OUR TEAM
We are a group practice that serves a diverse and dynamic clientele in New York City, Kingston, Syracuse, NY, and Fairfield, CT Our team includes New York State licensed clinical psychologists, mental health counselors, psychoanalysts, social workers, creative arts therapists, and clinical trainees. We are committed to providing passionate and compassionate treatment to you as an individual with all your current and existential struggles of any kind, emotional, relational, cultural, racial, sexual, or political. At SYNC, we are committed to racial, sexual, gender, and economic justice.
At SYNC, We integrate a variety of psychological theories into our work and we work swiftly and thoroughly, with passion and compassion to serve the needs of our clients may it be in this fast-paced city or in the community-oriented Mid-Hudson Valley. We strive to work ethically and morally sound and reduce/eliminate bias to gender, race, and culture, and increase social-political awareness. The quality of our services matters to us and our clinicians are extremely well-trained professionals and experienced in a variety of approaches and theories who work creatively and with compassion.
At SYNC, it is our mission to help clients who suffer from issues ranging from anxiety to depression, relationship issues, trauma, cultural transitions, emigration, and somatic issues. We attempt to achieve excellence in treating our clients within a close and collaborative therapeutic relationship, tailored to their personal needs and wishes for a happier life.
Our clinicians speak English, Spanish, French, Polish, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Tagalog, and German.
To see a clinician from our team, please fill out the contact form on the “getting started” page. http://syncpsych.com/get-started/contact
All clinicians are available for Telehealth. Currently, the clinician for Connecticut is Dr. Armin Kelleter, and for the Syracuse office Jessie Gowarecki, MA, LCAT. Carlos Padron is in person in Brooklyn, NY.
Dr. Silvia Birklein , Ph.D., MA, BC-DMT, LCAT, CMA, KMP
Founder and Clinical Director of SYNC, Licensed Psychologist/ Psychoanalyst, Dance Movement Therapist (BC-DMT), Certified Laban and Kestenberg Movement Analyst (CMA, KMP)
English and German speaking
Dr. Silvia Birklein is a Clinical Psychologist, Psychoanalyst, Dance Movement Therapist, and Movement Analyst. She is the Founder and Clinical Director of SYNC Psychological Services, PLLC, and SYNC SOMATICS ™ (Embodied Psychotherapy and Supervision) a group private practice and training facility in New York City, Kingston, and Syracuse.
Over the years, Dr. Birklein has worked in various psychiatric hospitals, clinics, and counseling centers, as well as with Reality TV shows as a psychologist. Additionally, she serves as a clinical supervisor and faculty member at Pace University, The New School University, and the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy (ICP).
Her training includes programs at the Institute for Critical Psychology at the Freie University in Berlin (Frankfurter School), the Fritz Perls Institute in Germany, Antioch Graduate School, The New School for Social Research, and the William Alanson White Institute and the NYU Postdoctoral Program for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Birklein also holds a degree in Dance, Performance Arts, and Dance Education from Berlin.
Dr. Birklein’s research focuses on the inter-generational transmission of affect, and the body and movement in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis with an emphasis on the nonverbal/non-semantic in the clinical setting. She specializes in Relational Psychoanalysis and in the Body and Movement/Somatics in psychoanalytic contexts and is available to provide psychodynamic, relational psychotherapy, and psychoanalysis as well as movement-informed psychotherapy.
She welcomes all populations, including artists, international clients, queer, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and/or trans., athletes, and is experienced in treating issues such as trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, relationships, cultural transitions, and pain issues.
Silvia Birklein is an international speaker and lecturer and frequently teaches in Europe and Asia on the topics of Trauma, PTSD, Intergenerational Transmission, Psychodynamic Theories and Practice, Somatics, and Body and Movement in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. She is currently also supervising faculty at the SINO Center for Mother/Infant Mental Health in Beijing and at Apollo Institute Beijing, where she analyzes parent/child videos, works with Chinese families, and teaches attachment, developmental, psychoanalytic, and relational/intersubjectivity theories and interventions.
Please see CV for publications and presentations.
Dr. Melanie Borisoff, PhD
Licensed Psychologist, PhD
Melanie Borisoff, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who received her doctorate from the New School for Social Research. Dr. Borisoff’s approach to therapy is flexible, collaborative, and supportive. Her goal is to help clients develop an awareness of thoughts, emotions, relationships, and experiences that may perpetuate symptoms and inhibit their potential to feel fulfillment in their lives. Dr. Borisoff helps clients gain insight into potentially harmful patterns and develop strategies that promote long-term change and alleviate distress. Dr. Borisoff treats a variety of problems and has extensive experience working with depression, anxiety, trauma, obsessive behaviors, and career, identity, parenting, and relationship issues.
Dr. Borisoff is currently studying psychoanalysis as a postdoctoral candidate at New York University. She is a Clinical Associate at the New School for Social Research providing supervision for doctoral candidates. Dr. Borisoff has extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. She has worked in inpatient and outpatient settings at Beth Israel Medical Center, Bronx Psychiatric Center, and at the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Hospital. At the VA hospital, Dr. Borisoff treated PTSD and depression and assisted in a suicide prevention research program. Dr. Borisoff has a background in modern dance and is a certified yoga instructor. She has been teaching and practicing yoga and meditation for the past twenty years. She considers the integration of mind and body and the affect one can have on the other in her work with clients.
She worked for several years in Japan at an international counseling center treating adolescents and adults from across the globe and served as interim clinical director providing supervision to therapists. She developed an acute awareness of the kinds of challenges that may arise for individuals, couples, and families while adjusting to a new environment and is particularly attuned to understanding clients’ issues and therapeutic goals within a cultural context.
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Dr. Anna Jankowska, Supervisor
Licensed Psychologist, PhD
Anna Jankowska, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (NY) who received her doctorate in Psychology from the University of Gdansk, Poland. She serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Baruch College (Department of Psychology) and her research interest led her to academic collaboration and exchange programs with McGill University (Canada), Brooklyn College (U.S.), Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (Spain), and Universidad de Complutense (Spain). Anna is currently a trainee in Transference-Focused Psychotherapy at Columbia University and at the Intensive Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy Program at William Alanson White Institute.
Dr. Jankowska gained experience in various cultural contexts and she practiced in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. She is experienced in treating persons struggling with chronic stress, life crises, depression, anxiety, loss and grief, health issues, career and work-life balance difficulties, parenting, and relationship issues.
Dr. Jankowska’s approach is grounded in psychodynamic psychotherapy and mentalization-based therapy. Her role as a psychotherapist is to facilitate growth and alleviate pain through the exploration of thoughts, feelings, and unresolved conflicts. Thus, in the therapeutic process, she guides her patients through the gradual discovery of the basis for their issues by improving their insight into their current self, their understanding of their past experiences, and their ability to recognize their own mental states (as well as others). She strongly believes that fostering an understanding of own mental experiences initiates a healing process. Dr. Jankowska provides psychotherapy in Polish and English.
Dr. Armin Kelleter, Supervisor
Licensed Psychologist, Ph.D. (NY and CT)
Armin Kelleter received his M.A. in General Psychology and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the New School for Social Research in New York where he was trained in a range of therapeutic approaches including long and short-term Psychodynamic Therapy, as well as cognitive-behavioral approaches including standard Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Schema Therapy. He has received intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) from the Linehan Institute and has extensive training and experience in other mindfulness-based and meditative approaches.
Dr. Kelleter’s clinical experience includes work in hospitals with inpatient and outpatient populations, school-based mental health, as well as community and geriatric mental health. He has experience working with individuals experiencing a wide range of difficulties including depression, anxiety, psychotic conditions, and the assessment and treatment of personality disorders.
Dr. Joshua Pearl
Clinical Psychologist, PhD; Postdoctoral Fellow
I am a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with adults of all ages. I’m especially interested in working with those who feel that, somehow, they are more than what they have become (in their relationships, work, school, or passions). In our work together, I aim to provide a calm and nurturing space where we can hear your story, with all of its struggles and triumphs, the way it should be told. Many people find this refreshing in and of itself – they may never have been listened to, or listened to themselves, in quite this way ever before. I believe that by truly listening to what you have to say, we can find out what has been holding you back. Again and again, I’ve seen my clients take decisive steps forward when they emerge from the confusion in which they are stuck and begin to form a clear picture of themselves and their situations.
In my experience, I’ve found that it can be especially helpful to explore the places where the story “breaks down” – the discontinuities if you will. Part of what I’m trained to do is listen for these places and help guide you in looking into them.
On a personal level, I’m deeply committed to the process of psychotherapy. There is always more to learn, I find, about the mysterious inner workings of how and why people change their lives for the better. I hope you have found this introduction helpful, and that I have the chance to learn something from you as well.
Lorena Strunk, LCSW – Supervisor
Licensed Clinical Social Worker – Psychoanalyst
After a few years of practicing as a lawyer and law professor, Lorena received her MSW from Stony Brook University and later earned her LCSW after completing a supervised practice at a community mental health clinic in East Hampton, NY. Lorena is also a corresponding member of the French psychoanalytic association “Association Lacanienne Internationale” (ALI) in Paris. Lorena’s clinical experience encompasses working with children and adolescents, couples, and adults. She has a special interest in working with women and the particular issues they face as daughters, mothers, wives, and professionals. She has confronted cases of sexual abuse, incestuous relations, and molestation in various degrees and she feels comfortable working with patients who have experienced trauma from such experiences. She has also addressed issues related to exile, adaptation, and nostalgia.
Lorena’s approach to cases is based on her strong formation in psychoanalysis. She works to understand the uniqueness of each individual, employing the powers of free association and transference. She is an excellent listener and develops strong therapeutic relationships with her patients.
Lorena is fluent in French and Spanish and can work with patients in these languages as well as in English.
Nichole Schermerhorn, LMHC, Psy.D, MS
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Psychologist
Nichole is a New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) # 004598-1. She holds a Doctorate degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Human Services Counseling. Nichole has been in practice for over 24 years and she really enjoys helping people. Her counseling style is warm, positive, conversational, and collaborative. She has worked in a variety of settings providing psychotherapy for those struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, stress management, career struggles, military lifestyles, adjustment and behavioral dysregulation, ADHD, parenting/caregiver-coaching, addiction, and grief.
Nichole combines Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Energy Psychology, Mindfulness techniques, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution Focused therapies. She also tailors her approach to fit individual needs. It is truly a privilege to provide a supportive environment for anyone as they negotiate challenging times. Welcome to SYNC Psychological Services and I look forward to working with you.
Carlos Padrón, MA, MPhil, LP – Supervisor
M.A.; Licensed Psychoanalyst (LP)
Brooklyn, NY– In Person
Carlos Padrón is a bilingual (Spanish, English) licensed psychoanalyst/psychotherapist who has advanced training in psychoanalysis at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR), a component member of the International Psychoanalytic Association. He originally studied philosophy, then earned an MA in philosophy with a concentration in psychoanalysis at the New School for Social Research, and finally an MPhil in Latin American literature at New York University.
He has been a teaching fellow at NYU and a faculty member at John Jay College (CUNY), the Contemporary Freudian Society, and the China-American Psychoanalytic Alliance. Carlos is currently a faculty member at IPTAR where he co-teaches a class on clinical aspects of diversity. He also teaches a Seminar on Psychodynamic Theory at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College (CUNY). Carlos participated in the documentary Psychoanalysis in El Barrio, a film on working psychoanalytically with underprivileged Latinx patients in the U.S., and has given many talks and published on this topic. Lately, he published an essay in the edited volume Psychoanalysis in the Barrios (Routledge, 2019). Carlos has been a supervisor in different settings and is currently a clinical associate of the New School Psychotherapy Program.
Carlos has years of working in outpatient mental health clinics and a private setting. Carlos’s experience as a professional listener, together with his background in the Humanities, has made him especially attuned to the question of how to embrace and find strength in our difference and uniqueness while remaining engaged with the world. He has worked with a range of issues including depression, anxiety, sexual trauma, PTSD, relationship-related, work-related, academic, and personality disorders, and is deeply committed to working with issues related to cultural, racial, and sexual differences, as well as immigration. Carlos also speaks Spanish.
Licensed Social Worker
Meredith specializes in anxiety, depression, trauma, self-esteem, relationship issues, sexuality, spirituality, and identity formation. She is equipped to support trans and gender-questioning individuals. Meredith is especially interested in helping patients investigate patterns that create feelings of being “stuck,” as well as parts of the self that feel incongruous.
Meredith sees therapy as a collaboration toward your self-exploration and healing. Her approach is, above all else, to be with you with thoughtful attention and genuine curiosity. Together, we will look at your inner and outer worlds. Your thoughts, feelings, bodily experiences, impulses, memories, or wishes can illuminate new facets of your sense of self and other. Deepening your self-understanding in this way makes space for living into new ways of thinking, feeling, being, and acting. Although challenging at times, this gentle yet powerful process can yield a greater sense of authenticity and vitality in your life.
Melissa Portan, LMSW, M.Ed
Licensed Sexologist – She/Her
Melissa Portan is a licensed sexologist who completed her two master’s degrees at Widener University’s Center for Human Sexuality Studies. She specializes in sex and relationship therapy, spirituality, meditation, and religious trauma. She uses Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) both when working with couples and individuals, as well as Narrative Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and mindfulness. She also draws from Eastern spirituality and practices like yoga and Tantra and occasionally incorporates Tarot as a tool for inspiration and reflection. Melissa approaches sensitive topics such as religion and sexuality with the utmost respect for a person’s beliefs and experiences, being sure to honor their individual chosen path. She believes therapy is exploratory, educational, and collaborative, and she uses a holistic and strengths-based approach to bring about change in her clients’ lives. In her time before SYNC, Melissa was a special education tutor, then a special education teacher, and then a parent trainer for parents with children with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Because of her extensive background in education and her love of learning, Melissa has helped many clients navigate the stressors of school. Parents and students with or without disabilities and/or learning differences have worked with Melissa to overcome systemic and internal obstacles. As a therapist, she has treated clients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), depression, anxiety, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She has also treated clients who survived sexual abuse, rape, childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, and intimate partner violence. And she has helped gender-questioning clients explore their identities and transition to their true selves. Other areas of treatment include LGBTQIA+ relationships and issues, sexuality, sexual dysfunction issues (low arousal, erectile dysfunction/premature ejaculation, etc.), kink, and BDSM.
Melissa is a native Spanish speaker. She provides therapy both in English and Spanish.
Lauren Taliaferro, MHC-LP, NCC
Welcome! I’m Lauren (she/her/hers), and I’m a Limited Permit Mental Health Counselor here in NY. After receiving my Bachelor’s degree in Psychobiology from SUNY New Paltz, I went on to earn my Master’s in Mental Health Counseling from Pace University in Pleasantville, and I’ve been working closely with clients since. I’ve been trained in many therapy modalities, but my focus is Psychodynamic and Person-Centered therapies. With this, the emphasis is on tailoring therapy to your needs since there is no one like you while uncovering your unconscious thinking & behavior patterns in order to encourage deeper self-awareness. As we progress, we’ll use techniques and skills from other approaches when appropriate (such as CBT, mindfulness, and strength-based therapy), to make sure your treatment is well-rounded.
I work from a compassionate, holistic, and judgment-free approach, aimed to help you navigate the rough waters of life that we often find ourselves in. I have experience working with people from all walks of life, including individuals & families of all kinds of bodies/ability levels, ages, genders, sexualities, cultures, religions, etc. As a Black woman, I specialize in working with BIPOC clients, many of whom are faced with the impacts of stressful work lives, caregiving responsibilities, unresolved traumas that result in anxiety/ depression, chronic physical & mental health conditions, relationship difficulties, parenthood, in addition to the everyday difficulties that inherently come with being a person of color. With that being said, individuals of all races and backgrounds are warmly welcomed and respected here. If any of these hardships hit close to home for you, you are in the right place.
Life is not something we can or should do alone, and I commend you for taking this step to seek support. It would be my honor to assist you as you take this journey toward healing and general wellness. You’ve survived long enough, now it’s time to thrive. Let’s begin!
Jessie Gaworecki, MA, R-DMT, LCAT-P- Clinical Trainee” tab_id=”1605464899275-c63a1008-4ea8″]
Jessie Gaworecki , MA, R-DMT, LCAT-P
Creative Arts Therapist/Dance Movement Therapist
Jessie Gaworecki is a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist, a certified RYT-200 teacher with the Yoga Alliance, and a certified Reiki Level II practitioner. She received her MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling at Antioch University. Jessie is passionate about the power of integrating the body, mind, and spirit; using her knowledge of clinical practice, neuroscience, Eastern philosophies, Yoga, and movement systems to inform her work with individuals and groups. She facilitates the experience of healing and well-being through mindfulness, expressive arts therapies, evidence-based techniques, and ecotherapy. Jessie is currently immersed in her training as a 500-hour yoga teacher, where she is integrating the frameworks of Kundalini Yoga, Ayurveda, Enneagram, and hormonal cycles, to then develop individualized, holistic programs that recalibrate the body systems for total well-being.
Jessie understands it can be intimidating to dive into the body or the arts, so she paces each session based on where her clients feel comfortable. Her perspective as a therapist is that she is both a fellow traveler and a guide on the therapeutic journey. With compassion and guidance, she leads clients from mindfulness into embodiment and expression, proceeding to resolution and transformation of what holds them back in life.
She specializes in working with the LGBTQIA+ community, trauma, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and relationship and identity issues. Her offerings include individual therapy sessions as well as private yoga.
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Administration
Pete Stott
Practice Manager, Insurance Specialist, Certified Medical Biller & Coder; Musician
Ron Luca
Claim Specialist; Musician