Brooklyn Letters consists of five psychologists: licensed Clinical Psychologists, Dr. Annette Hernandez, Dr. Carolyn Kessler, licensed Child and School Clinical Psychologist, and Dr. Veronica Brodsky.Dr. Lindsay Whitman, a neuropsychologist, is also a team member. Please read below to learn more about their professional services.
ANNETTE HERNANDEZ
PH. D., CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Dr. Hernandez is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience in treating children of all ages and adults with a wide range of difficulties. She currently works at Packer Collegiate Institute as the Pre and Lower School Psychologist. She has a private practice in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn. Dr. Hernandez has over a decade of clinical experience and has worked in variety of treatment settings. She has specialized training in cognitive behavioral therapy for treating post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders. She has also been intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Motivational Interviewing. Dr. Hernandez’s therapy interventions are drawn from her past experience in research for evidence-based treatment. In addition to being a principal investigator and coordinator for federally funded research projects, she has also lectured and authored manuscripts on the implementation and modification of such treatments.
She has been invited to train, supervise, and consult other clinicians on the use and implementation of evidence-based clinical practices in community-based settings. She currently works as a Senior Staff Psychologist at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn and holds a voluntary faculty appointment at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Hernandez’s therapy work includes practical strategies that are clear and easy to implement. Her work with children involves regular contact with parents to help them participate in and support their child’s success.
EXPERTISE: Cognitive-behavioral therapy, Child/Adolescent Therapy, Anxiety, Behavioral issues, Coping skills, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Sexual Abuse.
TYPES OF SERVICES: Individual therapy, parent consultations, family sessions
AGES: Birth-50
CONTACT: [email protected] & 917-519-3082
WEBSITE: www.brooklyncbt-dbt.com
OFFICE: 19th Street and 8th Ave in Brooklyn, and she travels to your home in the South Slope.
HOURS: Office and Home Visits: Thursdays 10-8pm & Friday 10-5pm.
PAYMENT: Private Pay (she does not accept insurance).
BLOGS: Emotional Learning , Developing Your Preschooler’s Emotional Vocabulary, Coping Skills for Preschoolers & Disruptive Behaviors & Limit Setting, Validating your Child’s Emotions, The Responsive Classroom
CAROLYN KESSLER
PHD, LICENSED CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST
Carolyn Kessler, Ph.D., is a child psychologist with more than 10 years of experience working with children, adolescents, and their families on issues related to behavior management and parenting, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, developmental disabilities, and ADHD. Family training is a key component of her therapy. Dr. Kessler specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. She is a Codirector of Psychology Services at the New York University Child Study Center’s Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience and is in private practice in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where she provides assessment, treatment, and consultation to families and schools. In addition to standardized testing of IQ, achievement, memory, and behavior, her assessment skills include the use of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), an instrument on which Dr. Kessler trains other professionals, as well as the Autism Diagnostic Interview- Revised (ADI-R).
Dr. Kessler uses a cognitive-behavioral approach to therapy, which has been demonstrated to be an effective therapeutic method through research. Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT) involves teaching the child new skills to manage their behavior and emotions. This approach relies heavily on collaboration with the child’s parents so that they, too, can learn how to support their child’s progress in therapy, as well as how to respond to the issues of concern. In addition to these services, Dr. Kessler provides consultation to families on toilet training. She is a graduate of the University at Albany doctoral program in clinical psychology and completed her internship and postdoctoral training at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
EXPERTISE: Cognitive Behavioral therapy, parent training, autism spectrum disorders/developmental and learning disabilities, anxiety and mood disorders, behavioral disorders, potty training, assessment (diagnostic and neuropsychological)
TYPE OF SERVICES: Individual therapy, Consultation to parents and schools, Assessment
AGES: All ages of children and adolescents
LOCATION: Office: 406 7th Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn and your Brooklyn home.
CONTACT: [email protected], 919 280 2151
HOURS: Home and Office Visits: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Payment: Private Pay.
BLOG: What is Autism Spectrum Disorder , Potty Training in Three Simple Steps, The Value of Schedules for Individuals with Autism Spectrum
VERONICA BRODSKY
PSYD, LICENSED CHILD AND SCHOOL CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Dr. Veronica Brodsky is a founder and clinical director of Interactive Discovery Consulting and Psychological Services, P.C. She is a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with children, adolescents and adults by providing individual as well as group work. Having a strong belief that collaborative work provides the most effective intervention; Interactive Discovery has been built using this philosophy. She utilizes a traditional as well as holistic approach to mental health by analyzing the connection between the mind and the body and emphasis on self-care. Her approach is integrative, combining psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback and existential therapy. Her clinical interests include working with children and adults who are dealing with different life transitions by helping them to cope with stressors associated with these events. She also conducts neuropsychological and psychoeducational evaluations.
Dr. Brodsky received her doctorate from New York University in 1999 and is a member of the American Psychological Association. Her experiences include: Working with patients in the acute inpatient unit as well as providing outpatient mental health services; Providing individual, family and couple therapy; Designing and supervising a therapeutic after school program for children and adolescents by implementing and managing over 100 therapeutic groups; Creating and supervising a six year training program for graduate and undergraduate students receiving training in education/child psychology. She is a former Adjunct Faculty Professor in the area of child & adolescent development and psychiatric conditions and disorders. Her research interests are in the areas of examining child and parent relationships and their effects on child development.
EXPERTISE: Working with families in transition, Anxiety, Depression, Behavioral Issues, Relationship, Psychological, Psychoeducational and Neuropsychological Evaluations. Issues or Fears, Asperger’s Syndrome, Attention Deficit, Behavioral Issues, Child or Adolescent, Coping Skills, Depression, Divorce, Emotional Disturbance, Family Conflict, Learning Disabilities, Loss or Grief, Oppositional Defiance, Parenting, Peer Relationships, Relationship Issues, Self Esteem, Play therapy and behavior management with preschool and elementary aged children, animal-assisted psychotherapy.
TYPE OF SERVICES: Individual therapy, family therapy, parent consultations, school consultations, workshops, group work
AGES: Preschool and elementary, adolescents, adults
LOCATION: Park Slope, 163 Prospect Park West, (corner of 11th street), Brooklyn, NY 11215
CONTACT: [email protected] & 718-306-7755
WEBSITE: www.interactive-discovery.com
HOURS: Office visits: Mondays through Fridays.
Payment: Some Major Insurances, Private Pay, Out-of-Network, Sliding Scale.
BLOG: Self-Esteem, EMDR, Separation And Divorce And Its Impact On Children Part I, Separation And Divorce And Its Impact On Children Part II, Ways to decrease anxiety through rewiring our brain: Mind-Body Connection