Lianna Purjes

Education

I started my career in a completely different place than where I am now. I studied music education at NYU, then taught special education for eight years. I loved working with kids, but I kept gravitating toward the students having meltdowns rather than the ones ready for a lesson. That told me something. So I went back to school at Hunter College for my MSEd in Special Education and then to Columbia University for my MSW in Clinical Social Work, and I started doing the work I was always meant to do.

Over twenty years later, I've worked with kids, adults, couples, and families in schools, hospitals, hospice, and private practice. I've sat across from people navigating some of the hardest moments of their lives, including the aftermath of growing up in dysfunctional families, the exhaustion of masking neurodivergence, and the slow erosion of relationships that no one seems to know how to fix.

Here's what I've learned: people don't need a therapist who nods along silently for fifty minutes. They need someone who can be real with them. Someone who can translate the fluffy therapy jargon into concrete terms that actually make sense in everyday life. Someone who can help them process the hard stuff while also handing them practical skills they can use between sessions.

That's what I do. I combine deep trauma work with evidence-based skill-building so you're not just talking about your problems. You're actually doing something about them.

I live with ADHD myself, which means I don't just understand neurodivergence from a textbook. I get it from the inside. When you tell me about executive functioning struggles, racing thoughts, or the exhaustion of trying to fit into a neurotypical world, I'm not guessing at what that feels like.

I founded Fuzzy Socks Therapy because I wanted to create a space where people feel seen, understood, and equipped to make real changes. Whether you're an adult processing childhood trauma, a couple trying to remember why you fell in love, or a parent worried about your kid, I'm here to help you figure out what to actually do about it.