About Essence of Life

At Essence of Life Therapeutic Services, We provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals, couples, and families to heal and grow. Life balance is not one size fits all, therefore neither should therapy approaches. Whether you are looking to figure out your path in life or need to work through a situation that is impacting your quality of life, meeting with a therapist could be the first step to moving forward. I hope that you will allow us to assist you in living a fulfilled life because we believe every person deserves to live a fulfilling and meaningful life, and we strive to help our clients achieve their goals. Contact us today to learn more about our therapy services.

Meet the Team

Lisa Fobian, LPC, LCADC, ACS

Owner/Therapist

Hi. I made a career change when I turned 40. Do I wish I did this sooner? The answer is no. I feel that my life experiences allow me to look at each client as an individual.

I come from a more humanistic approach by treating my clients with compassion and helping them to feel empowered.

Brittany Amato, MA, LAC

Hi. I am a recent graduate of Stockton University. I have been working in the mental health field for several years. I will first learn what brought you to therapy and use that knowledge to combine elements from different therapeutic techniques to achieve a holistic understanding of your presenting concerns.

Taylor Bongarzone - Master Level Intern

Hi, I’m Taylor! I am a master’s-level counseling intern at The College of New Jersey. I believe that everyone’s journey is unique, and I strive to create a welcoming, nonjudgmental space where clients feel comfortable being themselves. I hope to empower clients to recognize their strengths and work toward personal growth.

Therapeutic Approaches

Types of therapy and treatment preferences.

Coaching
Let us assist you in feeling a sense of accomplishment as we identify goals and ways to reach them.

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
A talk therapy used for all ages to assist in problem solving by changing thoughts and behaviors.
There are other therapies that fall under this therapy but have a more specific approach.

Cognitive Processing (CPT)
A form of CBT that is used for clients struggling with symptoms of PTSD. This typically requires 12 sessions and consists of the client identifying how the trauma has changed their beliefs and behaviors. Sessions will assist client in learning new ways to change their thoughts.

Dialectical Behavioral (DBT) Skills
This talk therapy is another form of CBT but there is also an emphasis on accepting yourself for who you are. DBT is broken into four modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation.

Humanistic
This approach focuses on self-discovery and personal development. This is done by focusing on the client's beliefs and values. There is also an emphasis on the client's strengths.

Motivational Interviewing
There is a level of fulfillment for the client when they are able to solve their own situations. This type of therapy entails the client being prompted by open-ended questions to encourage them to find the answers.

Narrative
In this therapy, the client is given an opportunity to narrate their own story. It empowers the client to change a negative or problematic situation to a more positive outcome. This can assist client in not focusing primarily on the traumatic situation.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy
Another form of CBT, this therapy is used for those with PTSD. Many times after traumatic experiences clients avoid anything that reminds them of the traumatic event. The goal of this therapy is to get clients to understand they are no longer in danger and to assist the client is slowly approaching situations or things that they have avoided in the past.

Written Exposure Therapy
This therapy is one of the newer therapies for trauma and can be beneficial because it can be completed in 5 sessions. This requires the client to follow specific writing prompts. The writings are meant to assist client in confronting discussions that they were avoiding in the past and looking at the situation from a different perspective.

About Essence of Life

Meet the Team

Therapeutic Approaches

Coaching Let us assist you in feeling a sense of accomplishment as we identify goals and ways to reach them.

Cognitive Behavioral (CBT) A talk therapy used for all ages to assist in problem solving by changing thoughts and behaviors. There are other therapies that fall under this therapy but have a more specific approach.

Dialectical Behavioral (DBT) Skills This talk therapy is another form of CBT but there is also an emphasis on accepting yourself for who you are. DBT is broken into four modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation.

Humanistic This approach focuses on self-discovery and personal development. This is done by focusing on the client's beliefs and values. There is also an emphasis on the client's strengths.

Motivational Interviewing There is a level of fulfillment for the client when they are able to solve their own situations. This type of therapy entails the client being prompted by open-ended questions to encourage them to find the answers.