Dr. Merny Schwartz, PhD in Brooklyn

Review №1

2022-08-18

I have worked with a few therapists over the years, ranging from counselors to psychologists, and nothing really clicked until I started working with Dr. Schwartz.His approach is so straight forward and simple, but gets to the very root of anxiety and what causes it. Its highly effective.Some reviews have mentioned sentences - and theyre exactly right. Dr. Schwartz will work with you to understand the underlying cause of your anxiety, then provide you a sentence (or a couple sentences) to repeat to yourself. These sentences will reframe the way you think about scenes in your life and help you approach situations with less anxiety.Other therapists have stressed the importance of self-talk (you mean, I have to talk to myself? YES.), but Dr. Schwartz was the first to take that concept and make it effortless and effective for me.He has also taught me an abundance about human behavior outside of anxiety. For that I am forever grateful. His insights are plentiful and backed up by a lifetime of research and experience.Highly recommended.

Review №2

2022-05-25

Dr. Schwartz has great experience in many areas and is able to truly help. He is a great listener and always makes things clearer. I truly appreciated the follow-ups he did between our sessions.

Review №3

2021-08-27

Dr. Schwartzs method can seem very simple at first, with a focus on defining your own behavior and repeating simple sentences about your behavior. If youve ever done more classic talk therapy it can feel reductive. But personally Ive found this behavior-focused approach to have great positive impact in my life, and as you work through it you can start to see and feel the logic behind it. Its been far more effective for me than many other kinds of therapy/meds.When I started working with Dr. Schwartz, in the middle of the pandemic, I was like a lot of people at that time: Dealing with many personal challenges, feeling depressed and highly anxious, and my kids were struggling. We worked through all of it, crafting behavior plans for myself, behavior plans for my kids, ways to focus on achieving calm despite anxiety, and setting expectations. After a year Im feeling far, far more in control of my own reactions and find myself in general a happier, more cheerful, and calmer person who meets more of my own goals. Its not a miracle cure; I still have lots to do, but I have tools that I didnt have before, and I can use and apply them. I feel that my boundaries are more clear and while I still deal with anxiety, I meet it with the statement I will remain calm no matter what and then work forward from there. Its a lot of stuff like that: A toolbox.When Dr. Schwartz says hes very results-oriented, he means it. He pushes you to talk openly and honestly about your actual behavior (more than your feelings). He also assumes that you wont be in therapy for the rest of your life: That youll achieve the results you want and move on. That alone is a pretty big change from other therapists, and it forces you to think about the results you want in your own life and what enough means in terms of your own happiness and what goals you want to meet.I would also strongly recommend Dr. Schwartz for anyone dealing with kids with behavioral issues; his strategies there really helped our family, and quickly, where other interventions had been unsuccessful. Our home is a lot calmer than it used to be.

Review №4

2021-12-12

Mernys approach works for me. We focus on how to prepare for things that cause anxiety and have a plan for how to behave when those things arise. As a result, I am able to experience less anxiety, be less upset, and have a clearer, more objective perspective on my life overall. This method has allowed me to better prioritize and organize the different aspects of my life, which affords me much less stress day-to-day.

Review №5

2021-04-13

I’m so glad that I didn’t look at the reviews here. Honestly people should read the reviews on Zocdoc first because I have experienced nothing but genuine service. He’s not like other bs “tell me how you feel” people. He gets to the root of the problem and gives you exercises and thorough explanations because he is trying to do his best to help and fix the issue.He has helped me so much with the anxiety I experienced at work, home, and my relationship. I feel so much more confident and in control of how I handle situations and I wish I had talked to him years ago instead of bottling everything inside.I was talking to him once a week to every two weeks and now we’re both confident in my progress that I feel comfortable following up with him only if I truly feel the need to talk to him. He isn’t trying to push you to stay with him forever, he wants you to improve to the point where you don’t need him anymore and that’s what I truly respect him for.If you are looking for the first time or for a new doctor I highly recommend!

Review №6

2019-04-06

Ive been Dr. Schwartzs patience for a few months now, but just after the first visit I remember seeing things from a different perspective right away. He helped me lower my anxiety levels dramatically with hands on solutions, and day to day work. It takes discipline, but now I look back at my life before Dr. Schwartz and I dont recognize the old me. If you are looking for a real U turn on the way your life is going, and someone with real experience and a your best interest in mind, you have found Dr. Schwartz.

Review №7

2019-04-13

I started seeing Dr. Schwartz a few months ago and in a few months the impact on my life has been tremendous. He quickly figured out my problem at the first session and told me what to do to fix it. I am now a lot less anxious around my parents, my friends and at work. And as an unexpected consequence of reduced anxiety I stick to goals I set out for myself without giving up in frustration after a few days. Dr. Schwartz is extremely knowledgeable and will explain things about psychology that you cant find out for yourself by reading books and online articles. He has my highest recommendation.

Review №8

2019-03-11

Ive had the opportunity to be under the care of Dr Schwartz for a number of months. I have found him to be a compassionate and intelligent provider with a wide array of techniques to help with my concerns and issues. I am very happy with his care and look forward to our next session together.

Review №9

2020-01-17

Merney Schwartz changed my life. He changed my husbands life. And he helped make our marriage bullet-proof. He is so good that my mother also started speaking with him via telephone from Virginia. He has changed her life, too. Merney has boiled down decades of practice into chunks of practical wisdom that you can apply to your everyday life after the very first meeting. This is not Freudian-esoteric meandering psychotherapy. This is practical, applicable, efficient psychotherapy that is fit for modern life. If you are willing to take his direction and do the work outside of sessions, Merney will most definitely change your life for the better too. I cannot recommend him enough.

Review №10

2020-05-14

I personally have not had a good experience here, unfortunately. The price is very steep (200/hr) to just be provided sentences that you can repeat at home over and over again. To me the price alone has not been reasonable, especially if you are recommended to come in weekly. This means therapy can cost you thousands (I am sure there are more affordable options out there)! However, beyond the cost, where I have been deeply disappointed here is with the inability to get my invoice in a timely manner. My insurance offered out of network benefits (as I would not otherwise do these sessions) and it was contingent upon receiving invoices that I can present back to the insurance company. It would take many texts and calls to get Merny to send me an invoice at all, which he always forgot about. And when he eventually sent them (a long while later), they were incorrect. My therapy was in November, we are now in May and I still DONT HAVE a correct invoice. These invoices would allow me to retrieve $600 and Merny DOES NOT CARE. Very unprofessional and frustrating experience, would go elsewhere in the future.