Frequently Asked Questions

Monday and Thursday: 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Friday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

I do not have weekend hours.

Most clients meet with me weekly. This is especially true in the first few months of therapy or if you are going through a difficult time. We’ll review your progress together before making any schedule changes.

I am not in-network with any private insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare.

If you have private insurance, check if you have out-of-network benefits. If so, once you have paid, I will provide you with an invoice you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.

It’s an approach to therapy that fully supports and validates LGBTQ+ identities and relationships.

It’s a trauma-informed therapy that recognizes the negative impact of homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism on mental and physical health.

It’s therapy where the client can be their authentic self, truly supported and understood.

I provided LGBTQ+-affirming care at Ryan Chelsea Clinton in Hell’s Kitchen for six years.

Absolutely! I think it’s very important to approach therapy with cultural humility. That means honoring the customs, beliefs, and values of those I work with.

I acknowledge differences and accept each person for who they are. It also means ongoing self-reflection on how my beliefs and biases might affect how I deliver therapy and interact with others.

I recognize the power dynamics and imbalances in our society, check my privilege at all times, and am here to be an ally and advocate.

I hold a BA in psychology from Hunter College and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from New York University.

My post-graduate certifications include veterinary social work (University of Tennessee) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (Beck Institute).

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC).

I have ten years of experience providing psychotherapy at outpatient clinics in Astoria and Hell’s Kitchen.

My core training is in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and I am a Beck Institute CBT Certified Clinician (BICBT-CC). I know… we therapists have a thing for acronyms.

I also use other therapies that originate in CBT, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Schema Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Motivational Interviewing.

As we work together, I’ll let you know the therapeutic techniques we’re using and the rationale for choosing them.

According to the Beck Institute, “Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that teaches people to become their own therapists.”

CBT is based on Dr. Aaron T. Beck’s Cognitive Model, which is based on the theory that our perception of a situation is affected more by our reactions to it than the situation itself.

CBT is an evidence-based practice, which means that it has been scientifically tested. More than 2,000 studies have demonstrated that CBT is an effective treatment for many different mental health conditions.

Tell me!

At the end of every session, I will ask you for feedback on how you thought it went, what you did and didn’t like, and if there was anything I said that you found hurtful or didn’t make sense. That will help me make changes and provide you with the best, most effective therapy experience possible.

If you have ADHD or hated school, it can be stressful to hear the “H” word.

But you’ll be learning new techniques and strategies to help you reach your goals, so trying new things out between your sessions is really helpful. We will design those between-session action plans together, and it’s important that we be realistic.

That’s why I’ll ask you, “On a scale from 1 to 10, how likely are you to do this week’s action plan?” If your answer is below 9, we will make the plan easier enough to move that number to 9 or 10.

While CBT focuses a lot on what’s happening in your life now, there are times when we will want to understand how life experiences have shaped your beliefs about yourself, other people, and the world around you.

Sometimes, those beliefs are at the core of what’s keeping you stuck in life, and we can look at how changing those beliefs can help you see things more clearly.

Some people assume I will put their dog on a couch and interpret his dreams, but that’s not what a VSW does. (Doggie dreams are easy to interpret anyway. Sometimes, a chew toy is just a chew toy!)

Veterinary social workers support the human-animal bond. I specialize in two areas: providing therapy for veterinary professionals and providing grief and bereavement counseling after the loss of a beloved animal companion.

“Because you’ve been doing it ten years, but you look over 35.”

I’ve worked in technology (mainly training and technical support) and entertainment news (digital and radio).

Before that, I studied dance with Merce Cunningham, performed with some independent choreographers, and later taught dance.

I supported myself with the usual odd jobs, my favorite being a change girl on the night shift at Penn Station’s Station Break arcade. I have stories.

Yay! I can’t wait to meet you! Please call me at (917) 524-9839 to schedule a free 20-minute consultation.