A Work Of Heart Counseling

09/03/2026

I'm honored to share that I've been nominated for NJ Biz's Forty Under 40 Award. 🎉

This nomination reflects a mission I've been building toward for years: growing A Work of Heart Counseling into a practice that truly works for moms — through perinatal mental health care, support for their children, and growing careers for other women doing the same work I set out to do.

None of this growth happened alone. I lead an incredible all-female team of clinicians who bring deep expertise and even deeper heart to this work every single day. Together, we've expanded access to care across New Jersey and beyond, trained providers across hospital systems, and built a practice rooted in both clinical excellence and genuine compassion.

This recognition also speaks to something bigger than our clinical work — the philanthropic efforts that have always been part of who we are as a practice, and part of why this work matters so much to me.

Grateful to NJ Biz for this nomination, and even more grateful to the team that makes this vision real every day.

Special thank you to Juliana Fondacaro | PR Expert | Here to amplify your brand for always believing in me and encouraging this kind of recognition.

https://njbiz.com/njbiz-2026-forty-under-40-rising-stars/

09/01/2026

Did you see the September Newsletter?!
Check it out here and make sure you're signed up for "Wellness News" at the link in our bio!

08/26/2026

Some healing doesn’t happen on a couch. 🐴

We’re so excited to share Stable Ground, a "Village Series" offering in partnership between A Work of Heart Counseling & and Pony Power Therapies

There’s something a horse can offer that words sometimes can’t. They don’t need your story. They notice your nervous system — the tight shoulders, the held breath, the bracing you’ve stopped noticing yourself. And when you settle, they settle with you.

This group is for moms looking for a different kind of support: less talking, nobody needing you - more grounding, more slowing down. No riding or horse experience needed.

📍 Pony Power Therapies, Mahwah
🗓️ Tuesday Sept 29th 6:15-7:45PM
💵 $25 investment or scholarship (no questions asked)

Link in bio 🔗And below https://form.jotform.com/262367416965064

08/24/2026

🐴✨

We couldn't be happier to share that Kara Kushnir, LCSW, PMH-C, has joined Pony Power's Board of Directors.

Kara's relationship with the farm goes all the way back to 2013 when she was a first year Master of Social Work student at Rutgers University School of Social Work. Luckily for us, Pony Power was Kara's student placement and introduction to social work practice. Fast forward to today and now she provides access to mental health services across Bergen County as Founder and Clinical Director of A Work Of Heart Counseling.

Kara shared that Pony Power has enriched the ways she thinks about and provides clinical practice. She has enriched our work too, helping us welcome even more people who can benefit from the farm. It's further proof that everyone wins when offered time in nature and in the company of horses 🫶

We are truly delighted to continue this partnership with you, Kara!

08/14/2026

We love Pony Power Therapies

Huge thanks to A Work Of Heart Counseling for sponsoring Chappy Roan for our Farm to Stable Affair gala this October 🤗 There are still plenty of horses available for sponsorships - or choose any farm animal close to your heart.

We're so grateful to all of our event sponsors: Furniture Hartmann Doherty Rosa Berman & Bulbulia LLP M&T Bank CrossCountry Mortgage The Forman Team The McKinley Place Family Foundation, the Urciuoli Family, Railroad Construction Company Oasis - A Haven for Women and Children the Workman Family, Complete Biomedical Services, the Lazare Family and Hackensack Meridian Health

08/12/2026

Saying you “work with moms” because you are one, isn’t the same as specializing in perinatal mental health.

I say this with a lot of care, because I know the impulse comes from a good place. You had your own pregnancy. Your own postpartum. Maybe your own loss. You know what it felt like when no one asked the right questions, and you want to be the provider you needed.

That instinct matters. It’s not a credential.

Lived experience gives you empathy. It doesn’t teach you to tell perinatal OCD from psychosis. It doesn’t teach you what intrusive thoughts actually are, or why “have you thought about hurting the baby?” asked the wrong way ends the conversation instead of opening it. It doesn’t cover psychopharmacology in lactation, or birth trauma, or when a screening score means watch and when it means act tonight.

Those are learnable. That’s the point.

The training exists. It’s 20 hours for PMH-C through PSI. There are scholarships. There are self-paced options. There are consultation groups full of people who will hold your hardest cases with you.

So this isn’t a callout — it’s an invitation. If you’ve been listing “pregnancy and postpartum” on your profile because it feels true to who you are, let’s make it true on paper too. Our clients deserve both

08/11/2026

Calling all HS volunteers! Interested in supporting our social skills program and supporting our graduate students with group preparation? Fill out the interest form at link in bio or here: https://forms.gle/pQZ62AABdVNLR4N57
Parents, share with your interested high school students!

08/06/2026

We are currently seeking applicants for child therapists with experience working with children ages 4-12! Please email [email protected] with resume/CV if interested!
Strong preference given to fully licensed clinicians but willing to supervise LACs & LSWs!

07/31/2026

THIS MONDAY - we have spots left! Join us for a 1 hour clinical CEU for social workers

07/27/2026

💛 FREE perinatal mental health support is HERE, Northern NJ! 💛

Pregnancy and new parenthood (up to 2 years postpartum!) can be beautiful — and really, really hard. You don’t have to navigate it alone, and cost should never be the barrier.

Through The Hearts in Mind Project, expecting & postpartum parents with financial need in Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Hudson, Union, Morris, Sussex & Warren counties can access:

✨ FREE virtual, expert-led workshops on birth, postpartum mental health & recovery
✨ Up to 6 FREE therapy sessions with perinatal-trained providers (Allendale, Oradell, or virtual across NJ)
✨ FREE peer support groups
✨ Plus diapers, wipes & grocery gift cards for participants (while supplies last!)

📲 Comment “HEARTS” and we’ll send you the link, or email [email protected] to get started.

Tag a new or expecting parent who deserves this support. 💌

The Hearts in Mind Project is funded by a GLOW Grant through the NJMIHIA and implemented by A Work of Heart Counseling & Wellness, LLC.