I am a New York State licensed
psychotherapist, practicing in Manhattan.
I hold
an M.A. from Hunter College School of Social Work and an
M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University. I completed
the 5-year Advanced Training Program at the Jewish Board
of Family and Children's Services (JBFCS), a psychotherapy
clinic, and received a Certificate in Child and Family Psychotherapy.
I am a senior candidate at the National Psychological Association
for Psychoanalysis (NP AP), a Psychoanalytic Institute.
I delivered a paper on "Identity In a State of Transition"
at a conference of the American Psychiatric Association
(APA), in San Diego, CA, '96.
I have many years
of clinical experience working with children/adolescents
and their families in various clinical settings. Being an
adoptive mother, my work is informed both by professional
and personal experience. I am familiar with the complex
emotional issues and challenges that adoption holds for
adoptive parents as well as children.
I am particularly
familiar with the Russian orphanage system and have directly
observed children of various ages in that setting. As a
bicultural parent born in Russia, I am familiar with the
child-rearing practices and societal and cultural norms
in Russia which differ in many respects from those in American
culture. This helps me to identify and tease out behavior
patterns of adopted children that are routed in Russian
cultural norms, rather than personal characteristics. I
consulted numerous Host Families during their challenging
transitional period of decision-making. As an outgrowth
of this relationship, when needed I continue seeing families
in their post-adoptive stage. I continue to orient and sensitize
adoptive parents to the social and psychological issues
that often define and characterize behavior patterns of
post-institutional children. In consultation and in further
ongoing therapeutic work, the central issue, among others,
of how to bond in healthy ways that color and define interaction
between parents and children is addressed.
I also
work with couples and single individuals during their difficult
time of making a psychological transition from infertility
treatment to adoption as a possible option.
I have
considerable experience with the following issues specific
to adoption:
Parents' consultation
Child/family psychotherapy
Developmental problems
Childhood Depression
Identification and treatment of Reactive
Attachment Disorder or features of that disorder
