The Counseling Center Group
Presents:
Counseling Center of
New York
Accepting Therapy Clients in-person or virtually
Counseling Center Group in Manhattan
Counseling Center Group in Harrison
Who We Are
Welcome to the Counseling Center Group®, your home for growth and healing right in the heart of New York City with locations in Manhattan and Harrison, Westchester County. Here, we focus on evidence-based, short-term therapy to help you heal quickly and effectively.
Our team of expert therapists in New York City is here to walk with you on your journey to self-discovery. We believe in the power of therapy to not just heal, but to empower, strengthen, and unlock the joy and fulfillment that comes with understanding oneself better.
We are more than therapists; we are your partners in building a happier, healthier future. We are committed to celebrating your strengths, guiding you through life’s challenges, and helping you emerge with renewed energy and optimism. Join us, and take the first step towards a life full of potential and happiness, a life where every day is a new opportunity to grow and flourish.
Our Promise of Excellence
The Counseling Center Group® is dedicated to helping you live a life you love. We are committed to understanding, supporting, and uplifting every individual who walks through our doors.
We hold ourselves to the highest standard of care, recognizing that each person is embarking on a unique journey towards well-being and self-discovery and we are here to pave a path of growth that is both enriching and attuned to your needs.Our dedication goes beyond therapy sessions, it’s a pledge to stand by you, offering expert guidance molded by years of experience and a deep-seated understanding of the nuanced tapestries of the human psyche.
Your journey with us is not just about overcoming challenges but also about rediscovering joy and crafting a future brimming with hope, potential, and newfound strength. Embark on this transformative journey with a team that shares a relentless pursuit of excellence, with a deeply empathetic approach to bring out the very best in you.
Our Therapeutic Approaches
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Through DBT, you’ll learn to manage your emotions more effectively, fostering relationships that are more rewarding and a life that is more fulfilling.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C): Tailored specifically for children, this approach uses the DBT framework to help pre-adolescents learn to manage their emotions effectively and build strong relationships from an early age.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This transformative approach helps you identify and change negative thought patterns, empowering you to take more positive and proactive steps in your life.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): This innovative therapy facilitates the healing of trauma and distressing life experiences, enabling you to move forward with strength and serenity.
- (PEERS Therapy) Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills: Designed to support social skills development, PEERS therapy is especially beneficial in nurturing interpersonal relationships and building a fulfilling social life.
- Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART): Focused on relieving psychological distress, helping you find relief and resolve troubling memories in a short span of time.
Reach out to our warm and empathetic team of therapists in New York City to start your path to healing, growth, and enriched relationships today.
New York Individual Therapy
we offer short-term therapy with long-lasting results, tailored to your unique needs, and provided by a team of expert therapists dedicated to your well-being.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy:
(DBT) in New York City
DBT Therapy, a treatment backed by decades of scientific research, helps clients regulate intense emotions—teaching them how to manage and curb negative feelings, increase positive experiences, and live in the moment.
New York Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a form of therapy that deals with present-day challenges rather than delving into past history or childhood experiences.
EMDR Therapy in NYC
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a research-backed trauma therapy specifically designed to help you recover from these challenges.
Couples Therapy in New York City
Group Therapy in New York City
Group therapy provides a supportive environment for individuals who are struggling with similar issues or challenges to share their experiences and support one another.
Relationship Therapy In New York City
We are human and built to connect to others. Yet so many of us feel unconnected and lonely, struggle with lack of intimate relationships or feel unfulfilled with the relationships we have.
Meet Our Team of Expert Therapists in NYC
At the Counseling Center Group®, each therapist is an expert in their therapeutic approach, constantly evolving and honing their skills through continual training in the most cutting-edge advances in the mental health field. We are not just meeting standards, we’re setting new ones, steadfast in our commitment to therapeutic excellence.
Our dedicated team of therapists in New York City brings not only a wealth of knowledge and a gold standard in training but also a heartfelt passion for nurturing growth, understanding, and healing in every individual they work with.
Their unyielding dedication means seeking out and providing the most innovative and pioneering treatments, always grounded in sound research and verified efficacy.
We understand that therapy is a personal journey which is why we aim to offer the most effective strategies and solutions tailored specifically to your unique journey so that you can start seeing progress as soon as possible. Choosing our team means choosing growth, understanding, and a steadfast partner in your journey toward healing and happiness. Let’s work together to build the life you envision, with a team that truly cares and is equipped to help you every step of the way.
DBT & CBT Therapists NYC
ALEXIS SANTIAGO-AUTAR
CLINICAL DIRECTOR NEW YORK / NEW JERSEY
To book an appointment with
ALEXIS SANTIAGO-AUTAR
Alexis is the Clinical Director for the Counseling Center Group of New York. She has 15 years of experience providing clinical services to children and families. Alexis’ approach to treatment is creating a non-judgmental and validating environment that promotes cognitive and behavioral change.
Alexis has been intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) through Behavioral Tech. Additionally, she has been trained in the DBT modification for children (DBT-C), also through Behavioral Tech.
While well versed in DBT practice, Alexis is also trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), and Prolonged Exposure. She has extensive experience working with children and adults who have experienced trauma. Having worked in the child welfare field for over 10 years, Alexis has worked with various types of traumas. This includes sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and child sex trafficking and exploitation. She has also integrated DBT practice into 5 child welfare programs. Prior to her work in the child welfare field, Alexis provided addiction counseling to adolescents and adults.
Alexis graduated from Union College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience and received her Master’s degree in Social Work from Fordham University. Alexis also is an adjunct professor at both Fordham University and SUNY Stony Brook teaching clinical classes to Master’s level students. These classes include CBT, Trauma, Suicide Assessment and Prevention, and Child and Adolescent Development. In addition to her teaching role at both schools, she is a trainer at Fordham and Stony Brook. Alexis trains other licensed professionals on various diagnoses and treatment modalities. She also consults for a not-for-profit agency that provides treatment for children and adolescents who have experienced sex trafficking and exploitation.
Alexis resides in the suburbs of NYC raising her two children and spending quality time with her family.
To book an appointment with Alexis Santiago-Autar, email info@ccgrouptherapy.com, or call us at 888-604-6776.
LAUREN MACKIE
SHE/HER/HERS
To book an appointment with
LAUREN MACKIE
Lauren is passionate about working with adolescents and adults who are navigating stressful life changes, mood disorders, anxiety/panic disorders, depression, suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts, schizophrenia, personality disorders, and crisis intervention.
Lauren enjoys working with clients individually and in groups, and she has experience working in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Through DBT, Lauren teaches skills to help her clients adapt to and stabilize dysregulated emotions. She uses a strengths-based approach, meeting the client where they are, while also allowing them the space and self-determination to create the changes they envision. She believes in a client-centered approach, acknowledging that her clients are the expert in their own lives. With this fundamental belief, she carefully and collaboratively searches for the understanding of complex internal issues, while offering the skills to overcome them.
Lauren also incorporates psychodynamic theories and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and feels her success with clients is strengthened by utilizing different skill sets and theoretical frameworks, as applicable. She believes that with a non-judgmental environment, deep empathetic listening, and honest exploration, her clients can experience profound change and make progress towards fulfilling, meaningful lives.
Lauren received her Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania after completing her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Emory University. She completed Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training at the University of Pennsylvania and through Behavioral Tech.
To book an appointment with Lauren Mackie, email info@ccgrouptherapy.com, or call us at 888-604-6776.
SAM VAUGHN
To book an appointment with
SAM VAUGHN
Crisis Intervention, Individual Therapy
Sam is a licensed social worker who has worked in various clinical, management, and supervisory positions in clinical and community settings.
He previously ran the day-to-day operations of the Erie County Domestic Violence Rape Crisis Center and Non-Residential Domestic Violence provider for New York State, which serviced the statewide hotlines for Domestic and Sexual Violence.
While in this role, he coordinated crisis intervention at eight area hospital emergency rooms and provided support services 24 hours a day, 365 days a week. In addition, he started one of five PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) Hotline services in the country and helped develop a new way for incarcerated individuals to report sexual assault while incarcerated.
Following his departure from this position, he joined an agency doing forensic mental health evaluations and treatment for individuals and groups involved in the criminal justice process. He is trained in the globally-used, evidenced-based assessment actuaries: STATIC-99R, STABLE-2007, and ACUTE-2007.
In addition to working with patients individually, he also supervised forensic and chemical dependency clinics, which have more than 750 patients admitted yearly. He is in the process of completing an 18-month intensive course and practicum with the Linehan Institute to receive his certification in DBT.
To book an appointment with Sam Vaughn, email info@ccgrouptherapy.com, or call us at 888-604-6776.
SHELBY WILLOUGHBY
SHE/HER/HERS
To book an appointment with
SHELBY WILLOUGHBY
Couples Therapy, Family Therapy, Individual Therapy
Shelby is a Licensed Master of Social worker in both Maryland and New York. She provides her services predominately through individual therapy but believes in bringing in chosen family systems to promote healing in the form of couples and family therapy. She primarily uses strength based/solution focused interventions, attachment and relational theories, and experiential therapy.
Shelby’s passion and strengths are working with the LGBTQIA+ community, eating disorders, self-discovery, anxiety, depression, grief, and relational and social difficulties. She enjoys working with individuals who identify in struggling with life adjustments and social connectedness.
Shelby’s experience is working with LQBTQIA+, eating disorders, trauma, anxiety, and grief. She firmly believes that understanding the body’s response to life experiences and being informed on how your body functions in times of stress is the basis of reforming and creating an authentic self. Shelby has over 5 years of experience working with adults and teens who have struggled with binge eating, purging, anorexia, orthorexia, excessive exercise, OSFED, ARFID and body image in settings like partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient. Shelby also completes evaluations to determine if you or your loved one is in need of more intensive/supportive eating disorder services. Her passion is to ensure that patients are supported, connected, and in the right level of treatment for recovery.
Shelby also offers bariatric evaluations that are required for the surgical process. She offers this service to help determine readiness, address any concerns for underlying eating disorder behavior, pre/post therapeutic support, and explore options outside of surgery. She also works with your current team to help support this journey.
As a social worker and trauma-educated therapist, Shelby believes it is imperative to utilize different modalities to create a safe, supportive, and trauma-aware space to begin healing. Shelby collaborates with teens, adults, and families to help build supportive communication, establish reconnection, problem solve, and make positive decisions. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy to continue to assist patients’ needs.
She received her Bachelor of Science in psychology, human services, and political science from Elmira College and her MSW from Keuka College. During her years of work, she has gained significant experience in outpatient, partial hospitalization, and substance abuse clinic settings.
MARYAM HASAN
To book an appointment with
MARYAM HASAN
Maryam’s goal is to help clients learn and utilize essential skills and tools needed to
successfully accomplish their goals and live a happy and fulfilling life.
Maryam curates treatment to the most effective evidence-based practice for each client’s
individual needs, and commends clients on their hard work throughout the therapeutic
process.
Maryam has experience working with adults and adolescents in different settings such
as schools and outpatient care. She is deeply passionate about working with clients
living with borderline personality disorder, depression, intimate partner violence,
stress, emotion regulation difficulties, relational issues, and any life transitions.
Maryam believes in using a strengths-based approach that highlights the clients’
identities and experiences when incorporating new skills into treatment. She
prioritizes the clients’ needs and values, and cares deeply about empowering her
clients’ to achieve their goals. Maryam implements various treatment modalities such
as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), as
well as Couples Counseling theories while working with clients.
Maryam earned her Master of Social Work from Columbia University and her
Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Fordham University. Maryam also completed
the DBT Intensive Training Program and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
training through Behavioral tech at Columbia University. Maryam believes in
fostering an empathetic and non-judgmental space where clients can effectively build
the skills needed to live a fulfilling life.
JESSICA HADDAD
SHE/HER/HERS
To book an appointment with
JESSICA HADDAD
Jessica is deeply passionate about working with children, adolescents, and adults who are experiencing anxiety, depression, suicidality, grief, trauma, substance use, mood disorders, personality disorders, relational issues, emotional regulation impairment, and life transitions. In addition, Jessica is experienced working with those who identify as part of the LBGTQIA+ community in all stages of life.
She has a strength-based approach, meaning she identifies her clients strengths and collaboratively assists in applying those strengths in various aspects of their lives. She also values a client-centered approach, which puts her clients first and prioritizes their needs and values. Jessica incorporates Mindfulness and Trauma-Informed practice into her sessions. Additionally, she embraces a holistic person-in-environment perspective in order to assess all aspects of her clients lives that interconnect. Jessica implements Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic Theory (Attachment theory, Structural Theory), and Structural Family Therapy into her sessions.
Jessica is attentive, caring, and skillful. She values creating a nonjudgmental environment where her clients can be validated and have the space to both feel and speak freely. Jessica strives to empower her clients to achieve their most fulfilling goals. She believes that the client-therapist relationship is one of the most critical factors in therapy, and that it has a direct effect on the efficiency of the therapeutic work and its lasting outcomes. She acknowledges how difficult it can be to find the right therapist and commends you for your bravery in this process.
Jessica earned her Master of Social Work from The University of Pennsylvania. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Studio Arts from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Jessica completed Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training through Behavioral Tech and at The University of Pennsylvania. She has experience working in various settings at multiple levels of care, including inpatient hospitals, outpatient care, partial hospitalization programs, substance use warmlines, and elementary schools.
To book an appointment with Jessica Haddad, email info@ccgrouptherapy.com, or call us at 888-604-6776.
LUCY NONAS-BARNES
SHE/HER/HERS
To book an appointment with
LUCY NONAS-BARNES
Lucy knows that therapy is not one size fits all and is committed to creating a safe environment for her clients to process, accept, and grow. Lucy works with adolescents, adults, and families experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma, mood disorders, personality disorders and is intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and DBT for Children (DBT-C) through Behavioral Tech.
For the past 6 years, Lucy has worked with clients who are involved in the child welfare system, incarcerated, and in a trauma intensive outpatient program (IOP).
Lucy is passionate, patient, and persistent. She encourages her clients to work toward change while learning to accept and love themselves through validation and encouragement. Lucy enters sessions with a non-judgmental mindset, encouraging clients to challenge judgments and reframe their thoughts when needed. Importantly, Lucy understands that every person has a different experience and values that the client is the expert in his/her/their own life.
Lucy earned her BA from the University of Michigan and her MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work where she graduated from the DBT Training Lab. Lucy is currently working toward her PhD in Social Work at Rutgers University.
To book an appointment with Lucy Nonas-Barnes, email info@ccgrouptherapy.com, or call us at: 888-604-6776.
RACHEL KOEHN
SHE/HER/HERS
To book an appointment with
RACHEL KOEHN
Rachel’s expertise lies in helping clients who are struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma related stressors, personality disorders, life transitions, lack of motivation, navigating relationships, body image, and self-esteem. Rachel believes that therapy is a collaborative process built on trust, empathy, and acceptance. She aims to tailor a practice that is specific to a client’s needs while focusing on their existing strengths.
Her therapeutic style can be described as psychodynamic. She incorporates elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and is mindfulness trained and oriented. She is also certified in eye-movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) trauma therapy as well. She received her training through the Center for Excellence in 2021.
Rachel has extensive training and dedication to helping clients of all backgrounds who are struggling with disordered eating and body image issues through mindfulness, self-compassion, and loving kindness. She leads a Body Image Group at the Counseling Center Group. The is an open-ended process group focusing on issues related to the relationship between body image and self-esteem. The clients in this group will:
- practice mindful self-compassion
- complete creative activities and prompts
- set goals related to improving one’s body image and sense of self
- support one another in the accomplishment of these goals
This group is designed specifically for clients with concerns regarding their body image, disordered eating, body dysmorphia, etc.
Rachel received her Master of Social Work from Fordham University in New York after completing her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Human Development Family studies at Penn State- Main Campus.
To book an appointment with Rachel Koehn, email info@ccgrouptherapy.com, or call us at: 888-604-6776.
KRISTINA WARD
To book an appointment with
KRISTINA WARD
Therapy for Individuals, Parents, and Couples
Kristina Ward earned her MSW in Advanced Clinical Practice from Columbia University where she was one of 13 students invited to train intensively at the school’s Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Lab and at the Linehan Institute which certifies Comprehensive DBT therapists.
She works with parents and extended families of emotionally dysregulated adolescents and supports clients from diverse cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds as well as gender-expansive youth and the LGBTQ+ community. Kristina works with clients experiencing life transitions, anxiety, depression, autism, ADHD, self-harm, addiction, suicidality, borderline personality disorder, grief, and relationship struggles with an emphasis on couples counseling, compassionate divorce and co-parenting.
Working in group and individual settings, Kristina is committed to helping clients become more skillful in realizing their full potential and claiming a vibrant life worth living. In addition to DBT, she is an experienced therapist in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, trauma therapy and positive psychology.
Kristina studied Philosophy and Humanities at UCLA as an undergraduate, and is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Association of Social Workers, (NASW), and the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (ABCT). Kristina volunteers at the Crisis Text Line and at the National Suicide Hotline (988) where she has engaged with hundreds of teens in crisis, holding space with them as they recognize their own agency, even in extremely invalidating settings. For the past 12 years she has counseled adolescents and their families through the Relief Society, the nation’s oldest and largest women’s organization, and is on the Board of Directors of Parents in Action, a 43-year-old nonprofit engaging the parents of school-aged NYC children in meaningful group facilitations and conversations, with particular focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Kristina lives with her teenage sons in a NYC suburb, serves on the DEI committees of their two high schools, and is committed to anti-racism and combating the oppression of marginalized communities.
TANZINA RAHMAN
To book an appointment with
TANZINA RAHMAN
Therapy for Individuals, Parents, Families, and Couples
In her therapy room, Tanzina encourages you to get comfortable with discomfort by building resilience together. She understands that therapy can be both draining and uplifting. It requires you to open up in ways that can be painful but it’s a process you don’t have to do alone.
Tanzina will challenge you to restructure core beliefs and unlock hidden strengths. Together, you will navigate transitional moments in life, such as relationship conflicts, career issues, and complex family dynamics.
Her goal as a therapist is to work with individuals from all backgrounds experiencing
trauma from systems of power. Her therapeutic style is supportive, honest and
collaborative. Tanzina has experience with anger management, sexuality, anxiety, PTSD, adjustment disorders, depression and generational trauma. She uses an integrative approach pulling from psychodynamic, CBT, and DBT frameworks.
Tanzina also understands how impacts of immigration and acculturation can create a unique experience that requires novel treatment methods. She offers culturally sensitive therapy and has experience working with, though not limited to, South Asians affected by nontraditional unions like arranged marriages. She is happy to schedule a consultation!
SCOTT OSTROWSKI
To book an appointment with
SCOTT OSTROWSKI
Individual Therapy, Couples Therapy, Family Therapy
Scott is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in New York State with 11 years of post-graduate
experience. He is well-regarded for his creative and compassionate approach to working with
individuals, couples and families. For Scott, so much of what we understand as adversity and
healing happens within a relational context. Early in his education, he became immersed in the
world of family systems and understood the unique power that exists within healing
relationships. Thus, it should come as no surprise that some of Scott’s favorite work resides in
working with couples and families. Scott uses an integrative approach to relational healing
drawing upon the wisdom of John and Julie Gottman, Esther Perel and Terry Real among
others.
Early in his career, Scott developed an understanding of the roles of trauma and adversity in
understanding human experience. The fact that both harm and healing often occur within a
relational context was not lost on him. As a result, he is able to incorporate a trauma-informed
lens with the understanding that what happens to us can impact our neurobiology and
subsequently, our mental health and wellbeing, as well as our ability to form and sustain healthy
relationships. To that end, Scott is able to provide trauma resolution for individuals using
modalities such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Internal
Family Systems (IFS), as well as more conventional person-centered, solution-focused and
CBT-based interventions.
In his prior role, Scott served as a therapist in a private non-profit organization for many years
and acted as supervisor and mentor to dozens of therapists and interns. He has presented on
the topic of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) and Resilience to countless organizations
and groups. He currently continues a part time role with that organization overseeing the
development of programming, training and operations, as well as continuing duties as
supervisor, mentor and training facilitator.
Scott received his Master of Social Work degree from Syracuse University following completion
of his undergraduate program at Keuka College, majoring in Social Work. He has maintained
licensure in New York State as an LMSW since 2012 and as an LCSW since 2017.
Carolyn (CC) Chadwick
Intern
CC is a caring and motivated social work graduate student who is passionate about providing holistic and person-centered mental health care for children, adolescents, and adults. She values creating a collaborative and empowering space for her clients as partners-in-therapy, and building on strengths to achieve meaningful individual goals. CC fully embraces the philosophy and practice of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), inspiring her to join the DBT intensive training program during her second year at Columbia University.
Prior to CC’s social work journey, she attended Connecticut College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and anthropology. She gained tremendous research knowledge and clinical experience there, and graduated with a profound urgency to work one-on-one with people (instead of mice!). As such, CC began working as a research assistant at the Child Mind Institute, collaborating with children and their families seeking mental health and learning evaluations. There, she received training in psychoeducational assessment, clinical and motivational interviewing, and treatment evaluation with youth of all ages and their families, and completed her first year’s field placement there as a clinical social work intern.
In her free time, CC likes to listen to music, go hiking (near her hometown in New Jersey, the garden state!), explore NYC’s dim sum restaurants, and engage in mindfulness practice, which as she has learned, can make life a whole lot brighter.
Leo Massey
Intern
