved drugs to treat depression and other mood disorders led us to start collaborating with neuropharmacologists and integrate medication treatment with talk therapy when appropriate. In 1995 our Jersey City office was opened, and in 2001 our Freehold office was opened. We continue to make service to minorities a priority as we continue to expand to all populations.
IPG was founded in 1983 by Margaret Nichols, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and diplomate in sex therapy. She has been a leader in mental health, especially in New Jersey, for over twenty years. In addition to founding IPG, Dr. Nichols helped create the Women's Center of Monmouth County, NJ, one of the first battered women's shelters in New Jersey. She also founded the Hyacinth Foundation, New Jersey's primary HIV social service agency. She is an internationally published author and speaker. She participated in two invited symposiums at the Kinsey Institute that resulted in books published by Oxford University Press. Among her other work is two chapters in the groundbreaking book Lesbian Psychologies, and a chapter on sexual minorities in the leading text book in the sex therapy field, Principles and Practices of Sex Therapy, edited by Leiblum and Rosen. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, and local chapters of a variety of professional groups. She received her Ph.D. from Columbia University, and completed her post doctoral sex therapy certification at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
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