Part 2: Close-Up Talk Radio spotlights Dr. Jay R. Goldman, DMD, MSW

Palm Beach Gardens, FL – On the surface dentistry and psychotherapy share very little in common, but in both cases patients resist addressing their problems until they can’t resist any longer. Thankfully, once they take that step, they can finally receive the help they need.

Dr. Jay R. Goldman is a dentist and a licensed clinical social worker. Before transitioning into a new career as a psychotherapist, Dr. Goldman served as Clinical Director of the Orofacial and TMJ Pain Clinic at NYU’s College of Dentistry, Department of Continuing Education. As a dentist, Dr. Goldman specialized in chronic pain management.

“My success rate was about 75 percent for relieving chronic pain,” recalls Dr. Goldman, “but it jumped to 85 percent when our psychologist came on board. When I retired from the dentistry, I decided I wanted to do what he did. I went back to school and became a clinical social worker.”

Today, Dr. Goldman treats patients for the emotional component of their pain as well as issues related to their quality of life.

“In many cases, we can significantly reduce or eliminate the pain,” says Dr. Goldman, “Much of the time we work on improving their quality of life and improving their family’s quality of life. It makes a big impact.”

According to Dr. Goldman, research shows that the success of therapy is based 70 percent on the relationship that develops between the therapist and the patient. If a therapist can form a quality relationship with their patients, they can help make great changes in a patient’s life.

“The definition of compassion is to have sympathy for someone's problem with a desire to fix it,” says Dr. Goldman. “So the first thing is to meet the patient where they are. Building trust can be challenging but it’s an absolute necessity in psychotherapy."