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I became a psychologist out of a deep interest in how our earliest relationships shape the way we experience the world. Growing up in Israel and later moving to New York, I studied both psychology and philosophy, graduating from Tel Aviv University with highest distinction before earning my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the New School for Social Research. My early training was rooted in both clinical practice and research, allowing me to develop expertise in attachment-based interventions for adolescents, adults, and couples, as well as in attachment research across the lifespan.
Alongside my graduate studies, I worked in hospital and counseling settings across New York City, including Mount Sinai/Beth Israel Medical Center, NYU’s Counseling and Wellness Center, and Bronx-Lebanon Hospital. These experiences gave me the chance to work with individuals and families from diverse backgrounds and to witness firsthand how sensitive and supportive relationships can make a difference during times of stress. During this period, I also trained at the Center for Attachment Research in New York City, which deepened my scientific understanding of attachment and continues to inform my work today. After completing postdoctoral fellowships at Stony Brook University, NYU Abu-Dhabi, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, I began my faculty role at Long Island University. My academic work focuses on how early caregiving experiences impact mental health across the lifespan, and my therapy practice offers a space to put this knowledge into action—helping people feel understood, acknowledged, and better able to meet life’s challenges. Across all of these settings, my guiding principle has remained the same: people thrive when they feel acknowledged, understood, and supported. That belief informs not only the questions I pursue as a researcher but also the way I teach, mentor, and sit with patients in the therapy room. |