New therapist opens practice in Lewes

Amid the coronavirus shutdown of nonessential businesses, licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist Ellen Rabinowitz offers a variety of treatments to help patients with mental health.

Rabinowitz opened her new practice at 1409 Savannah Road in Lewes in the Coastal Direct Primary Care building in early March. She previously worked as an ombudsman in Maryland, and she also established a phone caregiver support group while working with the Veterans Administration. She has been in practice for more than five years and specializes in helping older patients suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma and cognitive impairment.

“Older adults’ needs are very different compared to younger people,” Rabinowitz said. “They’re dealing with life transitions like retirement, death of a spouse or partner, or no longer having a stream of income. Also, things that happened to them years ago, when something happens now, it can all come back. When older people were growing up, there was an overall idea of not airing their laundry. Now people are more amenable to mental health care.”

Rabinowitz uses various models of treatment, some drawn from her yoga-teaching background, as well as Brainspotting, a therapy based on the idea that where you look affects how you feel. She said she maintains a sense of openness and eclecticism in her approach to therapy.

“Different situations call for different techniques,” she said. “I’m not going to do the same thing for one client that I would another.”

Rabinowitz also said clinical social work gives her a wider view of patients.

“The advantage of being a social worker is that we see the person in the environment. We see everything about their life, not just someone telling you that they are depressed. We’re more than our depression,” she said.

During the coronavirus shutdown, Rabinowitz is continuing to work with patients through web-based telehealth, allowing for secure video communication. 

Rabinowitz treats patients of all ages and accepts a wide array of insurance plans. She provides a free consultation over the phone to see if she would be a good fit for potential patients. 

For more information, email ellenrabinowitz.lcsw@gmail.com or call 302-200-4880.