Stephen Cowart

Stephen B. Cowart Credentials Stephen B. Cowart, LMHC is a licensed clinician in private practice in Upstate New York. Stephen sees people in his office in Easton NY, as well as teleconferencing services to individuals around the world. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The City College of New York, and a master’s degree in Psychology and Counseling from Goddard College in Vermont. Stephen received additional training in Gestalt Therapy techniques through Gestalt Associates of New York and has studied relationship counseling under Dr. Glenn Berger, PhD in New York City. Stephen has worked with renowned child-psychologist Dr. Erin Christopher-Sisk at ECS Psychological Services as well as Baywood Center for Addictions in Queensbury, NY. Stephen utilizes Gestalt, CBT, Equine-assisted therapy, Attunement Relationship therapy and play therapy techniques to meet clients individualized needs. He enjoys working with adults, couples, families, adolescents, and children. My Philosophy I like to say I’m in the stupid stuff business and that’s because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff in my life. I didn’t understand why, so I went back to school to figure it out. It now makes sense to me why I, and so many of us, do things that are contrary to our self-interest. We make the best possible decisions with the information we have at any given point in time. Sometimes the best we can do is to avoid our pain. It’s perfectly normal to make mistakes, even if we make the same mistakes repeatedly. However, this can lead to feelings of inadequacy. The belief that there is something wrong with us blocks us from joy. I approach psychotherapy from the perspective that a person is creative, resourceful and whole. Simply because you need help sorting out the choices you’ve made in life doesn’t mean that there is anything “wrong” with you. When you understand your actions, you can make proactive decisions, so you don’t land in the same space. We get into trouble when we do things out of awareness. To change your behavior, you must bring unconscious decisions into consciousness. This is the way you start altering the process of making “stupid” decisions, or decisions that are contrary to our self-interest. Individual Counseling We get into trouble when we do things out of awareness. To change your behavior, you must bring your unconscious decisions into consciousness. This is the way you start altering the process of making decisions outside of our self-interest. We live in a world where there is so much coming at us that we don’t have the time to sort out our thoughts, emotions, desires, values. Having an objective person to talk it through with makes a big difference. A belief that people are attacking you is often a sign that you are feeling shame because you believe that something is wrong with you. I view you as creative, resourceful and whole. You are not broken, there is nothing wrong with you. You just have to come to believe that about yourself and that is my goal. Couples Counseling Is your partner ready to leave you? Life has many challenges that can cause great stress on relationships. It’s important to disarm conflicting verbal communication and remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy and create a heightened sense of empathy within the context of the relationship. Poor communication is often the number one problem in a relationship. Stephen’s style of Attunement Therapy will help you to communicate more effectively with your partner, alleviating a lot of the stress in a relationship. Group Counseling In this laboratory, you get to experiment with emotions you normally want to hide, feel unacceptable or are dangerous. That allows you to deepen your self-understanding in a supportive environment. In the group, you get in touch with your emotional life in a safe place that is not shameful or embarrassing. Learn the negative impact that shame has on your life and learn how to change it. To bring out one's shame in a group setting is the strongest way for healing. Equine Therapy Equine Therapy uses the diverse personalities and calming effects of horses as a means of helping clients work through their own emotional challenges. Horses offer clients the experience of a pure and nonjudgmental relationship. Clients can connect with another living and emotionally intuitive being without risk of rejection or criticism. There is no riding involved in Equine Therapy and no prior horse knowledge is required. Sex Therapy Sex is complicated! Talking about our sex lives is often uncomfortable and some find it embarrassing. There are so many ways in which sex can be both a positive and negative component of our lives, and sometimes both simultaneously. Stephen’s plain and direct talk about sex allows most to overcome their discomfort and explore their issues in a safe environment. Sex is one of life’s pleasures and you should be able to enjoy yourself regardless of your appearance, sexual orientation, proclivities, fetishes, or desires. Overcoming shame is frequently the secret to becoming comfortable with your sex life and therefore your ability to enjoy it. I enjoy working with people who like to engage in nontraditional sexual behaviors including fetishes, BDSM, groups, swingers as well as those who wish to be in a traditional monogamous relationship.