Kseniya Yershova, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
New York, NY
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psychotherapy
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psychological testing and evaluation
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children, adolescents, and adults
About
None of us is meant to struggle and suffer alone.
You may be seeking help with:
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adjusting to stressful life events
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managing your own or your child’s ADHD, anxiety or depression
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improving parenting or romantic relationships
My general approach is to help you and/or your child gain a realistic and compassionate understanding of the difficulties, build resilience and improve coping.
I offer a unique combination of effective treatments that bridges
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skills training
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mindfulness
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attachment and insight-oriented therapies
How Does Change Happen?
Paying attention to one’s experience without judgment is the first step towards liberation from fear, grief, anger and shame. This type of awareness opens doors to non-judgmental understanding of problems and helps break the cycle of doing the same thing and expecting different results. When difficulties arise we oftentimes resort to “I should, I should, I should” or, in our conviction that problems come from others, we try to fix the world around us. Yet, neither relentless self-punishment nor stubborn attempts to change others helps us grow and feel better.
Mindfulness and psychodynamic observation strengthen our awareness of how our own and others' feelings and thoughts cause our interpretations and reactions to ourselves and others. Using this awareness efficiently helps us regulate emotions and negotiate relationships more successfully. Skills training gives practical tools for improving behavior in specific situations. For example, for school-aged children with ADHD, Organizational Skills Training (OST) is a very effective treatment for common struggles with losing things, mismanaging time, and inability to plan. For adults with ADHD, the 8-Step Mindfulness Program offers a comprehensive approach to strengthening attention, managing emotions and increasing productivity.
Allen, J. G., & Fonagy, P. (Eds.). (2006). The handbook of mentalization-based treatment. John Wiley & Sons.
Bateman, A. W., & Fonagy, P. (Eds.). (2012). Handbook of mentalizing in mental health practice. American Psychiatric Pub.
Davis, D. M., & Hayes, J. A. (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy, 48(2), 198.
Gallagher, R., Abikoff, H. B., & Spira, E. G. (2014). Organizational skills training for children with ADHD: An empirically supported treatment. Guilford Publications. (http://www.chadd.org/AttentionPDFs/ATTN_10_14_OST.pdf)
Zylowska, L. (2012). The mindfulness prescription for adult ADHD: An 8-step program for strengthening attention, managing emotions, and achieving your goals. Shambhala Publications.
Services
Types of services: diagnostic evaluations, psychotherapy and psychological testing for children, adolescents, and adults.
Location: The practice is located in the Washington Heights area of New York City, near the West 181 Street A train stop and within 10-minutes walking distance of the Columbia University Medical Center and the New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Telephone: 1-929-260-0121
Languages: English, Russian, French (working knowledge)
Fee: self-pay; will provide necessary paperwork for out-of-network reimbursements
What to expect:
Psychotherapy: Following an initial interview and review of any additional information (e.g., school records, prior evaluations or testing), we will discuss treatment options tailored to your needs and shown to be effective. Where appropriate, we will consider referrals to complementary treatments (e.g., support groups, medication, speech and language therapy, alternative medicine).
Testing: I specialize in full psychological evaluations that integrate analysis of social and emotional functioning, cognition, and behavior. Typically, a full psychological assessment will consist of: 1) an initial meeting to review your questions and to set goals; 2) 3-4 testing sessions in the office (for children, there also may be a school visit); 3) analysis and integration of all the information into a comprehensive assessment report, 4) feedback session to review the report and recommendations.
Bio
Dr. Yershova is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at the Columbia University Medical School, where she conducts research, teaches and supervises trainees. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of California Berkeley and completed her clinical internship and post-graduate training at the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. She has worked in outpatient, in-patient and emergency services and conducted educational and psychological assessments for university and community clinics, as well as for state, regional and international programs. When not at work, you can find her at a yoga studio, a dance workshop or on an adventure with her family.
