I have over ten years of experience providing individual and family therapy, as well as parent management training to families throughout the New York City area. My clinical rotations have occurred in the top hospitals in NYC and I have received specialized training and certification in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) from the Linehan Institute. I received supervision from expert psychologist, Dr. Jill Rathus at Long Island University, where I also obtained my doctorate degree. I also received a masters degree in Psychology in Education from Columbia University's Teachers College.
I truly love working with children and adolescents and my passion is to help children learn to successfully manage their emotions, no matter what hand is dealt to them.
Approach to Psychotherapy
I have come to realize that problems like depression, anxiety, anger, and despair cannot be understood without considering the contextual determinants of behavior. It is my belief that the expression and outcome for any problem will depend on the configuration and timing of a host of surrounding circumstances that include events both within and outside a person. Thus, my choice of intervention depends in part, on the person and the context in which the person resides. Relating concepts from diverse theories while being acutely aware of the idiosyncrasies of human suffering, I find myself naturally utilizing an integrative, but evidenced-based approach to assessment, conceptualization and treatment planning.
My formulations are influenced by a developmental systems framework that emphasizes the importance of biology, family, social and cultural factors in shaping one’s developmental trajectory.
Treatment that is supported by scientific research is extremely important to me. How can I expect my patients to waste their time and money on a treatment that has not been proven to be effective? I don’t.
Regardless of my approach and specialization, I recognize that psychotherapy is an intrinsically interpersonal process. The improvement of psychological distress must be understood from the vantage point of interpersonal relations. As a therapist, I am not doing therapy the way a surgeon does surgery; I am the therapy and, often, an instrument of change.