Psychiatry near Lyndhurst, NJ

Biography: Dr. Avital Falk completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she received research and clinical training in evidence-based interventions for children, adolescents and adults. She has received numerous awards for her research, including the Norma and Seymour Feshbach Doctoral Dissertation Award and, as the recipient of the UCLA Clinical Psychology Training Program's Scientist Practitioner Award, Dr. Falk has contributed multiple publications and presentations on clinical research.Dr. Falk completed her clinical internship training at the NYU Child Study Center and Bellevue Hospital Center and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Weill Cornell Medical College through the Youth Anxiety Center to work with emerging adults in addition to children and adolescents. She founded the Intensive Treatment Program (ITP) for OCD and Anxiety and is currently the Director of the Weill Cornell Pediatric OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program (POCAT), the Director of Child and Adolescent Psychology and the Division Director of the Division of Digital and Treatment Innovations.

Biography: Dr. Sickles graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology. She went on to receive her M.D. from Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. She completed her residency training in adult psychiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, and completed her fellowship in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's combined program of Columbia and Cornell Universities, where she served as one of the chief residents. She is available for diagnostic consultations, medication management, and psychotherapy with children, teenagers, adults, and their families.

Biography: Dr. Erica Keen graduated from Yale University with a B.S. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. She then attended the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD program, from which she received her M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Rockefeller University. She completed her psychiatry residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital. Following graduation, she worked as an Attending Physician at the OCD Institute at McLean Hospital. She has engaged in basic and translational research at Rockefeller University, Stanford University, MIT, and MGH and has contributed multiple articles and book chapters to the medical and scientific literature.

Biography: Dr. Phillips graduated with honors from Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School. She did her psychiatry residency at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. She is currently Professor of Psychiatry, DeWitt Wallace Senior Scholar, and Residency Research Director at Weill Cornell Medical College.Dr. Phillips is a physician, scientist, educator, and author who has spent her career caring for patients, mentoring/teaching, and conducting groundbreaking scientific research on body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Her research studies on BDD have identified and elucidated many aspects of this common and severe disorder, and she has developed and tested treatments, both medication and therapy, for BDD. Her scientific studies on BDD were continuously funded by the National Institute of Mental Health for more than 20 years.Dr. Phillips has received many honors and awards for her research, clinical work, and other academic contributions. Her awards include a Special Presidential Commendation from the American Psychiatric Association and the Outstanding Career Achievement Award from the International OCD Foundation for her research studies on BDD.Dr. Phillips has more than 350 scientific publications (original scientific articles, reviews, letters, and book chapters). She has written or edited 11 books on BDD and other topics, including the first book on BDD. Dr. Phillips has given more than 600 international, national, and local presentations for professionals, including more than 130 Grand Rounds.Dr. Phillips has served on many national boards and committees. She is an elected Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. She is a member of numerous editorial boards, the American College of Psychiatrists, and the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America and the International OCD Foundation. From 2002-2006 she chaired the National Institute of Mental Health's Interventions Research Review Committee (Scientific Review Group).To disseminate information about BDD and other topics, Dr. Phillips has done more than 500 media interviews.She has beeninterviewed bythe New York Times, London Times, Wall Street Journal,Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Time Magazine, Newsweek, CNN, the BBC, National Public Radio, and many other media outlets. She has appeared onthe Oprah Winfrey Show, 20/20, Dateline NBC, the Today Show, and Good Morning America.Dr. Phillips has been included in Marquis Who's Who in Science and Engineering, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, and Who's Who of American Women. She has repeatedly been included in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Best Doctors in America, Castle Connolly's Exceptional Women in Medicine, and Castle Connolly's America's TopDoctors.

Biography: Dr. Buneviciute is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She is currently a member of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychiatric Association.She completed both her Psychiatry Residency and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at the Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine. As a resident, she earned high praise for her clinical skills and showed a strong aptitude for leadership; as a fellow, she was appointed Chief Fellow.She earned her medical degree at St. George's University School of Medicine and her undergraduate degree at North Carolina State University, where she was valedictorian and graduated summa cum laude.During this time she began studying mother-infant attachment formation which culminated in the publication of multiple studies on aggression in intellectually disabled individuals, as well as emotional regulation in adolescence.Dr. Buneviciute practices in English and Lithuanian, and welcomes new patients for diagnostic consultations, medication management, and psychotherapy with children, teenagers, adults and their families.Please call 646-962-2820 to schedule an appointment.

Biography: Dr. Spellun completed her undergraduate degree in Comparative Literature with honors at New York University. She went on to earn her medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine, New York State/American Program of Tel Aviv University. Dr. Spellun completed her internship and adult psychiatry residency training at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine where she was awarded the New York Weill Cornell Medicine Alumni Council Distinguished Housestaff Award for the Department of Psychiatry in 2018 for all-around clinical excellence. During residency, she pursued additional psychotherapy training in multiple modalities including short and long term psychodynamic psychotherapy, supportive psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and group psychotherapy. After residency, she chose to build additional expertise to work with under-served populations and people with complex health needs by completing the Public Psychiatry Fellowship at New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Spellun currently serves as the Mental Health Director of the Weill Cornell Medicine Wellness Qlinic, a medical student and trainee-run free mental health clinic serving LGBTQ identified individuals. She lectures to medical students at Weill Cornell Medical College and psychiatry residents at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine on a wide range of topics including general adult psychiatry, LGBTQ mental health, and social determinants of health. She also supervises junior psychiatry residents in training.Dr. Spellun believes in an integrative and holistic approach to psychiatric illness which is attuned to the biological, psychological, and social contributions to symptoms and distress. She is sensitive to cultural factors which may influence patient preferences in their treatment and strives to provide recovery oriented care which helps individuals achieve satisfaction in their goals and reach their full potential.

Biography: Dr. Brintz graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in English with high honors. He received his M.D. from the Weill Cornell Medical College, where he was awarded the Richard N. Kohl Prize for excellence in psychiatry. Dr.Brintz completed his adult psychiatry residency at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine followed by a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the NewYork-Presbyterian combined program of Cornell and Columbia Universities. During his adult psychiatry training, Dr. Brintz was the Benjamin Rush Scholar in the History of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell. Dr. Brintz also completed a one-year psychoanalytic fellowship at the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research.Dr. Brintz sees patients through his faculty practice at the Weill Cornell Psychiatry Specialty Center. He is dedicated to providing comprehensive, compassionate, evidence-based care to adults and children of all ages. He is currently welcoming new patients into his practice and is available for diagnostic consultations, individual and family psychotherapy, and medication management.

Biography: RosaMaria Verdadeiro, APRN-FNP-C is an experienced adult and pediatric nurse practitioner. She is bilingual in Spanish and Portuguese. Her areas of expertise include anxiety, depression, PTSD, and childhood disorders, including ADHD, behavioral dysregulation, and autism. She's been a school nurse for over a decade, and is she is fully versed in the day-to-day complex issues regarding children and teens. Rosa also has expertise in the subtleties of anxiety and depression amongst college students and young adults, a population that is often misunderstood.

Care Philosophy: Michelle is a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with experience treating children, adolescents, families, and adults in various settings, including inpatient, intensive outpatient, and outpatient care. With years of nursing experience, Michelle uses a humanistic approach to support patients' mental, physical, and emotional well-being. She focuses on building therapeutic relationships through medication management and therapy, helping patients enhance their strengths, regulate emotions, and achieve their goals. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys making homemade pasta, bread, and pizza.

Care Philosophy: Sarah Merza is a Licensed Associate Counselor and Nationally Certified Counselor with an M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University and a B.A. in psychology from Ohio State University. She has extensive experience working with teens, young adults, and older adults dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, and psychotic disorders. Sarah empowers individuals by recognizing their strengths and utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. As a 4x NCAA All-American and 2x U.S. National Team member, she understands the challenges of balancing school and athletics. In her free time, she enjoys exercising, Netflix, and reading mystery novels.

Biography: Dr. Mehta-Naik received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Northwestern University. She completed internship and residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medicine, and served as the chief resident in her final year. She subsequently completed a fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Mehta-Naik has pursued academic interests in life transitions, particularly retirement decision-making. She has recently published a book chapter, and has presented at national conferences, regarding these topics.Dr. Mehta-Naik's professional interests include life transitions, geriatric psychiatry, cultural psychiatry, psychotherapy, and resident education.

Biography: Dr. Brody received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Pitzer College and her doctoral degree from PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium.Before joining the faculty, she completed her APA-accredited internship at James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Weill Cornell's Program for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies (PATSS). Dr. Brody's specialized in the treatment of PTSD and Moral Injury. She has expertise in trauma-processing therapies, including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE).Dr. Brody has worked with diverse populations of civilians, veterans, first responders, those involved in 9/11, and healthcare workers across the diagnostic and demographic spectrum. She is involved in clinical research funded by the DoD in collaboration with the program for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies, where she oversees Weill Cornell's Military Families Wellness Center. In response to COVID-19, Dr. Brody was involved in team-based interventions throughout Weill Cornell and works as part of CopeNYP, providing care to NewYork-Presbyterian employees.Dr. Brody has expertise in work with gender and sexual minority individuals and couples generally and on issues unique to the LGBTQIA+ community. Dr. Brody's research interests include PTSD treatment innovation and the role of shame, stigma, and identity in trauma recovery.In her faculty practice, Dr. Brody provides diagnostic evaluation, consultation, and therapy.

Biography: Judith Cukor, PhD is anAssociate Professor of Psychology in Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian Hospital, in the Program for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies. Her expertise lies in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of mood and anxiety disorders and in the field of behavioral medicine, addressing the psychological needs of individuals with medical problems.Dr. Cukor's special expertise is in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She has significant experience in the field of trauma and treatments for post traumatic stress disorder with survivors of terrorism, burn injury, motor vehicle accidents, combat and assault. She is trained in the use of evidence-based treatments for post traumatic stress disorder, including exposure therapy, and is an expert in the use of virtual reality in the treatment of PTSD.Dr. Cukor has worked extensively with disaster workers including firefighters, police officers, rescue and recovery workers, and other emergency personnel. She has treated numerous emergency workers and civilians for PTSD related to the events of September 11, as well as other work-related traumas.Dr. Cukor has significant expertise in the treatment of military-related trauma. She has treated numerous service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. She is currently a co-investigator and a primary therapist for a Department of Defense-funded clinical trial for the treatment of PTSD in OIF/OEF veterans. She has travelled nationwide to train providers in virtual reality exposure therapy for PTSD and consulted to Army and Air Force providers as part of a Department of Defense initiative to train clinicians in evidence-based treatments. Dr. Cukor provides stress management workshops to the National Guard and serves as a consultant to an ongoing military treatment study.She is currently the principal investigator of a study funded by the New York Community Trust to assess the behavioral and neuroanatomical manifestations of extinction learning in returning OIF/OEF veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and her research interests include furthering our understanding of the interplay between PTSD and TBI.Dr. Cukor is a consultant to the William Randolph Hearst Burn Center, treating inpatients and ambulatory patients in the aftermath of traumatic burn injury. Her research with burn survivors includes the development of a protocol to address the numerous psychiatric sequelae that arise in the aftermath of a burn or other traumatic injury.She also trains and supervises psychology interns, post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty working with trauma populations. She has authored scientific articles and book chapters, and presented her work at conferences and grand rounds. Dr. Cukor has made numerous media appearances discussing treatments for PTSD, virtual reality, 9/11, veteran mental health, and common reactions to trauma.Dr. Cukor also works with individuals coping with medical illness, depression, panic attacks and generalized anxiety.

Biography: Dr. Helene Geramian earned her undergraduate degree from Barnard College of Columbia University, where she graduated with Departmental Honors. She received her doctoral degree from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. Additionally, she completed further training at the New Jersey Veterans Affairs Medical Center as well as post-doctoral training at the Brooklyn Veteran's Hospital, with a specialization in geriatric psychology.Dr. Geramian is a New York state licensed psychologist who is available for diagnostic evaluation, consultation and psychotherapy. Her work is informed by psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral approaches. Research interests include the role of comorbid personality and mood disorders in later life.