The source for expert, dedicated, caring mental health care.

Who We Are

For over fifty years, The Fifth Avenue Counseling Center has provided an open door for high-quality, affordable psychotherapy in the Greenwich Village and Chelsea neighborhoods of New York. We have assembled a team of psychotherapists and psychiatrists to treat clients from the neighborhood and beyond. During that time, we have become an elite training ground for new clinicians to learn from their colleagues, and receive a hands-on introduction to clinical practice.

Now, as the evolution of Fifth Avenue continues, we serve the dual function of a working mental health practice and a New York State certified provider of continuing education.

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Why the name change?

Because the concept of therapy isn’t intimidating anymore.

Psychotherapy has changed. In the early days, it was largely the province of psychoanalysts and treatment took the form of multiple sessions per week (usually on the couch). The idea was to explore the client’s early memories and experiences and eventually find some insight into the individual’s current relationships and issues.

Counseling was a more results-oriented and directive approach. Clinicians made suggestions on ways for their clients to alter their behavior and achieve more concrete goals.

Most importantly, for both psychotherapy and counseling, there was often a shroud of mystery surrounding the process; clients rarely shared the fact that they were in treatment for fear of being stigmatized or thought to be “crazy.”

In the 2020s, the attitude toward therapy has changed dramatically. It’s now a method people can use to find clarity, delineate choices, and find peace from worry, stress and feeling overwhelmed. It aims to promote self-awareness, coping skills, and positive change. And it doesn’t have to be an endless process; after a problem is identified, the treatment can work toward the goal of relief and often accomplish that task in months— instead of years.