Chana Pfeifer, LCSW

04/29/2026

Are you moving your body throughout the day?

𝖠 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖻𝗈𝖽𝗒 𝗅𝖾𝖺𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖺 𝗌𝗅𝗎𝗀𝗀𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖽. 🥱

𝖬𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗂𝗆𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗌 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖿𝗅𝗈𝗐 𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝗋𝖺𝗂𝗇, 𝖻𝗈𝗈𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗒, #𝗆𝗈𝗈𝖽, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝖼𝗈𝗀𝗇𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗁𝖾𝖺𝗅𝗍𝗁.

✨

Your isn’t just affected by big decisions…
it’s shaped by small daily habits.

Protect it, train it, and nourish it—
because your is your greatest asset.

✨

While it is obvious that your can influence your movement, it’s not as obvious that your movement can impact your feelings too!

For example, if you feel tired / sad, you may move more slowly. When you feel anxious, you may rush around or become completely paralyzed.

But recent studies show that the connection between your brain and your is a two-way street and that means can change your brain, too!

04/13/2026

Why is sleep so important to our mental health?

Sleep is essential for emotional regulation, cognitive function, and overall mental well-being because it allows the brain to process emotions, consolidate memories, and clear metabolic waste that accumulates during the day.

During sleep, particularly REM sleep, the brain performs critical "emotional tuning" by linking old and new memories and helping individuals cope with emotional events.

Cognitive functions such as concentration, decision-making, and problem-solving are maintained by quality rest, while sleep deprivation impairs the prefrontal cortex, leading to emotional instability and increased irritability.

Key impacts of sleep on mental health:

🙂 Stress Regulation: Adequate sleep keeps cortisol levels in check, whereas chronic deprivation elevates hormones, contributing to anxiety and worsening depression.

🙂 Bidirectional Relationship: There is a two-way link where poor sleep can trigger or exacerbate mental health disorders like , , and , while these conditions often cause sleep disturbances.

🙂 Resilience: Good sleep strengthens emotional resilience, enabling individuals to bounce back from setbacks and handle daily stressors more effectively.

🙂 Long-term Protection: Consistent rest reduces the risk of developing chronic mental health conditions and improves recovery from existing disorders.

deprivation studies show that otherwise healthy people can experience increased anxiety and distress levels following poor sleep.

Those with mental health disorders are more likely to experience chronic sleep problems and, in turn, these sleep problems are likely to exacerbate psychiatric symptoms and even increase risk for su***de.

Tips for creating healthy sleep habits and improving sleep:

💤 Try to keep a consistent sleep schedule, waking up and falling asleep the same time every day.

💤 Create a healthy sleep environment– avoid bright lights and loud sounds, keep the room at a comfortable cool temperature, and try to limit electronics in your bedroom.

💤 Exercise regularly (but not within the few hours before going to bed).

💤 Avoid caffeine and ni****ne late in the day and limit alcoholic drinks before bed.

https://thehappierme.com/counseling-for-depression-long-island/

03/27/2026

Chana Pfeifer-Sytner
LCSW, CAIT, EMDR-level 3

I’ve been working as a for the over 25 years.

I am inspired when I can facilitate and help my clients grow to become a person they are proud to be.

I specialize in , as I believe that a healthy relationship with oneself and others is the cornerstone for lifelong , success, and happiness.

In addition to my formal schooling and years of experience in the clinical setting, I took an extensive post graduate training in relationship therapy. This guides much of the relationship, , and work I continue to treat in my practice.

✔️ INDIVIDUAL
✔️ COUPLES
✔️ PAIRS
✔️ ANXIETY
✔️ DEPRESSION
✔️ EMDR
✔️ GRIEF
✔️ PREMARITAL
✔️ MARRIAGE
✔️ DIVORCE

In-Person Counseling Locations:
, NY & , NY

Licensed for Telehealth:
&

Accepted Insurance:
Aetna

516-592-1107

https://thehappierme.com/

03/27/2026

A study found that the way you talk to yourself about aging changes how your body actually ages.

People with positive perceptions of aging lived an average of 7.5 years longer than those with negative perceptions.

That effect was larger than the effect of low blood pressure, low cholesterol, healthy weight, or not smoking.

Researchers at Yale analyzed data from 660 adults who had been asked decades earlier how they felt about statements like "As you get older, you are less useful." Those who rejected those statements, who viewed aging as a time of continued growth, lived significantly longer.

The effect held after controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic status, loneliness, and functional health.

7.5 years. From how you think about getting older.

Why? The researchers point to both behavioral and physiological pathways. People who view aging positively are more likely to engage in preventive health behaviors. They also show lower cortisol levels, lower inflammatory markers, and greater will to live when facing health challenges.

Your beliefs about aging become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe decline is inevitable, you stop trying. If you believe growth is possible, you keep showing up.

Every time you say "I'm too old for that," you are writing a prescription for your future. Be careful what you prescribe.

The words you use about your own aging are not just words. They are biology.

03/16/2026

03/11/2026

☀️ Sunshine improves primarily by boosting , a neurotransmitter linked to regulation, which helps elevate mood, reduce symptoms of and , and promote feelings of well-being.

☀️ Exposure to natural , especially in the morning, helps regulate the body's internal clock ( rhythm), which supports better quality—critical for mental .

☀️ also reduces levels, the stress , leading to decreased anxiety and .

☀️ Additionally, sunlight triggers the production of , which plays a role in function and mood stability, with deficiencies linked to higher risks of depression.

☀️ Studies show that increased sunlight exposure correlates with lower rates of depression, seasonal affective disorder ( ), while even short exposure can enhance mental , , and .

03/04/2026

Therapy for Co-Parenting Planning after a Divorce

- counseling helps or parents reduce conflict, improve communication, and create consistent parenting strategies for the well-being of their children.

Unlike couples therapy, it focuses on the future, not the past, and is designed to help work together as a despite their ending.

💠 Key Benefits of Co-Parenting Counseling

Reduces Conflict: Helps parents manage emotions and avoid power that can harm children.

Improves Communication: Teaches respectful, child-centered techniques like keeping exchanges brief, neutral, and using written messages to avoid emotional escalation.

Builds Consistency: Supports the development of a stable, predictable plan—covering schedules, routines, discipline, and decision-making—to give a sense of security.

Prioritizes Children’s Needs: Encourages parents to focus on what’s best for their , such as maintaining strong relationships with both parents and minimizing exposure to parental .

💠 Who Can Benefit?

Parents in high-conflict divorces who struggle to .

Those mandated by a court to attend .

Parents seeking to prevent future or improve their co-parenting dynamic, even if the divorce was amicable.

💠 How It Works

Sessions are typically short-term and solution-focused, often involving both parents with a guiding the process.

help set , resolve , and create a detailed co-parenting plan.

Important Note: Co-parenting counseling is not about reconciliation. It’s about building a , relationship focused solely on raising children effectively—no matter how difficult the separation may have been.

📲 For more information, contact Chana Pfeifer-Sytner, LCSW, CAIT, EMDR-level 3

https://thehappierme.com/joined-therapy-long-island/

In-Person Appointments on :

West Hempstead, NY
Cedarhurst, NY

Licensed for Telehealth: &

02/16/2026

Dealing with a parent who has is difficult on many levels because it involves emotional, psychological, and practical challenges.

Dementia fundamentally alters a person’s brain, leading to loss, confusion, and changes in behavior, personality, and communication—often making the parent seem like a different person.

This shift can trigger for the parent you once knew, even while they are still physically present.

➖Emotional Toll: Caregivers often experience intense emotions like , , , and , which are normal but overwhelming. The role reversal—where the child becomes the caregiver—can be deeply difficult, especially if the parent resists help or refuses to acknowledge their condition due to anosognosia (lack of awareness of their own impairment).

➖Mental and Physical Strain: Chronic stress from caregiving increases the risk of , , and physical . Studies show caregiver depression rates are twice as high as the general population. The emotional burden is compounded by the constant required—especially with safety concerns, sleep disruptions, and managing unpredictable behaviors like aggression or wandering.

➖Practical Challenges: Daily tasks such as bathing, eating, medication management, and maintaining routines become major undertakings. Caregivers may face resistance, confusion, or emotional outbursts, making even simple interactions exhausting. The demands can be so that caregivers often neglect their own needs, leading to .

➖Isolation and Lack of Support: Many caregivers feel isolated, especially when family drifts away. The belief that they must do it all alone can prevent them from , worsening the strain.

Ultimately, caring for a with dementia requires patience, self-compassion, and support.

Recognizing that your feelings are valid and seeking help—through —is essential for both your well-being and your ability to provide care.

Professional helps you process complex emotions like sadness, guilt, , and .

specializing in caregiver can guide you through coping strategies, acceptance, and emotional regulation.

For additional information about therapy, contact Chana Pfeifer, LCSW.

https://thehappierme.com/

In-Person Counseling Locations:
West Hempstead, NY
Copiague, NY

Licensed for Virtual Telehealth:
Colorado & New York

02/13/2026

Children don’t learn emotional regulation from lectures.
They learn it from the atmosphere around them.

From the way we handle frustration.
From the way we speak when we’re upset.
From the way we calm ourselves instead of exploding or shutting down.

Long before they understand the words,
they absorb the patterns.

So the work often starts with us.
Not just telling them what to do with their feelings,
but showing them how it looks in real life.

Quote Credit: ❣️

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01/25/2026

Are you constantly fighting, criticizing, blaming your partner?

Transform conflict into connection through structured communication, , and empathy.

It takes two to fight 👫 Saying the wrong things can be destructive. Don’t allow your marriage to be damaged permanently because you couldn’t your words/actions.

, criticism, and blame in a marriage signal deep , often masking unmet needs, past hurts, or insecurities.

Criticism, , defensiveness, and are particularly damaging patterns in relationships.



Attacking your partner’s character, using absolutes like “always” or “never,” and/or focusing on blame instead of creating a solution leads to . This ultimately erodes trust and connection.

can be a way to feel “right” or exert dominance in the moment, but overall, it harms the dynamic. This often allows individuals to avoid personal . While it may provide temporary relief from emotional discomfort, it ultimately damages by fostering intense , , and a lack of (or reduced) productive .

, however, aims for by focusing on specific behaviors using “I” statements instead of “you” statements. This is a key predictor of or breakdown. To address this, shift from your partner to expressing your own needs gently. Describe personal emotions (“I feel…”) rather than accusing (“You did…”)

You must show your partner that they’re to be vulnerable with you, rather than dismissing them or using their vulnerabilities against them.

Learn tools to break vicious cycles and address past issues once and for all!

Start rebuilding a happy today. Consider professional help like to build emotional safety, repair & trust.

Contact Chana Pfeifer, on

In-Person Appointments:
West Hempstead, NY & Cedarhurst, NY

Licensed for : &

https://thehappierme.com/counseling-avoid-destructive-criticism-marriage/