As a child and adolescent psychologist at the Child Study Center, part of Hassenfeld Children's Hospital at NYU Langone, I am dedicated to improving the mental health and wellbeing of my patients. My approach is collaborative, viewing patients as partners in developing individualized care plans that address their specific needs. I believe in the power of humor to help children, teens, and families feel at ease during challenging times.
I specialize in treating anxiety and mood disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder. As the leader of the Child Study Center’s obsessive-compulsive disorder intensive treatment program, I provide short-term intensive outpatient treatment for children, teens, and young adults experiencing severe obsessive-compulsive symptoms. I also have specialized training from the Behavioral Tech Institute in comprehensive adolescent dialectical behavior therapy (DBT-A) to support teens engaging in high-risk behaviors. Additionally, I treat patients with trauma- and stress-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and adjustment disorder, and offer parent-management therapy and behavioral sleep interventions.
Throughout my career, I have focused on mental health treatments grounded in scientific principles while remaining flexible to meet the unique needs of each patient. I am also a trainer for the New York State Office of Mental Health’s Evidence-Based Treatment Dissemination Center, which provides training for mental health providers across the state in various treatments.
My educational journey began with a passion for understanding and improving mental health. I attended Yale University for my undergraduate education, which is where my passion for learning about and mitigating the impacts of mental health disorders first blossomed. I then completed a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institutes of Health during which I assisted in research on the genetic correlates and neurodevelopmental factors associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I went on to receive my doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree from the University of Pennsylvania where I conducted research on the impact of adverse childhood experiences on children’s mental health for at-risk children and families, with a specific focus on studying the impacts of housing insecurity and homelessness.
I have been honored with several awards, including the Diane J. Willis Award for Outstanding Article in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. During completion of my PhD, I received specialized training in a variety of clinical interventions at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. I then completed my clinical internship year at NYU Langone/Bellevue Hospital Center and have remained at NYU Langone since that time, including completing a specialized postdoctoral fellowship in treating anxiety and mood disorders and integrated behavioral health care for children with primary medical diagnoses.
