About Me

I am currently a practicing School Psychologist in Northern Westchester with 13 years experience. Early on, I realized my passion for helping others and learned how to use my strengths in my pursuit to help. I earned my Graduate Degree in School Psychology from The City University of New York at Queens College and my Doctorate Degree in School Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. 

I specialize in treating anxiety and depression in children, adolescents, and adults. I have advance training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectic Behavioral Therapy. I also have experience working with students with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Executive Dysfunction, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Seizure Disorder, Trauma, Tourette’s Disorder, Tic Disorder, and School Phobias.

I provide support to families to help create a calm and peaceful home environment to improve the connections between parents and children. This support focuses on tools and strategies that can be implemented at home to manage emotions to help improve behavior and relationships. I also provide Parent Management Training when behavior can be more problematic causing strained relationships at home.

I provide independent and comprehensive Psycho-Educational Evaluations that assess the areas of cognition, achievement, behavior, executive functioning, and social-emotional well-being.  

In addition to my education, training, and clinical experience, my greatest asset is my desire to help people lead more meaningful lives.  

What To Expect From Therapy

Therapy is a process that requires commitment and hard work. It takes time and requires a willingness to better understand your emotions and reflect on your automatic thinking. Therapy can cause you to challenge your current thinking, which can illicit strong feelings and emotions that may be uncomfortable. This insight is important because promotes understanding and growth.

My Approach

I implement an eclectic therapy approach that includes principles and strategies from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. This approach focuses on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, as well as coping strategies to help manage feelings and emotions.  When working with families to help improve behaviors at home, I often integrate Behavioral Psychology strategies.  I work with the family and school to understand the current problem to help facilitate positive change.   

During our initial sessions, we will talk about the concern that brought you to see me. I will ask many questions about you and how you are feeling to establish an understanding that will guide the development of the treatment plan for you. Our work together will be goal oriented and focused.  My approach is to provide you with strategies to achieve your goals. You will gain confidence in your ability to implement these strategies independently through practice and guidance during our counseling sessions.  Assignments and activities outside of sessions will be encouraged to help you practice these skills in your life. This practice is important because it will help you make progress toward your goals. Therapy is as effective as the work and effort that you put into it.

I strongly believe that the relationships in our lives have a big impact on how we feel about ourselves and how we navigate in the world.  I focus on helping you develop the skills needed to have positive interactions with those in your life.  

Services

Counseling Services

I implement an eclectic approach that includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy that focus on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, as well as coping strategies to help manage feelings and emotions.  

When working with families to improve behaviors at home, I often recommend Behavioral Psychology principles or Parent Management Training.

I offer both teletherapy and in-person therapy.

• Counseling session (45 minutes)

Evaluation Services

Psycho-Educational Evaluation services are available for students from elementary school age through college age.  Evaluations are intended to identify a person’s strengths and weaknesses to understand them as learners and as individuals and to help facilitate educational planning and supports to help student achieve their potential.     

A Psycho-Educational Evaluation includes assessments in the following areas:

• Social History
• Cognitive Assessment
• Educational Assessment (Reading, Writing, and Math)
• Social-Emotional
• Behavioral
• Executive Functioning

Call me to discuss the depth of evaluation that fits your needs.

Payment & Insurance

Payment

I accept Zelle, Cash, Check, MasterCard and Visa as forms of payment.  

I require that a credit card is kept on file for payment and will be charged the full rate at the time of service.

Insurance

I do not participate in any insurance plans.  This is called an “out-of-network provider”.

This means that you will pay me directly for sessions. Depending on your current health insurance provider or employee benefit plan, your insurance may reimburse you in part or in full.

Prior to starting psychotherapy services, I recommend that you ask these questions to your insurance provider to help determine your benefits:

• Does my health insurance plan include out-of-network mental health benefits?
• Do I have a deductible? If so, what is it and have I met it yet?
• Does my plan limit how many sessions per calendar year I can have? If so, what is the limit?
• Do I need written approval from my primary care physician in order for services to be covered?
• If you will be doing a video or phone session, be sure to ask: does my plan cover out of network telehealth for mental health?

Good Faith Estimate

Under the law, you have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your care will cost.  Health care providers are required to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for services.  If requested, a Good Faith Estimate will be provided in writing at least 1 business day before your scheduled appointment.  

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit http://www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 800-985-3059.

Cancellation Policy

The session time is respectfully reserved for you.  Life presents us with many unknowns and we can’t always account for that.  If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment, please let me know 7 days ahead of time so I can offer that time frame to another person.  

If you have a conflict that comes up on short notice, please provide no less than a 24 hour notice of your cancellation. If you cancel within less than 24 hours, you will be charged the full fee for your appointment.  

If you are having difficulty getting to your appointment, I can also provide teletherapy.  

Resources

Mental Health Websites

The following are Mental Health resources. The following is not meant to be a comprehensive list, nor is it an endorsement of the content of the sites.

Associations & Institutes

• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
• American Counseling Association
• American Psychiatric Association
• American Psychological Association
• American Psychological Society
• Center for Mental Health Services
• Mental Health America
• MentalHealth.gov/
• National Institute of Mental Health
• National Mental Health Association
• National Eating Disorders Association
• National Sleep Foundation
• National Women’s Health Resource Center
• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• World Federation for Mental Health

Suicide Awareness and Hotlines

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
• Suicide: Read This First

Depression

• Bipolar Disorder News – Pendulum.org
• Depression and How Therapy Can Help
• Depression Screening
• Depression Test, Symptoms of Depression, Signs of Depression
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

Anxiety Disorders

• Answers to Your Questions About Panic Disorder 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Beyond OCD
• International OCD Foundation
• Obsessive Compulsive Information Center
• Trichotillomania Learning Center

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• National Center for PTSD
• Give an Hour— for veterans and their families
• National Center for PTSD Real Warriors (U.S. Department of Defense)— for veterans and their families
• The Gift From Within
• Sidran Institute

Addiction and Recovery

• Alcoholics Anonymous
• Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery Resources
• Center for On-Line Addiction
• Web of Addictions

Eating Disorders

• American Dietetic Association
• Something Fishy

Personality Disorders

• Mental Help Net – Personality Disorders
• Personality Disorders

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

• ADDA – Attention Deficit Disorder Association
• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, NIMH

Child Abuse and Domestic Violence

• Childhelp USA®
• Questions and Answers about Memories of Childhood Abuse
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline Website

Developmental Disorders

• Asperger’s Disorder
• NeuroWeb
• Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Diagnosis

• DSM-V: Diagnoses and Criteria

Medication

• DrugWatch.com provides up-to-date information about prescription and over-the-counter medications, including details about associated side effects.
• Drugalert.org is a comprehensive database with information and news alerts about potentially dangerous drugs currently on the market or previously available worldwide

Contact Me