About Us
We’re real people who care deeply, listen fully, and use evidence-based approaches to help you reach your goals. At Perspectives Counseling of LI, we believe therapy works best when it feels authentic— our therapists bring warmth, empathy, and proven strategies to help you heal and thrive.
Perspectives Counseling of Long Island (PCLI) was founded in 2019 by Abby Leefer, a licensed clinical social worker with more than 30 years of experience in the mental health field. She began her career in 1991 as a substance abuse prevention counselor in a middle school, where she learned the importance of fostering resilience in children and meeting clients exactly where they are. Her early work highlighted both the complexity of family systems and the significant barriers many people face in accessing mental health care—particularly the lack of insurance coverage for treatment.
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After 15 years working in public schools and another 15 years in private practice, she felt called to expand her reach and share her knowledge with a wider community. She founded PCLI just before the COVID-19 pandemic, during a time when the demand for mental health services grew rapidly. The pandemic—and the growing influence of social media—reshaped the mental health landscape, bringing more children, teens, and adults into therapy not only for significant challenges, but also for personal growth, self-understanding, and support through life transitions.
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Today, PCLI is home to a team of 15 skilled practitioners with diverse specialties and backgrounds. What unites the team is a shared passion for helping people, deep respect for clients, and a belief in each person’s capacity for self-knowledge, resilience, and healing when supported by a strong therapeutic relationship.
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Rooted in Rogerian (Client-Centered) principles, PCLI emphasizes the healing power of authentic human connection. While the team draws from a range of evidence-based modalities—including CBT, EMDR, DBT, somatic therapy, ERP, ACT, and IFS—these tools are grounded in the belief that real change begins with a trusting, compassionate relationship between therapist and client. At Perspectives, therapists are not only professionals but fellow humans walking alongside you. That is the heart of who we are.
What is Client-Centered Care?
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​Client-centered treatment means you’re seen as the expert of your own life. In this approach, therapy is a collaboration — you bring your experiences, insights, and goals, and we bring respect, empathy, guidance, and evidence-based tools to support you in understanding your own unique needs, identity and life path. It’s not about having all the answers or doing all the work on your own; it’s about creating a space where you feel safe, understood, and empowered to grow at your own pace. Our role is to walk beside you, helping you uncover your strengths and find the clarity and confidence to navigate your life from a place of self understanding.
