Individual Therapy

Individual Therapy in Annandale, NJ

Personalized mental health care that meets you where you are. At Solar Behavioral Health, individual therapy provides a confidential, supportive space to explore your thoughts and feelings, develop practical coping strategies, and work toward meaningful change.

One-on-one mental health care tailored to your specific needs, goals, and circumstances — whether you are navigating anxiety, depression, a major life transition, or simply feeling stuck and wanting to move forward.

Solar Behavioral Health combines psychotherapy with medication management, offering a whole-person approach that addresses both the emotional and physiological aspects of mental health in a single, coordinated treatment plan.

Insurance, Self-Pay & Access

Solar Behavioral Health works with a range of insurance providers and also offers self-pay options. If your insurer is not listed below, please contact the practice — out-of-network and self-pay arrangements may be available.

If your insurance provider is not listed, out-of-network and self-pay options may be available. A sliding scale is offered for qualifying uninsured patients. Please contact the practice to discuss your situation.

Service

Fee

Initial session

$300

Standard visit

$150

These are published provider fees, not a guaranteed price for a combined therapy-plus-medication visit. Actual cost depends on your insurance benefits, the services provided during the appointment, and any applicable sliding-scale adjustments. Please contact Solar Behavioral Health to verify your specific coverage and estimated costs.

Key Takeaways

Is Individual Therapy Right for Me?

Individual therapy can help with a wide range of concerns. If any of the following resonate with your experience, it may be worth exploring whether therapy as part of your care plan is a good fit.

You're experiencing anxiety

Persistent worry, racing thoughts, restlessness, or panic that interferes with your daily routine may be a sign that therapy could help you develop coping strategies and regain a sense of calm.

You're feeling sad or disconnected

If you’ve been feeling down, losing interest in activities you once enjoyed, or struggling to connect with others, individual therapy can provide a space to explore these feelings and work toward relief.

You're under overwhelming stress

When stress from work, family, finances, or health begins to feel unmanageable, therapy can help you identify sources of pressure and build practical tools to navigate them.

You're facing relationship difficulty

Patterns of conflict, communication breakdowns, or difficulty maintaining healthy relationships can be explored in a one-on-one setting to foster understanding and change.

You're navigating a major life change

Divorce, a new job, relocation, loss of a loved one, or retirement can trigger emotional challenges that therapy can help you process and adjust to.

Your child or teen is struggling

Behavioral changes, academic difficulties, withdrawal, or emotional distress in a child or adolescent may benefit from professional support tailored to their developmental stage.

Medication alone isn't addressing everything

If you’re already receiving medication management but still experiencing emotional or behavioral challenges, adding therapy to your care plan may help you make further progress.

What Is Individual Therapy?

Individual therapy is a form of mental health care in which you work one-on-one with a provider to explore your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and life circumstances. Through guided conversation and evidence-informed approaches, therapy helps you gain insight, develop coping strategies, and work toward meaningful change. It is a collaborative process — your provider brings clinical expertise, and you bring the knowledge of your own lived experience.

Therapy may address:

How Does Individual Therapy Work at Solar Behavioral Health?

At Solar Behavioral Health, therapy is provided as part of a whole-person approach to mental health care. Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, your provider considers your emotional, physical, social, and circumstantial context. Treatment is personalized to your goals and draws from a range of therapeutic approaches so that care is matched to your needs — not the other way around. Therapy is offered in conjunction with medication management, allowing your treatment plan to address both emotional and physiological factors in a coordinated way.

Talk Therapy

A foundational form of therapy centered on open, guided conversation between you and your provider. It helps you articulate your thoughts and feelings, gain insight into your experiences, and work collaboratively toward understanding and change.

Supportive Therapy

Focused on encouragement, emotional reinforcement, and practical coping strategies. Supportive therapy helps you build resilience and manage symptoms while maintaining stability in your day-to-day life.

Solution-Focused Therapy

A goal-oriented approach that emphasizes identifying your strengths and focusing on actionable solutions rather than dwelling extensively on problems. It is particularly useful when you are working toward specific, concrete changes.

Narrative Therapy

Helps you examine the stories you tell about yourself and your life, separating your identity from the challenges you face. This approach empowers you to reframe negative narratives and construct a more hopeful, self-directed story.

Motivational Interviewing

A collaborative method designed to strengthen your own motivation and commitment to change. It is especially helpful when you feel ambivalent about making changes or are working through mixed feelings about treatment goals.

Is Individual Therapy Right for Me?

Individual therapy can help with a wide range of concerns. If any of the following resonate with your experience, it may be worth exploring whether therapy as part of your care plan is a good fit.

Feature

Medication Management

Primary Focus

Exploring thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and coping strategies through guided conversation

Managing symptoms through prescribed psychiatric medication

Format

One-on-one dialogue with a provider in a structured, supportive setting

Prescription and monitoring of medication, with regular check-ins on response and side effects

Time Commitment

45–90 minutes for initial evaluation; 20–45 minutes for follow-up sessions

Typically shorter visits focused on medication review and adjustment

Best Suited For

Addressing emotional patterns, building coping skills, processing life events

Reducing physiological symptoms such as severe anxiety, depression, or mood instability

At Solar Behavioral Health

Offered in conjunction with medication management as part of a combined care plan

Provided as a core service, often paired with therapy for comprehensive treatment

Tenishia Santiago, APRN, PMHNP

Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Licensed in New Jersey

Bringing together psychiatric expertise and genuine human connection to every appointment.

Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Licensed in New Jersey
Experience with children, adolescents, adults, and seniors
Medication management with psychotherapy
In-person and telehealth care

Professional Qualifications

Credential

Detail

Name

Tenishia Santiago, APRN, PMHNP

Title

Board-Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Specialty

Psychiatric Mental Health (Across the Lifespan)

Certification

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (PMHNP-BC)

License State

New Jersey

License Number

26NJ01421600

Patients

Children ages 4+, adolescents, adults, older adults

Care Options

In-person (Annandale, NJ) and telehealth for eligible NJ residents

What to Expect

From your first outreach to ongoing care, here’s how the process works.

Request an Appointment

Reach out by phone or through the appointment request form on this page. Our team will follow up to schedule your visit.

01

Complete an Initial Evaluation

Your first appointment lasts 45–90 minutes and includes a comprehensive assessment of your history, symptoms, and goals.

02

Discuss Your Challenges

You and your provider will talk through what brought you in, what you hope to achieve, and what matters most to you.

03

Personalized Treatment Plan

Together, you’ll create a plan that may include therapy, medication management, or both, tailored to your individual needs.

04

Begin Therapeutic Support

Ongoing sessions focus on exploring your experiences, building coping strategies, and working toward your goals at a comfortable pace.

05

Practice Strategies Between Appointments

You may be encouraged to reflect on or apply what you discuss in sessions to your daily life between visits.

06

Review Your Progress

Follow-up appointments typically last 20–45 minutes and give you and your provider a chance to assess how things are going.

07

Adjust Your Treatment Plan When Needed

Your plan is not fixed — it evolves as your needs change, your goals shift, or new challenges arise.

08 Conditions & Concerns Related to Individual Therapy

Individual therapy at Solar Behavioral Health can play a role in the care of a wide range of mental health conditions and life concerns. Below are some of the areas commonly addressed in treatment.

Anxiety

Excessive worry, panic, social anxiety, and related concerns that affect daily functioning and well-being.

Depression

Persistent low mood, loss of interest, fatigue, and feelings of hopelessness that interfere with everyday life.

ADHD

Difficulty with attention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity that impacts performance at school, work, or home.

Bipolar Disorder

Mood episodes ranging from depression to mania or hypomania, requiring careful assessment and ongoing management.

Trauma / PTSD

Emotional and psychological effects of traumatic experiences, including flashbacks, hypervigilance, and avoidance.

OCD

Intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that are difficult to control and disrupt daily routines.

Behavioral Challenges

Acting out, defiance, or emotional dysregulation in children and adolescents that may benefit from structured support.

Sleep Concerns

Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or poor sleep quality that may be connected to mental health conditions.

Personality Disorders

Enduring patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating that cause distress or impairment in relationships and functioning.

Psychosis & Other Serious Conditions

Hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized thinking that require specialized psychiatric care and ongoing support.

Who Can Receive Individual Therapy?

Why Choose Solar Behavioral Health

What sets Solar Behavioral Health apart is a commitment to care that is personal, integrated, and respectful of every individual’s story.

Whole-Person Approach

Care considers your emotional, physical, social, and circumstantial context — not just a checklist of symptoms.

Therapy Integrated With Psychiatric Care

Therapy is offered in conjunction with medication management, allowing your treatment plan to address both emotional and physiological factors in a coordinated way.

Time for Meaningful Evaluation

Initial evaluations last 45–90 minutes, giving you the space to share your full story rather than being rushed through a brief assessment.

Personalized Mental Health Treatment

Your treatment plan is built around your specific goals, preferences, and circumstances, not a one-size-fits-all protocol.

Care Across Different Life Stages

From children as young as 4 to older adults, care is adapted to the developmental and life-stage needs of each individual.

In-Person and Telehealth Options

Choose the format that works best for you — in-person appointments in Annandale, NJ, or telehealth for eligible New Jersey residents.

Patient Reviews

Real reviews from our patients will be added here soon.

“From the first appointment, I felt heard for the first time in years. Tenishia took the time to actually understand what I was going through instead of rushing through a checklist. The combination of therapy and medication management has genuinely changed my daily life.”

James Vella

“Our teenage daughter had been struggling for months and previous providers never seemed to look at the full picture. The initial evaluation was thorough and thoughtful, and the personalized plan made us feel confident in her care for the first time.”

Sarah Cuschieri

“I was nervous about starting medication, but everything was explained clearly and adjusted when the first option wasn’t the right fit. The follow-up visits are consistent and I never feel like just another appointment on the schedule.”

Alex

Locations and Telehealth

Solar Behavioral Health

67 Beaver Avenue, Corbit Building, Suite 4Annandale, NJ 08801

Communities Served

The office is conveniently accessible via Route 78, Route 22, and Route 31, serving patients throughout North Hunterdon County and beyond.

Telehealth Across New Jersey

Virtual appointments are available for eligible New Jersey residents statewide, offering the same personalized care from the comfort of your own home.

Who Telehealth May Help

Eligible New Jersey residents who live too far from the Annandale office for convenient in-person visits
Individuals with mobility limitations, transportation challenges, or scheduling constraints
Patients who prefer the comfort and privacy of receiving care from home
Existing patients whose treatment plan is appropriate for a virtual format

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about depression treatment at Solar Behavioral Health.

What is individual therapy?

Individual therapy is a form of mental health care in which you work one-on-one with a provider to explore your thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and life circumstances. Through guided conversation and evidence-based approaches, therapy helps you gain insight, develop coping strategies, and work toward meaningful change. At Solar Behavioral Health, individual therapy is offered as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that may also include medication management.

What is the difference between individual therapy and counseling?

The terms “therapy” and “counseling” are often used interchangeably, and in many contexts they refer to the same kind of one-on-one mental health support. In clinical practice, “therapy” may refer to a broader range of approaches that address deeper emotional and behavioral patterns, while “counseling” sometimes refers to shorter-term, solution-focused guidance. At Solar Behavioral Health, the distinction is less important than finding the approach that best fits your needs.

Can I receive therapy without medication management?

Solar Behavioral Health currently offers individual therapy in conjunction with medication management rather than as a separately advertised therapy-only program. If you are interested in therapy as part of your care, we encourage you to reach out to discuss your needs and whether our practice is the right fit. We can help you understand what combined care would look like for you.

What happens at the first appointment?

Your first appointment is an initial evaluation lasting 45–90 minutes. During this session, your provider will ask about your history, current symptoms, goals, and any previous treatment experiences. This is also an opportunity for you to ask questions and share what matters most to you. The information gathered during this evaluation forms the foundation of your personalized treatment plan.

How long are therapy appointments?

Initial evaluations typically last 45–90 minutes, allowing time for a thorough assessment. Follow-up appointments generally run 20–45 minutes, depending on what you and your provider are addressing during the session. The length of each visit may vary based on your individual needs and the stage of your treatment.

How many therapy sessions will I need?

The number of sessions varies widely from person to person and depends on your goals, the complexity of what you are working through, and how you respond to treatment. Some individuals benefit from a relatively short course of sessions, while others engage in therapy over a longer period. Your provider will discuss expectations with you and revisit this question as your treatment progresses.

Is what I share in therapy confidential?

Yes. Your privacy is protected under HIPAA and other applicable regulations. Information you share in therapy is kept confidential, with limited exceptions required by law — such as imminent risk of harm to yourself or others, or suspected abuse of a child or vulnerable adult. Your provider will review these exceptions with you at the start of your care.

Can children receive individual therapy?

Yes. Solar Behavioral Health provides care for children ages 4 and older. Therapy with children is adapted to their developmental level and may involve age-appropriate conversation, play-based techniques, and family involvement when appropriate. If your child is experiencing emotional, behavioral, or social difficulties, an initial evaluation can help determine the best approach.

Can teenagers receive individual therapy?

Yes. Adolescents are an important part of the practice. Therapy with teenagers addresses concerns such as anxiety, depression, academic stress, peer relationships, identity, and family conflict. Sessions provide a confidential, supportive space where teens can express themselves and develop coping skills. Family involvement may be incorporated when it supports the teen’s treatment.

Can therapy help with anxiety and depression?

Yes. Anxiety and depression are among the most common reasons people seek individual therapy. Through guided conversation and evidence-informed approaches, therapy can help you understand the patterns behind these feelings, develop practical coping strategies, and work toward symptom relief. When appropriate, therapy may be combined with medication management as part of a comprehensive plan.

Is telehealth available for therapy appointments?

Yes. Telehealth appointments are available for eligible New Jersey residents. Virtual sessions allow you to receive care from the comfort and privacy of your own home, which can be especially helpful if you have scheduling constraints, transportation challenges, or live farther from the Annandale office. Eligibility for telehealth depends on your individual circumstances and clinical needs.

Can therapy and medication management be combined?

Yes. In fact, combining therapy with medication management is the model of care Solar Behavioral Health is built around. Addressing both the emotional and physiological aspects of mental health often leads to more comprehensive results than either approach alone. Your provider will work with you to determine whether combined treatment is appropriate for your situation.

Do you offer CBT, DBT, or EMDR?

Solar Behavioral Health offers a range of therapeutic approaches including talk therapy, supportive therapy, solution-focused therapy, narrative therapy, and motivational interviewing. If you are specifically seeking CBT, DBT, EMDR, or another specialized modality, we encourage you to ask during your initial evaluation. Your provider can discuss whether the available approaches are a good fit for your needs or whether a referral to a specialist may be appropriate.

Do you provide psychological testing?

Psychological testing — such as comprehensive neuropsychological or psychoeducational evaluations — is not a primary service offered at Solar Behavioral Health. If your provider determines that formal testing would benefit your care, a referral to an appropriate specialist can be discussed. For questions about specific testing needs, please contact the practice directly.

Related Mental Health Services

In addition to individual therapy, Solar Behavioral Health offers the following services as part of its comprehensive approach to psychiatric care.

Psychiatric Evaluation

Prescription and ongoing monitoring of psychiatric medication, with regular check-ins to assess effectiveness, adjust dosages, and manage side effects.

Individual Therapy

A comprehensive initial assessment of your mental health history, symptoms, and goals to inform a personalized treatment plan.

Medication Management

An opportunity to review your current diagnosis or treatment plan with a board-certified provider and explore alternative approaches.

Psychiatric Evaluation

Prescription and ongoing monitoring of psychiatric medication, with regular check-ins to assess effectiveness, adjust dosages, and manage side effects.

Individual Therapy

A comprehensive initial assessment of your mental health history, symptoms, and goals to inform a personalized treatment plan.

Medication Management

An opportunity to review your current diagnosis or treatment plan with a board-certified provider and explore alternative approaches.

Ready to Take the Next Step Toward Your Mental Wellness?

Reaching out for support takes courage, and you don’t have to have everything figured out before you make the call. Whether you’re seeking care for yourself or a loved one, Solar Behavioral Health is here to listen, answer your questions, and help you determine whether our practice is the right fit for your needs. Request an appointment today to start the conversation.

Request an Individual Therapy Appointment in Annandale, NJ

Fill out the form below and our team will follow up to schedule your appointment.