My journey into psychology started in 1999, when I got my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland, with a minor in Russian Language and Culture. In 2005, I received my doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology from the University at Albany, State University of New York. My dissertation focused on the acculturation experience of Russian Jewish immigrants to the U.S. Acculturation is the experience of trying to fit into a new world as best as you can, while trying to maintain your identity intact.

From 2004 to 2006, I did a one-year internship and one year of post-doctoral training at the Jewish Child Care Association of New York, where I worked with children and adolescents of immigrant families to help them adjust to living in two different worlds: the family culture at home and the mainstream culture at school. Currently, I am in private practice. I am a licensed psychologist in Maryland and New York. I provide services in English and Russian to preteens, adolescents, and adults, who are struggling with fitting in and would like to have better relationships with their parents, their friends, and the rest of the world.

My approach to therapy is cognitive-behavioral. I help my clients identify specific goals and I give them the tools and support to meet these goals. Most of all, however, I value the relationship I build with my clients, because after all that is the most important vehicle for any breakthrough. In addition to providing clinical services in my practice, I also taught advanced courses at Hunter College, St. John’s University, and Manhattan College to graduate students in clinical psychology and mental health counseling. I have presented in US and internationally on cultural competence and therapy for trauma.