Child Psychology

NYC Child Psychology

Specialized care and integrated treatment for your child's unique developmental journey.

I treat Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorders, Depression, Anxiety, and phobias, as well as various behavioral and emotional problems. I also conduct neuropsychological testing and provide therapy and training for parents. I am fully bilingual in English and Russian.

There is hardly anything more difficult or scary for a parent than realizing that your child struggles with their ability to learn, develop, and function. As a New York State licensed psychologist and a Board-Certified psychotherapist specializing in child development, I am here to help.

An Integrated Treatment Approach

No two children are alike. My integrated treatment approach combines various methods to answer the individual needs of your child. I use the Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship-based (DIR) Floortime model, play therapy, elements of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Narrative therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral therapy, tailored to your child's unique profile.

"Will I ever get my child back?"

Is your child sleepy, lethargic, apathetic most of the time?

Does your child have trouble falling asleep, and stay up very late?

Does your child eat uncontrollably? Or, on the contrary, does she barely eat anything at all?

Do you feel that he has lost interest in his usual activities and hobbies?

Is he neglecting his responsibilities?

Do you feel you can no longer communicate and reason with him?

If you answered “yes” to some of the questions above, your child may be suffering from a mood disorder. Depression can be triggered by a significant event, but it can also develop gradually. Depending on your child's age, processing and interactive style, I will use a combination of Play Therapy, Narrative Therapy (we will write a book about your child together), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. As always, individual temperament, developmental needs, and unique family dynamics will be deciding factors in designing the individual treatment plan for your child.

"Why is my child acting so crazy?"

Is your toddler running from one toy to another without giving herself enough time to explore the toy meaningfully?

Is your child easily distracted? Does she interrupt her activities frequently?

Is she forgetful about her daily tasks and responsibilities?

Is he hypersensitive and impulsive? Does she have difficulties with self-control?

Does he lie excessively?

ADHD is only a label and your child's specific characteristics will differ dramatically from those of another child with ADHD. In general a child with ADHD struggles with her daily tasks (frequently, despite being very bright), due to her difficulties with sustaining concentration. Many children with ADHD can concentrate fully for a short period of time but then easily become overwhelmed and have to interrupt their tasks.

During the course of therapy, I will teach you and your child (depending on the age) a set of Relaxation Techniques which will help your child increase his or her ability to concentrate. I will also work with your child's school to create the optimal learning environment for him or her.

"Can my child be helped?"

Does your child struggle making friends?

Is she being unreasonable and difficult to understand?

Does he throw heavy tantrums or become suddenly aggressive?

Does she struggle with language, attention, socialization and relatedness?

Devastated to say the least. That is how most parents feel when they begin to suspect that their child might have autism spectrum disorder. Those labels usually mean that some fundamental ability to relate and communicate is affected. In addition, your child's ability to speak and understand language may be affected.

In my practice, I help the parents move beyond the specific label, and develop an individual profile for each child. Once the assessment is complete and the individual profile is developed, a specific treatment course is designed. For example, the DIR Floortime model will be used for a relatable child with language difficulties. An Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is highly effective for teaching specific skills. As your child makes progress, Play Therapy and specific Cognitive Learning tasks will be added. With the correctly designed intervention, your child can thrive.

"How can my child heal from loss?"

Children, even the youngest ones, are affected and wounded by loss with the same profoundness and acuteness. Time seems to help reduce those feelings, but frequently a word or picture triggers them and makes them resurface again. Children also feel confused and scared due to their limited understanding of what is going on. Often they cannot fully communicate their feelings which increases their confusion and loneliness.

Children re-live their losses year after year, every time on a new level and scale. They can be helped to re-live their trauma with increased understanding and acceptance. Whether your child is affected by a recent loss or still dwells on the trauma that occurred years ago, psychotherapy can help her accept what happened and cope with an extremely difficult and painful situation.

No matter how many years pass, every New Yorker has a sharp feeling of loss at the reminder of September 11, 2001.

Our young son was in crisis. His stress was manifesting in aggressive behaviors, and he was having a hard time controlling his emotions. We were at a loss. Dr. Steingold worked with our son and with us to give him a toolbox for navigating his feelings. She gave us a framework to better understand his needs and how to help him. We are so grateful for her patient and insightful guidance.

— Parent of a young boy

When something is wrong with you, I guess the first and the most important thing is finding someone who understands you and what's wrong - without it you cannot even start getting better. But it is even more crucial when something is wrong with your child, and no one seems to understand. Dr. Steingold saw my child three times for a full evaluation. The kid, first reluctant to go or to cooperate, was asking to see the doctor again after the very first visit. Dr. Steingold was able to make my child comfortable, curious and attentive through the first half of our first visit. And while in the beginning my kid was hesitant and mistaking, once felt confident, started showing the results way above the age norm. Not only did Dr. Steingold promptly produce a report with diagnosis and detailed recommendations, but also went through a very detailed plan of the treatment, refraining from medications right away. And now the child and us feel a great relief, know exactly what to do, and are motivated to win over and leave behind what very recently seemed like an insurmountable monster on the way. Would return and highly recommend.

— Parent of a child

I would highly recommend Dr. Steingold. She is great to talk to and is very supportive. She really makes you feel like someone is there to listen and is behind you to help you work things through and make the best decision for yourself. I would highly recommend her.

— Anonymous