Our Team
Professionally trained and certified, our team of therapists will provide you with personalized care informed by decades of experience. Our therapists listen from a perspective of varied competencies, certifications and expertise to provide the most suitable counseling help.
As a counseling group, we use a collaborative approach that is shaped by our specific expertise and individual backgrounds ~ all designed to help heal.
Learn about our team of Mental Health Counselors (MHC), Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT), and Social Workers (SW) below ~ including each one's "Fun Fact"!
Jane Gelsi
PhD, LCSW
Counseling Areas: Psychoanalysis; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Family Therapy; Couples Therapy
Fun Fact: Traveling is my happy place. I have been to Africa on safari, stayed in government camp grounds, visited South Africa and visited the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years. I have camped in the Grand Canyon and white water rafted on the Colorado River, and have been to Alaska on land and on a cruise.
Linda Spessotti
LMHC
Counseling Areas: Individual Adults, Couples; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Fun Fact: After 31 years of singing classical works in community choruses, I just joined a barbershop chorus. Not only new music but an entirely different way of singing, learning and performing. Brain acrobatics!
Malik Tekesinovic
LMFT
Counseling Areas: Couples Therapy, Family Therapy, Individuals Of All Ages,
LGBTQIA2S+ Affirmative Care
EFT, DBT, IFS, CBT.
Fun Fact: I came to the United States in 1995 as a refugee from Bosnia, an experience that shaped my appreciation for hope, healing, and human connection. I also love trying new things—like joining my high school golf team with no experience, only to help win the Bronx championship and land in Sports Illustrated.
Jeremiah Perecky
LMHC
Counseling Areas: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Narrative Therapy, Motivational Interviewing; Solution-Focused Therapy; Psychodynamic Therapy; Interpersonal Therapy; Humanistic Therapy; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Existential Therapy
Fun Fact: I have been playing the drums for over 30 years. I like spending time with my wife and
three daughters. I love to travel and explore when possible. Random fact: I can juggle. I am a NY sports fan (Yankees, Knicks, and Giants).
Nikiesha
Kirkpatrick-Samuel
LMFT
Counseling Areas: Individual Adults, Couples; Pre-Marital and Marriage Counseling; Grief Counseling; Parenting; Social/Family Relationship Issues; Spirituality (Christian Counseling); Stress Management
Fun Facts: (1) I'm a twin (fraternal twin sister lives in Virginia); (2) I met my hubby online only to find we lived 10 minutes from each other, and (3) I started college when I was 16 years old.
Evelyn
Lambert-Pappoealik
LMFT
Counseling Areas: Anxiety and Depression; Christian Counseling; Marital and Relationship Issues; Life Transitions; Divorce and Separation; Parenting Challenges; Grief Counseling; Caregiver Stress; Coping Skills Development
Fun Fact: I have an outreach in Honduras by providing financial assistance, clothing, shoes, bookbags and school supplies to underprivileged children.
Anne Bonbon
MHC-LP
Counseling Areas: Anxiety; Depression; Interpersonal Issues
Fun Fact: I used to play the violin!
Bryant Mohan
MFT-LP
Counseling Areas: Adolescents / Young Adults; Families and Couples; LGBTQIA+ Friendly.
Fun Fact: I'm an avid gamer and I love going to concerts, especially punk and hardcore shows.
Conor McEvoy
MHC-LP
Counseling Areas: Anxiety; Depression; Life or Work-Related Stressors; Trauma; Adolescents
Fun Fact: My parents are both from Ireland and the majority of my family still lives there. I used to go over every summer as a kid and I still try to visit whenever I can. Some activities that I enjoy including hiking, swimming, and watching sports. I am a huge Mets and Knicks fan.
Stephanie H. Denmon
LMFT
Counseling Areas: Anxiety; Developmental and Life Transitions; Relational Issues; LGBTQ+ issues.
Fun Fact: I love to travel and have visited every state in the United States! I also have two cats, who will sometimes join me for sessions. I love hardcore board games ~ I have played a board game that lasted 4 hours straight!
Jinaki Banks-Howard
LMHC
Counseling Areas: Clinical Therapy to adults (18+), Couples, Individuals in the LGBTQ and Christian communities; Depression, Anxiety Disorders; Relationship Challenges; Life Transitions; Women’s Issues; Trauma
Fun Fact: I'm not a DJ, but I can put together an amazing playlist!
Dominique Cruz
LMFT
Counseling Areas: Individuals, Couples, Families; Polyamorous Partners; LGBTQIA2S+ Affirmative Care; Midlife Transitions; Later-Life Challenges; Anxiety; Gender Identity Exploration
Fun Fact: In my free time, I enjoy singing and playing the guitar, even if the music doesn’t always love me back. I also find joy in video games, using them as a way to recharge and connect with others.
Ana Tapia
MHC-Intern
Counseling Areas: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Dialectical Behavioral Therapy; Trauma-Informed Care; LGBTQ Community
Fun Fact: I love to write and have a collection of short stories that I would like to submit to journals for publication. I also enjoy putting together Ikea furniture (or any furniture) because I find that it relaxes me to build things!
Samsara Mincey
MHC-Intern
Counseling Areas: Anxiety; Depression; Couples and Family Therapy; Individual Therapy
Fun Fact: I love building and collecting Lego sets and I love Horror, Thriller, and psychological thriller films.
Kathy Cheng
MFT-Intern
Counseling Areas: Marriage; Family
Fun Fact: I enjoy traveling with my husband and two sons. We are big foodies who like to try new restaurants!
Jen Loeb
MFT-Intern
Counseling Areas: Marriage; Family
Fun Fact: I love to scuba dive, especially with sharks and in caves!
Pamela Bodden
MFT-Intern
Counseling Areas: Marriage; Family
Fun Fact: A native New Yorker, I enjoy documentaries and listening to jazz, hip hop and lofi music. Spending time with my husband, adult children and grandchildren brings me joy. I love reading books on Caribbean history and cultural studies, visiting museums, and my favorite ones are the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art - but have never visited the Statue of Liberty!
Ethan Messina
MFT-Intern
Counseling Areas: Couples, Individuals, Young Adults, Anxiety, Depression, Integrative Systemic Therapy, Newlyweds, Trauma, LGBTQ+
Fun Fact: I played basketball in High School and continue to support young athletes by coaching both boys and girls for a youth basketball program in Manhattan.
Andrew Steiner
MFC-Intern
Counseling Areas: Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Activation (CBT), Existential Therapy, and Guided Mindfulness Meditation. LGBT friendly. Focused on using creativity as a therapeutic modality.
Fun Fact: I once lived in Zen temple in Japan. I love to surf, and have tried my hand at more creative disciplines than I care to admit here.
Xin Wu
MFT-Intern
Counseling Areas: Individuals; Couples; Family; School Struggles; Childhood / Adolescent Concerns; Relationship / Marital Issues; Divorce; Major Life Transitions
Fun Fact: I’m a part-time recipe developer who blends Western and traditional Chinese cooking styles. My recipes have gained a following of over 10,000 people across online platforms!
Mia Aguirre
MHC-Intern
Counseling Areas: Attachment and Relationship Issues, Parenting and Family Dynamics, Adolescent Mental Health, LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy, Perinatal and Maternal Mental Health.
Fun Fact: I'm a travel enthusiast who believes growth happens when you step outside your comfort zone. Japan, Brazil, and Portugal are next on my adventure list, and I'm raising my daughter to see the world as full of possibilities.
Gen Louis
MHC-Intern
Counseling Areas: Trauma, Depression, Anxiety, Identity Challenges, Social and Emotional Development, Professional Burnout, Maternal Mental Health
Fun Fact: I play seven instruments.
Audrey Quinn
MFT-Intern
Counseling Areas: Couples Counseling, Relational Therapy, Family Conflict, Parenting, Blended Families, Individual Adults, Adolescents, Children, Life Transitions, Depression, Anxiety, LGBTQ+
Fun Fact: I'm the oldest of four siblings and have a 19-year age gap with my youngest sister!
Michael E. Grey
MHC-Intern
Counseling Areas: Children and Adolescents; Marital and Relationship Challenges; Body Image and Healthy Lifestyle Changes; Mindfulness and Personal Growth; Solution-Focused Therapy
Fun Fact: I enjoy training in mixed martial arts (MMA) and cooking authentic Italian dishes. One of my proudest accomplishments was owning and operating an Italian restaurant in Upstate New York.