Joni Altshuler

The Way Home was born out of a moment of clarity nearly 40 years ago, early in my career in the mental health field. I was working with individuals transitioning out of state psychiatric hospitals—people who often struggled to communicate with words, whose thinking was disorganized, or whose experiences were difficult to access through traditional talk therapy. At the same time, I was fortunate to find myself participating in a Gestalt group, one of the earliest present-oriented, experiential, and relational approaches in the field.

It was during this time that I realized something essential: words alone are often not enough. So much of our suffering, meaning, and resilience lives beneath language—in the body, breath, fascia, the nervous system, and in our pauses. I began to understand the deep connection between emotional healing and physical experience, and I saw firsthand that when we worked experientially—through presence, sensation, and real-time contact—people transformed more quickly and more fully. That realization shaped everything that followed.

How I Work: I offer an integrated mind-body approach informed by decades of clinical experience and grounded in the principles of experiential, present-centered work. I believe insight is helpful, but healing does not come from endlessly analyzing yourself. I do not use a manual; I follow what’s alive in the room for you. I believe change occurs when we’ve had a new lived experience of ourselves. You can talk about hitting a baseball or driving a car, but until you experience the whack of the ball hitting the bat or your foot jamming on the brake, you don’t actually know.

I strive to bring compassion, curiosity, and presence into the room, and when appropriate, humor. And yes, I can be direct, honest, and unpretentious—I can’t help it; I have New Jersey roots.

Why The Way Home? The name came from a personal moment of understanding, influenced by a book called All Sickness is Homesickness, written by an acupuncturist who spoke about the deep connection she noticed between her patients’ emotional and physical pain. Home is a place you’re always welcome, no matter what you’re carrying. Home is also our embodied intelligence, our GPS that points us in the direction of what’s true for us—if we learn to listen. That’s where I come in.

LCSW, Clinical Social Work/Therapist

Specialized Training
EMDR Certified levels one and two
Certified in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Trauma and Developmental Attachment
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Gestalt Therapy

Movement Modalities:
Five Rhythms dance
Uzazu
Yoga