Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Depression
How Elias works
- Not listed
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LCSW-R
- Licensed in
- New York
- Years in practice
- 40
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Elias
Elias Gootzeit is a licensed clinical social worker with 40 years of experience helping people manage stress, anger, anxiety, trauma, and depression. He offers straightforward support for parents and individuals feeling overwhelmed by life changes or persistent emotional pain. He listens carefully and helps clients name what is happening.
Sessions focus on practical skills for calming intense feelings, improving day-to-day functioning, and handling relationship strain. He draws on methods supported by research while keeping language clear and direct.
Background and approach
Many people seek his help for problems like attachment wounds, divorce and separation, caregiver burden, or the aftereffects of traumatic events. He also assists those dealing with guilt, shame, impulsivity, isolation, and questions about life purpose. Young adults and people facing major transitions are often part of his caseload.
His practice style is non-religious and openly liberal, aiming to create an accepting, nonjudgmental space. He works with clients to build resilience and practical coping tools rather than offering quick fixes. Progress is viewed as a step-by-step process that adapts to each person's needs.
Elias completed a Master of Social Work at Fordham University in 1978 and holds a New York LCSW-R. He provides care from New York and conducts sessions in English, using a range of online formats to fit different schedules and needs.
What Elias works with
Everything Elias lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Elias's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Depression
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Post-traumatic stress
- Young adult issues
Evidence-based approaches and flexible online care
Many of his methods focus on helping people manage strong emotions and rebuild daily routines. One common approach teaches practical emotion regulation skills to reduce impulsive reactions and intense anger. It involves learning breathing and grounding exercises, spotting triggers, and practicing alternative responses that lower immediate reactivity.Another frequently used approach emphasizes trauma-informed techniques for processing past hurt and reducing its hold on present life. This work helps people make sense of traumatic memories, lessen avoidance, and develop safer ways to cope with reminders of painful events.
Choosing the right combination of methods is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals, preferences, and how symptoms show up, then try approaches that fit those priorities. Plans are adjusted over time based on what works in real life.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation, phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat offers quick check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to keep continuity during life transitions.
Questions people ask about Elias
What kinds of concerns does Elias help with?
He supports people working through stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, parenting strain, anger, and depression, as well as related issues like attachment wounds, caregiver stress, and life transitions.
How would you describe his therapeutic approach?
He uses evidence-based techniques and plain language to teach coping skills, emotional regulation, and practical problem solving in a direct, nonjudgmental manner.
What experience does he bring to therapy?
He has four decades of clinical experience working with a wide range of emotional and life challenges and updates his practice with current methods.
Where is he licensed and based?
He practices from New York and holds a New York LCSW-R license.
Which languages are sessions offered in?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with him?
International clients are not currently accepted; he works with people located where his New York license applies.
What session formats are available?
He offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to suit different schedules and preferences.
How are fees and starting therapy handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time; to begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to availability.