About Andrew Plisner, LCSW

Trauma-Informed Therapy, Clinical Supervision, & Consulting

Serving Adults in New York and Florida

My Approach to Trauma-Informed, Relational Therapy, Supervision, & Consulting

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi

My approach to individual therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy — as well as supervision and consultation — is grounded in the belief that meaningful change happens through connection, curiosity, and respect for the nervous system’s pace. People come for many reasons — feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, uncertain, or simply wanting to understand themselves more deeply. You don’t need to have the “right” words or a clear story for us to begin.

Rather than focusing only on fixing symptoms or pushing insight, I work relationally—supporting awareness of how patterns developed, how they show up now, and how greater choice can emerge over time. In couples and family therapy, we explore how protective patterns interact between people — not to assign blame, but to increase emotional contact, accountability, and relational resilience.

This work is collaborative and attuned, shaped by what feels present and accessible in each moment. Most importantly, we move at a pace that respects your nervous system and what feels manageable, not what you think you ‘should’ be ready for.

Developmental and relational wounds can lead to protective strategies that once helped us survive, yet later limit connection, ease, or aliveness. Therapy becomes a space to gently explore these patterns — not to judge or eliminate them, but to understand and soften their grip.

My work draws primarily from the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), alongside somatic awareness and relational presence. While these frameworks inform my approach, sessions are guided less by technique and more by curiosity, attunement, and what feels most alive and meaningful for you.

My intention is to accompany you with warmth, steadiness, and respect — meeting you where you are, and supporting reconnection with parts of yourself that may have been constrained by earlier experiences.

Who I Work With

I work with adults, couples, and families who are ready to explore underlying patterns that shape emotional life, relationships, and self-understanding. This includes people navigating anxiety, depression, relational challenges, and the lingering effects of developmental stress — and those seeking reflective, depth-oriented therapeutic support. For couples and families, this includes understanding how attachment patterns, protective strategies, and nervous system responses interact within the relational system.

Andrew Plisner - Therapy & Consulting

Andrew Plisner - Therapist | Coach | Consultant

My Journey

From an early age, I longed for connection—for reassurance, inclusion, and a sense of belonging. At the same time, I learned to adapt by closing parts of myself off when connection felt uncertain or unsafe. These early experiences shaped both my curiosity about human relationships and my eventual commitment to healing work.

As I moved through school and early adulthood, I sought validation through achievement and external success. While these strategies helped me function and move forward, they also left me feeling disconnected from myself. It wasn’t until I encountered relationally grounded mentorship and therapy that I began to understand how deeply early attachment patterns shape self-worth, emotional regulation, and relationships.

My professional path has included work with children, adolescents, families, and adults across schools, residential programs, foster care, adoption, and outpatient settings. Witnessing both resilience and profound suffering—particularly related to developmental and attachment trauma—deepened my commitment to approaches that honor survival strategies rather than pathologize them.

Over time, I came to understand that healing is not about fixing what’s “wrong,” but about restoring connection—to the body, to emotions, and to one’s authentic sense of self. This understanding led me to deepen my training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), interpersonal neurobiology, and somatic-relational approaches that emphasize presence, agency, and nervous system regulation.

Personal & Professional Growth: A Reflective Commitment

I maintain an ongoing commitment to professional development and personal growth through continued training, clinical consultation, supervision, and my own therapeutic work. I believe effective therapy requires not only skill and experience, but ongoing self-reflection and support. Staying engaged in my own process allows me to meet clients with humility, presence, and care, while remaining grounded in ethical, attuned, and relationally responsible practice.

Today, my work is informed by both clinical training and lived experience. I bring deep respect for the adaptive strategies people develop to survive, alongside a steady belief in our capacity for growth, integration, and renewed connection. My intention is to offer a space that feels grounded, attuned, and collaborative—where healing unfolds at a pace that feels safe and sustainable.

Training, Licensure, & Ongoing Professional Development

My clinical work is supported by ongoing education and advanced training in relational, developmental, and nervous-system-informed approaches to trauma and attachment. This allows me to work with care, depth, and precision—while staying responsive to each person’s unique pace and needs. I view training not as something to complete, but as an ongoing responsibility—to my clients, to the work, and to my own continued growth.

Master of Social Work, Hunter College’s Silberman School of Social Work (2016)

LCSW Licensure (providing telehealth individual therapy for adults in NY and FL in accordance with state and ethical guidelines)

Interpersonal Neurobiology Comprehensive Certificate Course (2023)

NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM)

  • NeuroAffective Relational Model Therapist Certification (2023)
  • NeuroAffective Relational Model Master Therapist Certification (2024)
  • NeuroAffective Relational Model Post-Masters Certification (2025)
  • NeuroAffective Relational Model Fellow Certificate Program (2026 – 2027)

Complex Trauma Training Center Intersubjective & Transpersonal SPACE training (2025 – 2026)

Polyvagal Institute Comprehensive Polyvagal Certificate Course (2025 – 2026)