Hello there! My name is Hemisha Patel Urgola, PsyD, and I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the State of New Jersey.  I hold a specialized Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology (2002) and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (2011).  Through my professional training and experiences, over the last 20 years, I have been fortunate enough to work across a wide context of settings, including high schools; outpatient mental health clinics; inpatient hospitals; and prisons/correctional facilities.  Currently, my professional time is divided between clinical work through my private practice in Metuchen and at Princeton University, where I provide advocacy, crisis response, and trauma-informed care to students who have been affected by interpersonal violence and abuse.

I specialize in the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, cultural issues, and couples work.

Philosophy & Treatment Approach

In all aspects of my clinical work, I rely on the use of evidence-based treatments.  In simpler words, this refers to psychological treatment approaches that have been proven to be effective through research and science in treating various psychological disorders.  Science + Psychology?? Some of you may wonder how the two even go together. Take a second and think about it from a medical perspective.  If you went to see your primary care physician for a stomachache, you would probably want her to treat you with medication that has been shown to be effective in treating stomach pains.  Not some medication that only works sometimes or is actually meant to treat headaches.  The same principle applies with your therapy sessions.  They should work.  Period.  Your time and money are valuable.  It is my responsibility to not only give you space to talk and process your concerns, but to also help you develop new ways of thinking (or maybe even “unthinking”) and relate this to the issues that are causing you distress.  This way, not only will you feel some relief in the moment, but you will be better prepared in addressing similar problems if they should arise again in the future.

All of the individual therapy treatments that I provide are rooted in Cognitive-Behavioral Theory.  This type of theory focuses on the principle that your thoughts and feelings ultimately affect your behaviors. And when I say behaviors, I am also referring to symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, and so forth.  Sometimes in our sessions, if your individual needs call for it, we would work on exploring how your unhealthy thoughts and feelings could be causing you psychological distress.  We would then make attempts to change your thinking process in order to trickle down changes to your feelings and, eventually, your behaviors or the distress that you are experiencing.  This is standard Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT).  In recent years, there has been a new “wave” of psychological treatments that focuses on changing the relationship you have with your thoughts rather than trying to change the actual thoughts.  In other words, this type of treatment says that your thoughts are not necessarily the problem; rather, the way you choose to allow these thoughts to control you is the real dilemma.  This type of therapy is called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).  ACT involves a great deal of mindfulness, which is a buzz word in recent years.  In its truest sense, it means being present minded, with full awareness, and with no judgment.  Mindfulness basically is the way one changes their relationship with their thoughts.  Through collaboration, you and I would figure out together which of the aforementioned approaches is best for you (also, please know that there are many therapy variations that fall in between CBT and ACT – one of those may be best for you instead and this would be something we would discuss further in our sessions.  It’s just too much to get into right now for the purposes of this website).  You will not receive cookie-cutter treatment at The Mindful Practice. It is not a one-fits-all kind of process. I may have some broad principles in mind, but we will collaboratively figure out how they should be individualized to your strengths, needs, and skills.

With regard to couples therapy, I rely on my training in the Gottman Method. It is based on the work of Drs. John & Julie Gottman, who have studied couples for over 50 years.  In this therapy approach, the goals are to “disarm conflicting verbal communication; increase intimacy, respect, and affection; remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy; and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship.”

Associations

• New Jersey Psychological Association
• Association for Contextual Behavioral Science