Patrick R. Connelly, LCSW, bring to his work a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills, as well as commitment to stay current about new and effective ways to help people through therapy.
I am fortunate in my almost 30-year career in the mental health field to have worked in a wide variety of community and private mental health settings and in higher education. I have provided outpatient individual, family, couples and group therapy, as well as residential and intensive day treatment. I have also directed counseling programs and clinically supervised therapists and students, as well as provided education on mental health and substance abuse topics. Currently I operate the Relationship Institute of New Jersey, a private psychotherapy practice (founded in 2007), and a group counseling practice, the Mindful Counseling Center, LLC (founded in 2016).
My focus as a psychotherapist is helping clients work through relationship issues—
- An individual’s relationship to self (e.g., dealing with thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that holds the individual back from contentment and self-care)
- A couple’s relationship with each other (the couples I see are often intimate partners, but I also see people in other kinds of relationships such as parents and adult children, friends, and siblings)
- A caregiver’s relationship to self and others as they deal with the stresses of caring for loved ones (e.g., children and persons with chronic mental and/or physical health conditions)
Extensive clinical experience, peer consultation, and specialized training enhances my capacity to help people sort through the complexities of their everyday lives and focus on making lasting positive change, both individually and in their relationships. I have had success working with people of varying genders, sexual orientations, abilities, ethnicities, and races, and with adolescents and adults of all ages.
At present, I mainly work with adults to explore and manage a wide range of issues, including but not limited to anxiety, panic, depression, overwhelm, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias, men’s issues, relationship problems, chronic mental illness, trauma, grief and loss, and life transitions. Many of my clients bring to therapy their struggles with self-judgement, self-blame, and self-doubt. I aid them in understanding this “inner critic,” making peace with it and taming its power over them. My objective as a psychotherapist is to empower people to embrace their self-identified goals and gain more fulfillment in their lives.
In the last several years, I have been training in and building a practice of mindful self-compassion and teaching others via therapy how to incorporate it into their self-care strategies. I am looking forward to continuing to expand teaching mindfulness practices as a tool for mental health.
Education, License and Certification
- Master of Social Work – Virginia Commonwealth University, 1995
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker, 1998
- Member of the National Association of Social Workers
- Certified Gottman Therapist, 2009
I have trained with and received certification through The Gottman Institute. The training to be a Certified Gottman Therapist provides a sound, research-based approach for me to help couples in any stage of a relationship, from new love to those wrestling with possible separation and divorce.
In addition to certification as a Gottman Therapist, I am excited to soon complete training to be a Certified Gottman Couples Workshop Leader for their weekend workshops for couples, entitled The Art and Science of Love.
For more information or to make an appointment, call me at 609-780-3570. You can also email me at pat@relationship-institute-nj.com.
