IHI Therapy Center

Mission and vision

• Provide affirmative, professional mental health services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning communities.
• Offer care that is respectful of each person's identities, experiences, and goals.
• Make quality psychotherapy more accessible through affordable options and accepting insurance.
• Support a world where everyone — regardless of gender identity, sexuality, race, age, disability, or immigration status — can find safety and support through mental health care.

History and achievements

• In 1973, IHI founder Dr. Charles Silverstein presented before the American Psychiatric Association Nomenclature Committee, contributing to the removal of homosexuality from the list of mental disorders.
• IHI Therapy Center was founded to meet the need for LGBTQ+-affirmative professional mental health services at a time when such services were rare.
• Over the decades, IHI has helped train hundreds of psychotherapists with the skills needed to work with LGBTQ+ clients and communities.
• IHI developed Family Q, a free workshop and counseling program for LGBTQ+ parents and prospective parents.
• The organization continues to support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities and Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC) through dedicated programming and free group offerings.

Commitment to anti-racism and inclusion

IHI Therapy Center explicitly opposes white supremacy, racism, misogyny, hatred, and bigotry in all forms. The practice recognizes that systemic racism and inequality affect both staff and clients and strives to:

• Create an environment for ongoing learning, reflection, and growth.
• Offer initiatives such as free 45-minute individual sessions for QTPOC clients.
• Provide ongoing QTPOC group therapy spaces to support healing at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities.

IHI maintains a staff engaged in research and writing on identity development, especially for people whose experiences transcend traditional cultural limits.

• Individual therapy – A private, confidential space focused on your needs and goals. Sessions can address current challenges, past experiences, identity questions, and stressors in your life.
• Couples therapy – For partners in a variety of relationship styles. Therapy focuses on communication, navigating differences, reducing judgment and blame, and building healthier patterns of relating.
• Group therapy – Therapist-led groups that offer support, connection, and opportunities to practice new ways of relating. Groups may stand alone or complement individual therapy.

In-person and tele-therapy options

• IHI uses a hybrid model of care with both in-person and tele-therapy sessions.
• In-person sessions take place at the IHI office in Manhattan (see contact and location document for details).
• Tele-therapy is available for clients who reside in New York State.

Issues and concerns addressed

IHI clinicians treat a wide range of concerns, including but not limited to:

• Anxiety and stress
• Depression
• Panic disorders and phobias
• Compulsive behavior
• Eating disorders
• PTSD and trauma reactions
• Personality disorders
• Relationship and family problems
• Grief and bereavement
• Substance use and recovery support
• Challenges in reaching career or life goals
• Self-acceptance and self-esteem
• Overcoming barriers to self-actualization
• Sexuality and gender identity questions
• Coming out and navigating disclosure
• Sexual difficulties
• Navigating non-traditional relationship styles
• LGBTQ+ family-building and parenting issues
• Interpersonal conflicts and difficulties relating to others
• Locating and connecting with LGBTQ+ community
• Other issues that may be causing you distress

Therapeutic approaches

IHI's diverse team of clinicians is trained in a variety of evidence-informed and strengths-based approaches, including:

• Psychodynamic perspectives
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and related modalities
• Relational and interpersonal methods
• Existential and humanistic approaches
• Integrative treatment models
• Other strengths-based psychotherapy approaches

Treatment is collaborative

therapists work with clients to identify goals and tailor an individualized plan.

What to expect from your first session

• Your first appointment focuses on understanding your needs and concerns.
• You can discuss what brings you to therapy, your history, and your goals.
• The therapist will answer questions about the psychotherapy process and talk with you about how IHI can best support you.
• IHI staff will help you find a therapist who is a good fit whenever possible.

Fees and payment

• IHI's cash pay rates are described as less than half the average cost of therapy in New York City.
• The center emphasizes a flexible fee structure to make therapy more accessible.
• Many services, including individual, couples, and group therapy, are offered at varying fee levels. Some groups have specific per-session fees (see the group therapy programs document for more details).

Because exact dollar amounts and insurance coverage details can change over time, clients should contact IHI directly for the most current information about:

• Session fees for individual, couples, and group therapy.
• Any sliding scale or reduced-fee options that may be available.
• Which insurance plans are currently accepted.

Support for underinsured clients

• IHI explicitly notes that "underinsured" clients are still welcome.
• The combination of accepting insurance and offering fees below typical NYC therapy rates is intended to reduce financial barriers to care.

Prospective clients who are concerned about cost can discuss fees and payment options with IHI staff when requesting an appointment.

If you call, please leave a voicemail; an IHI staff member will return your call as soon as possible during office hours.

Address

• IHI Therapy Center

322 Eighth Avenue, Suite 802 New York, NY 10001

The building entrance is on West 26th Street, at the northeast corner of Eighth Avenue and 26th Street.

Hours of operation

Therapists' hours

• Monday–Thursday: 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
• Friday: 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm, or by appointment
• Saturday–Sunday: by appointment

Office personnel hours

• Monday–Thursday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Friday: 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm

If you contact IHI outside of office personnel hours, staff will return your call or email on the next business day. Current clients should reach their therapist through the client portal messaging system when appropriate.

Directions and transportation

IHI Therapy Center is located in Manhattan and is accessible by several forms of public transit:

• Subway:
• C, E, F, M trains (23rd Street station)
• 1 train (28th Street station)
• NJ Transit PATH Train (23rd Street station)
• Bus:
• M20 (north–south)
• M23 (crosstown)
• Nearby landmarks: Approximately six blocks south of Pennsylvania Station.

Parking

• Several parking facilities are available on West 26th Street between Eighth Avenue and Seventh Avenue.

Emergency and crisis resources

IHI staff are only available during regular hours of operation and do not provide emergency services. In an emergency or mental health crisis outside of IHI's operating hours, you can:

• Call 911.
• Go to your nearest emergency room.
• Call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
• Text HOME to 741741 to reach a Crisis Text Line counselor.

If you are a current IHI client, you may also follow any crisis or safety plan you have developed with your therapist.

Website accessibility

The IHI Therapy Center website is designed to be fully conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards. Feedback about accessibility can be shared via:

• Phone: 212-243-2830
• Email: info@ihitherapy.org
• Visitor address: 322 Eighth Avenue, Suite 802, New York, NY 10001

QTBIPOC Group

• Format: Weekly online group
• Schedule: Wednesdays, 6:00–7:00 pm
• Cost: Free
• Who it is for: Queer and transgender Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC).

This group offers a therapeutic space to process experiences at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and other identities. It focuses on:

• Exploring how identities can be both a source of strength and sites of pain or trauma.
• Sharing coping skills for navigating systemic oppression.
• Building safe, affirming community.
• Fostering individual and collective resilience.

Facilitated by IHI Staff Therapist Fatima Aamir, LMHC-LP.

Transforming Femininity: A Transfeminine Support Group

• Format: Weekly ongoing online group
• Schedule: Wednesdays, 5:30–7:00 pm
• Cost: Contact IHI Therapy Center for current fee information.
• Who it is for: Transfeminine people seeking support around transition and transfeminine-specific issues.

This group aims to provide social support for transition and for specific issues that transfeminine people face. Members have the opportunity to:

• Intentionally process the meaning they make of their experiences.
• Challenge negative beliefs that may have been internalized due to stigma, marginalization, and discrimination.
• Find social support in their meaning-making while validating, supporting, and destigmatizing the transfeminine experience together.

TGD Support Groups

• Format: Weekly online groups
• Schedule: Mondays, 6:00–7:00 pm (two ongoing groups)
• Cost: $15 per session
• Who they are for: Adults who identify as transgender, gender diverse, gender expansive, or non-binary (TGD).

These groups aim to create safe, supportive spaces for TGD-identified people to:

• Connect with one another.
• Navigate challenges specific to trans and gender-diverse communities.
• Explore identity, intersectionality, relationships, and daily stressors.

Facilitated by IHI Staff Therapists Sophie Brous, LMSW and Jackie Prestoy, LMHC-LP.

"Reauthoring Masculinity" groups for trans men and transmasculine people

• Format: Weekly ongoing online groups
• Schedule:
• Tuesdays, 6:00–7:30 pm
• Thursdays, 7:00–8:30 pm
• Cost: $35 per session
• Who they are for: Trans men and transmasculine people.

These groups are designed to help members:

• Relate to themselves and others more authentically.
• Deepen experiences of vulnerability, intimacy, and closeness.
• Explore and "re-author" personal narratives around masculinity.

Facilitated by IHI Staff Therapists Em Finch, LMSW (Thursdays) and Maxx Clarke, LMSW (Tuesdays).

Queering Substance Use Recovery group

• Format: Weekly online group
• Schedule: Mondays, 5:30–7:00 pm
• Cost: $25 per session
• Who it is for: LGBTQIA+ people at any stage of substance use recovery, including those with different recovery goals.

This group acknowledges the unique challenges LGBTQIA+ people may face around substance use and recovery. It aims to provide:

• A safe, affirming environment free from rigid, binary structures.
• Space to process emotions related to substance use and recovery.
• Coping skills and psychoeducation.
• Connection with others who have different recovery experiences and goals.

Facilitated by IHI Advanced Clinical Interns Meredith Wilde and Alex Lahr.

Gay Men's Psychotherapy Group

• Format: Weekly ongoing in-person group
• Schedule: Mondays, 7:00–8:30 pm
• Location: In-person at IHI's Manhattan office
• Cost: $55 per session
• Who it is for: Gay men seeking longer-term group psychotherapy.

This group offers opportunities for emotional and psychological growth in the context of supportive relationships with other gay men. Common areas of focus include:

• Intimacy and relationships
• Identity and self-esteem
• Career and life transitions
• Mental health and overall wellness

Interaction and diverse, constructive feedback among group members are integral parts of the process. Pre-screening is required before joining.

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For the most current information about group availability, schedules, and fees, prospective members should contact IHI Therapy Center directly or request an appointment through the website.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.