Meet Our Therapists

Jessica Scott, LMHC

Owner & Clinical Director

Jessica has over 10 years of experience working in non-profit, higher education and private practice settings with a variety of populations. While her current focus is on the operational & supervisory aspects of the practice, as a clinician she specializes in working with women, entrepreneurs and therapists. 

Jessica’s goal is to help young professionals in NYC and surrounding areas to improve the quality of their lives, live more mindfully & authentically, and overcome the mental and emotional blocks to achieving their goals. She is empathetic, non-judgmental, and thoughtful both appropriately challenges and supports her clients & clinicians in their work together.

Jessica’s aim is to help folks gain an alternative perspective to the issues they face while working collaboratively to identify patterns that may be holding them back. She believes each person comes with their own set of strengths & challenges and tailors sessions to best meet each persons’ needs and goals.

Jennifer Rooney, LMHC

Licensed Clinical Therapist & Clinical Supervisor

Jennifer ‘s approach to the therapeutic process is holistic, creative, and collaborative. She works with individuals, families, and couples through infusing evidence-based practices for EMDR, CBT, DBT, compassion-focused, mindfulness and is person/goal centered.

She specializes in working with individuals ages 18-65+ with anxiety and panic, ADHD, career and life transitions, mood disorders, eating disorders/disordered eating, substance use, relationship with self and others, pregnancy/fertility/parenting, and trauma. She also has a special interest in working with other therapists. Her sessions are individualized to one’s unique needs and supports others in working towards mental well-being with tools and resources that can be used both in and out of session. 

She comes with over 15 years of experience in higher education with advising, career and disability services. She is presently an undergraduate lecturer in psychology at St. Joseph’s University and has completed additional training in through the EMDR Institute and the Gottman Institute.

Natalia Leider, LMHC

Licensed Clinical Therapist & Clinical Supervisor

Natalia creates a supportive, compassionate, and nonjudgmental environment while motivating and challenging clients to explore new perspectives. Natalia integrates a holistic mind, body, and emotion approach to therapy, guiding clients to identify and work with their emotions, reconnect with their bodies, and adaptively reorganize their autonomous nervous systems.

Through cognitive restructuring, Natalia helps identify limiting beliefs that impact behavior and create stressors in life. She explores the connection between thought processes, emotions, and behavior, aiming to increase balance and resolve conflicts with oneself and others. With a focus on the limbic system, somatic strategies, brain reprogramming, mindfulness-based techniques, and traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy, she offers services that promote growth, healing, self-confidence, and self-agency.

Natalia brings extensive experience in working with individuals dealing with serious emotional disturbances, trauma, PTSD, generational trauma, anxiety, panic attacks, low self-esteem, grief, depression, and immigration-related issues.

Drawing from over 10 years of psychology study, including international education, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her practice. Fluent in both Russian and English, she conducts therapy sessions in both languages. Additionally, Natalia now offers EMDR therapy to address various stressors in life and traumas, expanding her range of therapeutic offerings for the well-being of her clients.

Nick Azzarelli, LMHC

Licensed Clinical Therapist & Clinical Supervisor

Nick has experience working with individuals with depression, anxiety, OCD, ADHD, and bipolar disorder.  He continues working with similar clients, members of the LGBTQ community, and young adults struggling with their career and/or romantic relationships.  Nick mainly utilizes a person-centered modality but also implements mindfulness techniques such as meditation and progressive muscle relaxation in addition to cognitive behavioral techniques such as positive self-talk, cognitive reframing, thought redirection, and journaling as needed.

 Nick has spent his life working to become the best version of himself for the unique individuals around him who are struggling with their lives and mental health. Through the therapeutic techniques he’s learned, he now has the avenue to help people to the best of his ability. As a deeply passionate and empathetic therapist, he aims to use his knowledge to work with people in need of help so that they may one day be able to reach and even surpass their goals.

Alice Rahn, MHC

Clinical Therapist

Alice has nearly a decade of experience working in education, journalism, and addiction counseling. She has provided therapy to adults dealing with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, and substance use disorders.

In many ways, Alice’s own path to becoming a therapist informs her therapeutic approach. Her goal is to accompany clients with empathy, authenticity, and hope as they work to achieve a sense of wholeness in their lives with the courage to explore patterns and to ask “what’s missing.”

As a therapist, Alice is supportive and non-judgmental. She meets clients with warmth, openness, and compassionate insight. She believes meeting people where they are is the first step in helping them work toward their mental health goals.

Thomas Gargiula, MHC

Clinical Therapist

Are you struggling to feel fulfilled in life, create meaningful connections, or become the best version of yourself? Is it difficult to live with your stress, anxiety, and sadness? We don’t always know what to do with the experiences life throws at us and often struggle to figure out how to process those experiences or make meaning of them. That’s okay, you don’t need to know.

Together, Thomas will help you gain a deeper understanding of your circumstances, uncover the meaning behind them and ultimately become the best version of yourself as you do. If you don’t know what you want to work on in therapy, that’s okay too!

Therapy can be difficult; creating a strong bond filled with caring, trust, and collaboration is key to navigating that difficult journey. Thomas strives to provide a judgment-free, empathic, respectful, and honest space to explore anything you would like to discuss. Together, Thomas will help you create healthy coping mechanisms and skills you can use to live a healthy life. It’s not always easy to find the right therapist. Don’t hesitate to reach out today. Thomas provides a free 15-minute consultation to help you discover if he would be the right fit for you.

Kahlia Burruss, MHC

Clinical Therapist

Kahlia has been in the mental health field for 6 years and has her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Niagara University. She specializes in Anxiety and Depression disorders and has experience working with adolescents, young and middle aged adults and the geriatric population. Kahlia has conducted individual, group and family therapy sessions.

Kahlia takes a holistic approach with her clients because she believes that the mind and the body are dependent on one another. She uses therapeutic approaches that focus on the client as a whole, such as CBT and Mindfulness CBT. She also applies motivational interviewing techniques to motivate and encourage her clients. Some techniques Kahlia recommends for her clients are Journaling, Deep Breathing, Reframing, Role Playing, and Meditation, to name a few. Kahlia is very compassionate about helping others through situations they believe they need assistance with and admires the bravery/courage of people who seek help for their mental health.

Emilia Wojcik, MHC

Clinical Therapist

Emilia is aware of how trauma, culture, and values can affect a person’s functioning and perspective on how they experience healing. She is passionate about meeting her clients where they are in their exploration of self. She believes in setting boundaries, challenging negative thoughts, and empowering her clients to establish how they would like to manage their relationships. She approaches therapy with empathy and strives to empower clients through focusing on their strengths.

Emilia has experience providing therapy to people across a variety of age who experience relationship difficulties, depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, substance abuse disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Emilia’s therapeutic approach is trauma-informed, person-centered, solution-oriented, and takes from cognitive behavioral therapy.

Samantha Lightner, MHC

Samantha has five years of experience working in the mental health field. She holds a Master's degree in Forensic Psychology and Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in forensics from CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Samantha's expertise lies in providing crucial resources and support systems to aid in rehabilitating and reintegrating individuals involved in the justice system.

Samantha uses therapeutic approaches tailored to the client's needs, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness. She adopts a person-centered approach to coordinate and observe behavioral, physical, and social services based on her client's needs. Her main goal is to contribute to the well-being and development of individuals in need, both mentally and emotionally.