Vernon BauerLicensed Clinical Social Worker Associate

Vernon Bauer, Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate, 93598 is practicing under the supervision of Jaclyn Smith (New York, LCSW, 77071) at Resilience Lab.

Please, note: A clinician listed as being “clinically supervised” is completing clinical hours toward their licensure. They have one or more fully licensed clinical supervisors that often have special training to become supervisors. They consult with their supervisor(s) on all of their cases, which means that, when working with them, you are getting the time and expertise of multiple therapists in your treatment.

I work with queer-identifying individuals—either creative or corporate in their pursuits—who are searching for purpose, feeling stuck, or looking for more than just a “quick fix.” My patients are invited to use their voice, be heard, and explore what’s on their mind. Ultimately, they come out of therapy with a deeper understanding of themselves and tools to make meaningful adjustments in their day-to-day life. Through my strengths-based and solutions-focused approach, my patients come out of therapy with a deeper understanding of themselves, their behaviors and motivations, and tools to make meaningful adjustments in their lives.

After a dozen years working as a theater director (and subsidizing my artistic endeavors by working deadening/unfulfilling jobs in the corporate world), I started therapy to find another way for myself. In the process, I discovered that that was what I wanted to be doing. The parallels between directing an actor and being a therapist with a client are very similar. I'm not actually "directing," but rather helping facilitate the actor/client to access whatever they need within themself to play the part, or make change in their life.

I am a very careful listener, I try to speak only when I have something useful to say. I am consistent yet flexible. For example, I understand that sometimes clients will need to change their regularly scheduled appointments, but do my best to stay available within the same week for continuity of care/efficacy of treatment. I’m reflective and analytical. I may ask a lot of questions both for my own understanding of what the client means, but also to encourage their own curiosity about their psychodynamic processes.

Before becoming a therapist, I spent years working as a theater director. Both of these roles involve helping someone cultivate a narrative. The major difference with therapy is that we work together to tell your own story – and even rewrite the script along the way. As a therapist, I have experience working with at-risk middle school children in New York City. I’ve also worked as a full-time staff therapist at The Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy, where I did postgraduate psychoanalytic training and became certified in Gender/Sexuality affirmative psychotherapy. My client population has been largely LGBTQ+ identifying individuals. I don’t do couples work, though I often help my clients to strengthen their intimate relationships. I’m now a proud member of the Resilience Lab mental health collective—one of the largest and most diverse groups of clinicians working to improve mental health access and outcomes across the country.