Skin Picking & Hair Pulling Therapy in Bergen County, NJ
Body-focused repetitive behaviors are common and treatable, but genuinely specialized treatment for them is scarce in North Jersey. Many people in Bergen County have already tried general talk therapy for skin picking or hair pulling, been told to use more willpower, and concluded that nothing works. That conclusion is usually a reflection of the treatment they received, not of the condition.
Dr. Josephine Kim treats BFRBs from her office at 155 N Dean St in Englewood, serving clients across Bergen County in person and anywhere in New Jersey by secure telehealth.
Why general therapy often does not touch a BFRB
Skin picking and hair pulling are not primarily anxiety disorders, even though anxiety frequently accompanies them. They are driven by a specific combination of sensory input, motor habit, environmental cues, and emotional regulation, and each person's combination is different. Exploring why you feel stressed will not change a behavior that has become automatic in the bathroom mirror at 11pm.
What does change it is a functional analysis: mapping exactly where, when, and how the behavior happens, then intervening at each point in that chain. That is a technical skill, not a general one, which is why finding a clinician who works specifically with BFRBs matters more here than in most other presenting problems.
What treatment involves
- A detailed assessment of triggers across sensory, cognitive, affective, motor, and environmental domains (the ComB model)
- Habit Reversal Training: awareness building, early-warning-sign detection, and a competing response you can actually use in the moment
- Stimulus control, changing the physical environment so the behavior is harder to perform automatically
- ACT and DBT-informed skills for the urges, shame, and distress that keep the cycle running
- Coordination with a dermatologist when there is skin damage, scarring, or infection risk
Who comes in for this
Adults who have been picking or pulling since adolescence and have never told anyone. Teenagers whose parents noticed thinning hair or persistent scabbing. Perfectionistic high school and college students whose picking escalates during exam periods. Adults who manage it well for months and then relapse under stress. All of these respond to the same structured approach, adjusted for age and severity.
Confidentiality matters more here
Shame is a core feature of BFRBs, and many people delay treatment for years because they do not want the behavior in an insurance record or discussed with a family physician. Restorative Mind Psychology is an out-of-network private practice, which keeps care confidential and unhurried, without the diagnostic coding pressure that insurance panels create.
Getting Here
From Bergen County to the Englewood office
The Englewood office is central to most of Bergen County: a short drive from Tenafly, Englewood Cliffs, Teaneck, Fort Lee, and Leonia, and roughly 20 to 30 minutes from Ridgewood, Paramus, Hackensack, Closter, and the Northern Valley towns via Route 4, Route 17, or the Palisades Parkway. Telehealth is available statewide if the drive is the obstacle.
155 N Dean St, Suite 3B
Englewood, NJ 07631
Telehealth available
Secure video sessions anywhere in New Jersey
Common Questions
Bergen County questions
- Is there a skin picking specialist in Bergen County, NJ?
- Yes. Dr. Josephine Kim provides specialized treatment for skin picking (dermatillomania / excoriation disorder) at 155 N Dean St, Suite 3B in Englewood, NJ, serving Bergen County in person and all of New Jersey by telehealth. Treatment uses Habit Reversal Training and the Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) model rather than general talk therapy.
- Do you treat trichotillomania (hair pulling) in Bergen County?
- Yes, for children, adolescents, and adults. Hair pulling responds to the same evidence-based framework as skin picking: awareness training, a competing response, stimulus control, and skills for the emotional triggers that precede pulling.
- How long does BFRB treatment take?
- Most people see measurable reduction within the first eight to twelve sessions, with the largest gains coming once the competing response becomes automatic. Maintenance work and relapse planning usually extend beyond that, especially for behaviors that intensify under stress.
- Do you see clients from Ridgewood, Paramus, and Ho-Ho-Kus?
- Yes. Clients travel from across Bergen County, including Ridgewood, Paramus, Ho-Ho-Kus, Franklin Lakes, and Upper Saddle River. Because specialized BFRB treatment is uncommon in the area, many clients choose telehealth for weekly sessions and come in person less frequently.
Serving Bergen County from Englewood
Dr. Kim is accepting new clients. A first consultation covers what you are experiencing, what you have already tried, and which approach is likely to fit.