City Mindful

Psychotherapy approach

How the work works.

Therapy at City Mindful is collaborative, culturally attuned, and unhurried, grounded in mindfulness and dialectical behavior therapy, and offered in English or en español. This page explains what that actually means, in plain language.

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Open mind, mente abierta; Deep respect, respeto profundo; Collaboration, colaboración; Curiosity, curiosidad; Safety, seguridad; Without judgment, sin juicio.

“I approach my work with an open mind and a deep respect for your unique experiences, values, and cultural background. I believe that you are the expert in your own life, and I strive to learn from you as we work together. My role is to provide a safe, non-judgmental space where we can explore your challenges and strengths collaboratively. I will affirm your identity and guide your healing.”

Dr. Lyssett Martínez

Four commitments

What you can count on in the room.

01Collaborative, and led by you

You are the expert in your own life. Sessions are a working conversation, not a lecture. We set direction together, check it often, and adjust to what your life actually needs.

02Culturally attuned & bilingual

Therapy happens in English, en español, or moving between the two mid-sentence, in whichever language your feelings speak. Your culture, family, and history are context we work with, never around.

03Identity-affirming

Your gender, sexuality, race, and heritage are not problems to be explained or defended here. Affirming care means the work starts from who you are, not from proving it.

04Grounded in mindfulness & DBT

The work is warm, but it is not vague. It draws on mindfulness practice and dialectical behavior therapy: concrete, learnable skills with decades of evidence behind them.

Common questions

Do we have to talk about my identity?

Only as much as you want to. Identity-affirming means your identity is safe here, not that it has to be the topic. You set the agenda; some people come to work on identity, and plenty come to talk about work stress with a therapist they don't have to explain themselves to.

I've never done therapy before. What do I even say?

You don't need prepared words or a tidy story. The first sessions are guided: I ask, you answer as much as feels right, and we find the thread together. Arriving unsure is the most normal way to arrive.

Can a partner or family member join a session?

Yes. Some care, like couples and family work, is designed that way, and in individual therapy we can plan an occasional joined session when it would help. It's decided together, never sprung on you.

Sunlight streaming through a green forest canopy

The words, defined

Plain answers to fair questions.

Therapy has a vocabulary problem: a lot of terms, not a lot of explanation. Here is what the words on this site actually mean.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of noticing the present moment, from thoughts and feelings to body sensations, without immediately judging it or fleeing it. In session it looks less like meditation and more like slowing a hard moment down until it becomes workable. Over time it builds the pause between what you feel and what you do next.

What is DBT?

Dialectical behavior therapy is a structured, evidence-based approach built on a deceptively simple idea, that two things can be true at once: you are doing your best, and you can learn new ways to cope. It teaches four families of skills: mindfulness, distress tolerance (surviving crisis moments without making them worse), emotion regulation (understanding and steering intense feelings), and interpersonal effectiveness (asking, refusing, and staying yourself inside relationships).

What does identity-affirming mean?

It means you will never have to educate your therapist about your own identity before the work can begin, or brace for the moment a provider quietly disapproves of who you are. Affirming care takes your gender, sexuality, and culture as facts to be respected and understood, and it follows the standards of care for communities that medicine has historically failed.

What does bilingual therapy look like?

Some feelings only exist in one of your languages. In session you can move between English and Spanish freely, mid-story or mid-sentence, without translating yourself for anyone. Como se siente, se dice.

Is this the right fit for a diagnosis I already have?

Diagnoses can be useful maps, and they are never the whole territory. Whether you arrive with a diagnosis, want an assessment, or simply know something feels heavy, the first conversation is about your experience and what kind of support would actually help.

Common questions

Is DBT only for one kind of diagnosis?

No. DBT was originally developed for intense, fast-moving emotions, and its skills have since proven useful far beyond any single diagnosis, from anxiety and depression to relationship patterns and plain overwhelm. We use what fits you, not a manual.

Will sessions feel like a class?

No. Skills are woven into real conversation about your real week: part reflection, part practice. You will leave with things to try, not homework for its own sake.

Do I have to meditate?

No. Mindfulness here means learning to notice what is happening while it is happening, with no cushion, app, or lotus position required. If a formal practice ever interests you, we can build one; it is never a requirement.

A quiet path through a green forest

What a course of care looks like

Unhurried, but never aimless.

01A free 15-minute call

We talk briefly about what brings you, and whether this practice is the right fit. No charge, no pressure, and no obligation to book afterward.

02The first few sessions

We map what is happening and what you want from the work: your history, your strengths, and the changes that would matter most. Direction is set together.

03The ongoing rhythm

Most people begin weekly. Sessions blend reflective work with concrete skills, and we revisit the plan as life moves. The pace is always yours.

Common questions

How long and how often are sessions?

Sessions run about 50 minutes, and most people begin weekly, which gives the work enough continuity to build on itself. As things steady, some move to every other week. Cadence is always decided together.

In person or online?

Both. In person in the Flatiron District in Manhattan, and by telehealth across New York, Pennsylvania, and more than 40 PsyPact states. Same therapist, same care, whichever fits your life that week.

Do you take insurance?

City Mindful is out-of-network. After each session you receive a superbill to submit to your insurer, and many PPO plans reimburse a meaningful portion once the deductible is met. A sliding scale is available for those who may be eligible; please ask during your consultation.

How long does therapy take?

There is no fixed package. Some people come for a season around one clear thing; others stay longer because the work keeps earning its hour. We review together, openly, as we go.

“I look forward to bearing witness to your story and helping you find a path forward.”

Dr. Lyssett Martínez

Schedule a free 15-min consultOr call (917) 224-8551