Care that honors your experience — without rushing your healing
Healing that meets you where you are, without pressure or judgment.
You Don’t Have to Carry Trauma Alone
Trauma can leave invisible marks that affect how you feel, think, and relate to the world, even long after the events have passed. Memories, flashbacks, and emotional triggers can make everyday life feel unpredictable or overwhelming.
Therapy offers a safe space to process these experiences, understand the patterns they’ve created, and gradually reclaim a sense of safety, agency, and emotional balance, allowing you to move forward without being defined by what happened.
Trauma Can Affect Many Areas of Life
Trauma impacts people differently, but common experiences include:
Heightened anxiety, hypervigilance, or feeling constantly “on edge”
Emotional numbness or difficulty connecting with feelings
Strong reactions to triggers, even seemingly small ones
Sleep disturbances, tension, or physical discomfort without a clear cause
Difficulty trusting others or maintaining close relationships
Persistent self-blame, shame, or feeling disconnected from yourself
These responses are natural adaptations to overwhelming experiences — not signs of weakness.
How We Help With Trauma Therapy
Trauma therapy emphasizes safety, pacing, and empowerment. You are guided to notice how trauma affects thoughts, emotions, and body sensations without being forced to relive or explain everything.
You’ll learn tools to regulate your nervous system, respond to triggers with awareness, and build resilience. Over time, therapy can help you feel more present, more connected, and less defined by the past — reclaiming space for healing, clarity, and growth.
Trauma Isn’t Just About the Past
Trauma persists not only because of what happened, but also because of how the nervous system learned to survive:
• Patterns of fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown
• Internalized beliefs shaped by fear, helplessness, or betrayal
• Avoidance of memories, emotions, or bodily sensations
• Chronic stress keeping the body and mind on high alert
• Limited safety, support, or understanding at the time of the trauma
Understanding these patterns is a key step in regaining choice, agency, and calm.
meet your counselors
Erica Oppenheimer
I am a licensed clinical social worker offering therapy for adults who are struggling with anxiety, uncertainty, or a sense of disconnection. Many of the people I work with feel stuck in patterns they can’t fully explain. They may find themselves repeating the same emotional responses or caught in relationships that feel unsatisfying or confusing.
My work is grounded in the belief that symptoms are meaningful. Anxiety, perfectionism, emotional paralysis- these are not just problems to be managed but expressions of something deeper, often rooted in earlier experience or unconscious conflict. In therapy, we create the conditions for those patterns to reveal themselves, so they can be understood and worked through, not just pushed aside.
I offer a space where your thoughts, dreams, and frustrations can be explored freely and with intention. This allows for more lasting change. As we begin to uncover what has remained hidden, many people find that life opens up in new and unexpected ways. The goal is not to become someone else, but to make more sense of who you already are and to find new ways of living that feel more authentic.
LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) (California, New York, Florida)
Priyanka Parikh
I’m a licensed clinical psychologist with over a decade of experience supporting adults navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, insomnia, and major life transitions. My clinical foundation was shaped within the Veterans Affairs system, where I worked across primary care mental health, PTSD treatment, residential programs, and integrated medical settings.
My therapeutic style is collaborative, steady, and clear. I draw from evidence-based approaches including CBT, CPT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, and mindfulness-based interventions, offering care that is structured enough to support meaningful change while remaining flexible and responsive to each client.
At Branch Lane, I provide a space where clients feel understood and supported as they work toward greater clarity, resilience, and balance. I am deeply committed to culturally responsive, inclusive care and values the full context of each client’s experiences, identities, and story.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Over 10 years of experience in trauma-informed and integrated care settings
Trilingual in English, Gujarati, and Hindi
Robin Chilton
I am a Licensed Master Social Worker who specializes in supporting women through life transitions, motherhood, and the emotional complexities that often accompany change. I work with individuals experiencing anxiety, mood concerns, trauma, infertility, loss, perinatal and postpartum mood disorders, and the challenges of parenting across stages of life.
My clinical approach is collaborative, attuned, and grounded in psychodynamic and relational frameworks, while integrating cognitive-behavioral strategies, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing. I view symptoms not simply as problems to fix, but as meaningful signals that invite careful listening and understanding. I strive to create a reflective, safe space where clients can explore their emotional patterns and develop insight.
My work is informed by extensive experience in early childhood mental health, trauma-informed care, and family systems. I have served as a lead consultant with New York City child welfare services, providing clinical consultation, training, and case guidance. I have also worked in schools and therapeutic programs supporting children, parents, and families navigating grief, behavioral challenges, and stress from developmental and environmental pressures.
Lead consultant for NYC Child Welfare Services
Extensive experience in trauma-informed care and early childhood mental health
Skilled in integrating psychodynamic, relational, and cognitive-behavioral approaches
How to Get Started?
Reach Out for a Consultation
Begin with a brief consultation to share what’s been bringing you to therapy, ask questions, and get a feel for how we work. This conversation is a chance to be heard without judgment and to see whether Branch Lane feels like the right fit for you.
Tell Us More About Your Goals
Once you decide to move forward, you’ll receive a short set of intake forms to help us understand your background, current concerns, and what you’re hoping for from therapy. This information allows us to approach your first session with care and intention.
Begin Therapy
Whether you meet with us online or in person, therapy starts by creating a supportive, collaborative space. Together, we work to understand what’s been contributing to your difficulties and develop an approach that supports clarity, steadiness, and meaningful change over time.
You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone
If you’re ready to better understand what’s been shaping your experience and explore new ways of relating to yourself and your life, we’re here to help. Therapy at Branch Lane offers a thoughtful, collaborative space to begin this work at a pace that feels right for you.
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