Our Team
Through their strength, flexibility and resilience, reeds serve as a powerful metaphor for how we work with our clients. These qualities allow them to weather storms, create protective habitats and contribute to the vitality and beauty of their surroundings.
Rooted in science and compassion, our clinicians guide clients through a collaborative process of learning, discovery and practice that allows them to reduce suffering and create lives full of meaning and vitality
Who We Are
At The Reeds Center, we aim to understand your challenges and provide you with the most effective solutions available based on current research and expert practices. We use only evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) that have been tested to ensure they are effective, and we tailor them to your needs and goals.
We have developed our treatment programs drawing from our collective knowledge and experience in clinical research and practice at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, where our work focused on ways to improve response to cognitive-behavioral therapies.
Directors
James Bender
James Bender, Psy.D. is a Director and Co-founder of The Reeds Center. He specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies (CBT) for anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and OCD related disorders, chronic worry, and panic. He also has expertise in impulse control disorders (Trichotillomania and skin picking) and anxiety disorders that co-exist with depression and insomnia.
Michael Maher
Michael Maher, Ph.D. is a Director and Co-founder of The Reeds Center. He specializes in cognitive-behavioral treatments of anxiety, OCD and related disorders including health anxiety. He has expertise in treatment resistant anxiety and OCD as well as in impulse control disorders (Trichotillomania, skin picking and tic disorders).
Sarah Parker
Sarah Parker, Ph.D. is a Director and Co-founder of The Reeds Center. She has extensive training and experience using Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies (CBT) to treat anxiety disorders and eating disorders in a variety of formats and intensities. She works with adolescents and adults, and has particular expertise in the overlap between OCD and eating disorders.
Staff Members
Samantha Aboody
LMSW
Samantha Aboody, LMSW is an advanced masters-level clinician at The Reeds Center. She has a range of experience working with children and adults using evidence-based treatments to help individuals with anxiety and mood disorders, OCD, and trauma; these treatments include CBT, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and other mindfulness-based interventions (ACT).
Sam Birkenholz
Psy.D.
Sam Birkenholz, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical child/adolescent psychologist at The Reeds Center specializing in the treatment of OCD and anxiety-related disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults. She has extensive experience using evidence-based therapies to treat OCD, anxiety and mood disorders, misophonia, body-focused repetitive behaviors, and trauma.
Erik Erkkila
LMSW, MAT
Erik Erkkila, LMSW, MAT is a senior master-level clinician at The Reeds Center. He earned a Master of Social Work from NYU and has extensive experience working with adults, adolescents and children using evidence-based treatments to help individuals with anxiety and mood disorders, OCD, eating disorders, trauma, misophonia, somatic disorders and personality disorders.
Lorraine Figueroa
LCSW
Lorraine Figueroa, LCSW is a senior masters-level clinician at The Reeds Center. She received her master’s degree in social work from Columbia University. Lorraine has extensive experience using evidence-based treatments to help individuals with anxiety and mood disorders, OCD, and trauma; these treatments include CBT, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and other mindfulness-based interventions (ACT).
Laura Frank
Psy.D.
Laura Frank, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist at The Reeds Center who specializes in treating anxiety and related disorders in children, adolescents, and adults. Laura has extensive experience using evidence-based treatments to help individuals with anxiety and mood disorders, OCD, and trauma; these treatments include CBT, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and other mindfulness-based interventions (ACT).
Parham Horn
Ph.D
Parham Horn, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist and practice manager at The Reeds Center. She has extensive experience with evidence-based treatments, such as CBT, DBT, and ACT, for the treatment of OCD, GAD, panic disorder, misophonia, phobias, repetitive behaviors, PTSD, depression, and related disorders.
Honor Kalkin
LMSW
Honor Kalkin, LMSW is a masters-level clinician at The Reeds Center. She has experience in both private practice and school settings where she has worked with adults, adolescents and children, including survivors of trauma and LGBTQ+ identifying individuals. Honor has experience using evidence-based treatments to help clients with anxiety and mood disorders, OCD, and PTSD.
Hope Kassen
LCSW
Hope Kassen, LCSW is a senior masters-level clinician at The Reeds Center. She has received her MSW degree from Columbia University and her BA in political science from Oberlin College. Hope has extensive experience providing evidence-based treatments for OCD, body dysmorphia, depression, anxiety, trichotillomania, phobias, and panic.
Jessica Ortsman
Psy.D.
Jessica Ortsman, Psy.D. is a postdoctoral fellow at The Reeds Center, where she specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, ADHD, OCD, trauma-related concerns, and mood disorders in children, adolescents, and adults. She provides evidence-based care using CBT, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).
Franzi Ross
LMSW
Franzi Ross, LMSW is a senior masters-level clinician at The Reeds Center. Franzi has extensive experience using evidence-based treatments to help individuals with anxiety and mood disorders, OCD, misophonia, habit disorders and trauma; these treatments include CBT, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and other mindfulness-based interventions (ACT).
Hannah Skoff
Psy.D.
Hannah Skoff, Psy.D. is a postdoctoral fellow at The Reeds Center. She has extensive experience providing evidence-based therapy to adolescents and adults, treating anxiety and mood disorders, OCD, trauma, ADHD, and insomnia.
Stacy Suh
Psy.D.
Stacy Suh, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist at The Reeds Center who specializes in treating anxiety and related disorders in children, adolescents, and adults. She has extensive experience using evidence-based treatments to help individuals with anxiety and mood disorders, OCD, and trauma.
Carrie Webb-Bearak
Ph.D.
Carrie Webb-Bearak, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist at The Reeds Center. She has extensive experience treating obsessive-compulsive spectrum, anxiety, and mood disorders using evidence-based approaches including CBT, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and other mindfulness-based interventions (ACT).
Elinor Silverman
LMSW
Elinor Silverman, LMSW is a master’s-level clinician at The Reeds Center. She has experience providing individual psychotherapy to adults with anxiety, mood, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), ADHD, and trauma-related symptoms. She uses evidence-based treatments including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), prolonged exposure (PE), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
Joanna Knutsen
LMSW
Joanna Knutsen, LMSW is a masters-level clinician at The Reeds Center. She has experience providing individual psychotherapy to adolescents and adults struggling with anxiety, mood, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), ADHD, and trauma-related symptoms. She uses evidence-based treatments including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
Alexa Riobueno-Naylor
Ph.D.
Alexa Riobueno-Naylor, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral fellow at The Reeds Center who works with children, adolescents, and adults seeking support for anxiety, OCD, mood disorders, trauma, autism, ADHD, tics, and body image concerns. She uses evidence-based treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and habit reversal training (HRT).
Anna Larson
Ph.D.
Anna Larson, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral fellow at The Reeds Center. She specializes in treating adults and adolescents who experience OCD, anxiety, or related disorders such as health anxiety, panic, phobias, and body-focused repetitive behaviors. She is trained in evidence-based care primarily using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), habit reversal training (HRT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
Diversity Mission Statement
We at The Reeds Center are committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within our practice and larger field of mental health treatment. Through evidence-based practice, we strive to empower all individuals and to foster the mind’s capacity for well-being through psychological flexibility, understanding that psychological rigidity can be both the cause and effect of bias, stigma, and oppression.
We seek to recruit and train highly skilled clinicians from a wide variety of backgrounds in an effort to build a field where all individuals can expect to feel connected and understood by treatment providers who practice according to the strongest evidence-based practices.
Promoting Equality & Inclusion
Our Commitment as Therapists
To conduct ongoing trainings on multicultural competence and anti-racism for current staff and new hires.
To promote reflections, growth, and development to deconstruct racism within ourselves as individuals and within our professional community.
To educate ourselves through shared readings and discussions on the effects of racism, homophobia, and related traumas on BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Our Commitment as a Practice
To offer opportunities to graduate students & therapists from diverse background.
To welcome applicants from BIPOC therapists with interests or experience in evidence-based treatments.
To train BIPOC graduate students from psychology, social work & mental health counseling backgrounds in evidence-based therapies.
To provide low to no-cost treatment to BIPOC & LGBTQ+ communities through partnering with community mental health organizations.