Anxiety and Trauma Therapist in New York
More about Hilary Kopple, LCSW
Hey, I’m Hilary, and I know the NYC high-functioning anxiety experience from the inside
You are used to managing a lot and doing it well. You are capable, intentional, and often the one others rely on. And still, your mind rarely turns off. There is a constant tracking, a sense that even when things are good, something underneath never quite releases.
Maybe that shows up as striving, where accomplishments land but never fully satisfy and the next goal is already forming. Or maybe it shows up as a long habit of putting everyone else first.
That is exactly what I have spent over 25 years helping people with. Not just understanding these patterns, but actually feeling different inside them. I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with postgraduate advanced training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, IFS Therapy and Somatic Therapy. For nearly thirty years, I have worked in schools, nonprofits, and community settings in New York and beyond. I have lived, studied, and worked across multiple continents and am fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Whatever you bring in, there is room for it.
MY STORY
I grew up in New York in an environment where achievement was never quite enough. I know firsthand what it feels like to keep reaching, to accomplish something and find the bar has already moved. That followed me through Dartmouth College and Columbia University.
As a parent, I've encountered a completely different but equally relentless kind of pressure. The constant question of whether you're doing enough or doing it right.
WHAT THERAPY WITH ME FEELS LIKE
Therapy with me is thoughtful and warm, and lighter than people expect. There is room to think out loud, to stay with something uncomfortable instead of managing it away, and even to find the humor in patterns that have felt so serious for a long time.
I pay close attention and ask questions that get underneath the surface. Many clients remark on how calm the space feels. For a nervous system that has been running on high alert, being in the presence of someone steady is itself part of the process.
Most people leave with something they didn't walk in with. Not just a new way of thinking about something, but a new way of being in it. The goal is for things to actually feel different, in how you relate to the people you love and how you treat yourself when things get hard.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN OUR TIME TOGETHER
Evidence-based
The approaches I use are research-supported and work on more than one level at a time. CBT addresses patterns of thinking. IFS looks at what's driving them. Somatic therapy brings the body into it. Together, they get at more than any one approach alone.
Personalized
Support
I work with a limited number of clients so I can bring real depth and attention to each person I see. Sessions are paced for you, built around your patterns and what you are actually navigating, not a predetermined method applied to everyone.
Rooted in Your
Strengths
Even when things feel stuck, there is a part of you that already knows what matters. We reconnect you with that clarity, so you can trust yourself more, ease the self-criticism, and feel more empowered in your own life.
License & Education
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), New York State, 07737
Dartmouth College, Bachelor of Arts, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude
Columbia University, Master of Science in Social Work
Training &
Certification
Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, New York University
Member, New York City Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Association (NYC-CBT)
Internal Family Systems Institute, Level 1
Internal Family Systems Counseling Association, Stepping Stones
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Level 1
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, Levels 1 and 2
Cognitive-Processing Therapy for PTSD and Related Conditions
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
SIFI-certified; Supervised over one hundred Master’s level and Undergraduate Social Work Students
Over two decades of professional experience in schools and non-profits
Ongoing coursework, self-study, and reading in evidence-based, somatic, and trauma therapies
Speaking, Writing & Leadership
New York University Silver School of Social Work/Unmute, Community Advisory Board Member, Asian Mental Health
One Social Worker in Every School, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Panelist, Virtual Town Hall
Press Conference at City Hall, School-Based Social Work, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Speaker
Opportunities and Challenges: Chinese and Other Asian Students Studying Abroad in the U.S.-East Meets West, Supporting Chinese Students in NYC Public Schools, New York University, Panelist
Columbia University School of Social Work Annual School Social Work Conference, Immigrants in NYC Public Schools, Speaker
Kopple, Hilary. (2019). Are Your Students Ready to Learn? Why Schools Need Social Workers. Prism Magazine; International Network’s Journal
MORE ABOUT ME
Favorite Broadway Musical
Sunset Boulevard, Jamie Lloyd’s version!
Favorite Place to Visit
Mexico, especially Oaxaca
Favorite Book
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Hobbies
Lifting weights and chasing progressive overload, long walks along the Hudson, and reading memoirs
Favorite New York Times Column
Routine (formerly known as Sunday Routine)
Social Media Algorithm
Backstage with Broadway ensemble members
Favorite Reality TV Show
Love is Blind (UK!)
Favorite Sweets
Churros and Sour Patch Kids
Less in your head. More in your life.
If you've been thinking about it, that's usually enough of a reason.