How can we find ways to live a healthy lifestyle?  Sometimes we need to think about how we do things both individually and as a society. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel but it can be helpful to shake things up, think outside of the box, and be creative especially when helping each other life and cope with everyday stressors in our lives. 

Psychotherapy for adults and play therapy for children are powerful tools for improving mental health and a great place to create a plan for implementing your wellness goals.  In my professional experience as a mindfulness-based psychotherapist and neurofeedback trainer, there is a lot of tools for supporting change.

healthy lifestyle nature therapy

4 Alternatives Therapies To Support A Healthy Lifestyle

group therapy nyc support group

1) Group Therapy

Group therapy is a place where people with shared life experiences can come together to mutually support one another, learn and grow within the safety of a therapist lead environment. Groups can be more short-term solution-focused, more relational in nature, more long-term depending on what therapists and clients need and want. Group therapy is a wonderful modality for adults, children, and teens. 

Buddhist statue

2) Buddhist Psychotherapy and Mindfulness Meditation

More and more people are becoming familiar with Buddhist teachings and philosophy these days. Mindfulness meditation as well can be read about in books, listened to on podcasts, and explored on apps like Headspace and Budhify; however, many of these teachings and practices are best explored one on one between people who are working to understand themselves for the benefit of others.  Click here for more information about our NYC Buddhist Psychotherapy Private Practice.  See also: Does Mindfulness Meditation Work?

neurofeedback therapy

3) Neurofeedback

The Dynamical NeurOptimal® system is an advanced mental fitness tool that can promote a calmer in your life and cope with everyday life’s stressors. The feedback is experienced through listening to a song and sessions are 33 minutes long. NeurOptimal Neurofeedback is safe for adults, children of all ages, and it’s a wonderful tool to bring into your home to train the whole family. Here’s a testimonial:

I’ve used the NeurOptimal neurofeedback machine for 2 months to help manage my stressful job and life – training 2-3 times a week. I’m becoming noticeably more comfortable in both personal and professional situations, hooray! It feels great to have found a tool that has truly helped move the needle on issues I’ve been experiencing (self-esteem, performance anxiety), (and trying to resolve in various ways) for years.

To learn a bit more about NeurOptimal, click here to learn more about your training options

Here’s a fun explanation of how neurofeedback works

4) Nature Therapy

Psychotherapy tends to be a verbal exchange that takes place between a therapist and client in the safety and comfort of an office. Like you might imagine, nature therapy pushed beyond that model and places client, therapist, and nature to mix together in the healing process. Nature therapy sessions take place outside in unique settings like a client’s back yard, a community garden, a cemetery, or a beach to name a few. Nature therapy is not for everyone but can be a powerful tool for those hoping to heal in non-traditional ways outside of the therapy office. Nature therapy is great for creative adults, teens, or young children.

Learn more about joining our NYC Therapy Group here

nature therapyLearn more on how to cope with Stress:

Ways to Relax and Find Perspective in a Chaotic World


Natalie Baker

NYC Psychotherapist Natalie Baker, LMHC is a NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback Trainer, Meditation Teacher and founder of Buddhist Psychotherapy NY. She has been in private practice since 2000 treating clients with conditions such as PTSD, trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship issues and 30 years experience with mindfulness training.