Areas of Expertise
Relationships & Couples Counseling
Relationship dynamics and interpersonal communication can be challenging for many individuals and couples. Having received advanced training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT), Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and Prevention and Relationship Education Program (PREP 8.0), I am well-equipped to provide high-quality care for couples. As the associate director and attending psychologist at Montefiore's Supporting Healthy Relationships program, I work with hundreds of couples in the contexts of relationship education workshops, therapy groups, and couples therapy. Additionally, supervising predoctoral psychology externs and interns with their couples in this program allows me to examine and understand couples from unique perspectives.
Fatherhood & Parenting
Fatherhood is a foremost passion of mine. Specifically, I'm interested in cross-cultural fatherhood, fatherhood within the Orthodox Jewish community, fatherhood within low-income families, and father-child relationships. I have conducted and presented fatherhood research in a variety of contexts and provide clinical services for a diverse group of fathers. As the associate director at Montefiore's HERO Dads program (Healthy, Empowered, Resilient & Open), I assist in the planning, development, and implementation of all the program's services and activities. We use an empirically-supported curriculum, 24/7 Dad, to help educate fathers in relationship and parent education. I see fatherhood as an important developmental milestone and journey for men, as well as an important goal and value for young boys, and I use psychodynamic theory to help promote this work. Parenting is probably one of the most difficult responsibilities for adults, and I am motivated to help parents navigate this journey with them. At SHR, I developed a Parenting Workshop series on various topics, and I also co-created a dyadic-based curriculum for moms/dads and babies based on Gottman's Bringing Baby Home, Emotion Coaching: The Heart of Parenting and Webster-Stratton's The Incredible Years.
Trauma & Substance Use
Most of my work involves a trauma-focused approach due the nature and severity of many children and adults who have been impacted by trauma. Oftentimes, trauma can lead to addiction or substance use later in life, leaving one feeling defeated, alone, and helpless. My psychodynamic training integrated with Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) allows me to incorporate mindfulness, compassionate reflection, and other coping skills into one's daily life to help process and work through trauma, in addition to overcome substance use.
My Approach
Integrative and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
A true integrationist, I provide services using a trans-theoretical and systematic approach that is heavily grounded in psychodynamic psychotherapy and theory. I believe that creating a warm, empathic, and safe environment to establish a strong relationship with clients is the most important ingredient for success. As an integrative therapist, I take a collaborative and strength-base approach with my clients, while assuming a non-judgmental, compassionate, and supportive stance on their experiences and narratives. I incorporate past childhood and relational experiences into our work to foster insight and meaning into their phenomenal lives. I also integrate mindfulness, coping skills, and cognitive/behavioral approaches to augment the insight-building and meaning-making of the important therapeutic work.
As a couples therapist, I take a neutral approach to any situation and view the couple as a unit who are on the same team. Validation, emotional expression, communication and relationship skills-building, and creating connection are core features in my couples' work. I help couples navigate difficult situations, negotiations, and past ruptures to help create secure attachments and healthy communication in their relationships.
Trained in both long-term and short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy, I am able to provide a wide range of services for individuals starting from the age of 3 through adulthood. I have received training in play therapy with preschool children and elementary-aged children, in addition to child and adolescent psychotherapy for middle school children and teenagers. I received training and supervision in Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy and Core Conflictual Relationship Theme (CCRT) to work psychodynamically with adults within a time-limited treatment schedule.
