Yael Mayefsky

I am a clinical psychologist with an interest in servicing children, adolescents and adults ages nine and above. My specialty areas include OCD particularly as it manifests in kashrus and niddah, general and health-related anxieties, mood disorders, trauma, and psychological challenges related to medical conditions. I conceptualize cases with cognitive behaviorally based theory and use techniques from Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Schema Therapy as well. Many clients have expressed a fear that a therapist would push for an in-depth exploration of childhood trauma and focus on past experience. Thus, the approach I present to clients is that I encourage them to open up about past history and childhood only as I see it necessary such that their childhood patterns are interfering with current behaviors and functioning. Additionally, I strongly believe in employing creativity to enhance the effectiveness of therapy, and can do sessions outside of the office space if that is essential for therapeutic success (e.g. accompanying a client to the exposure site of a feared stimulus). I tend to employ humor and a directive approach in therapy sessions.