Category: Alumni in the Spotlight


Dr. Carol Torossian is a Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry’s Center of Excellence on Brain Aging.  She is a member of a highly trained multi-disciplinary team of medical professionals which includes neurologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, internists and nurses. Her specific responsibilities include performing translational and clinical research, educating medical professionals and providing evidence-based geriatric care.  As a key member of the Center of Excellence on Brain Aging, she helps to provide “one-stop” multi-disciplinary evaluation and clinical care in the early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders affecting cognition.

Dr. Torossian received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University, C.W. Post, as part of the entering Class of 1992.  Dr. Torossian’s has since gone on to become a renowned scientist and medical researcher.  Her numerous research studies have focused on the Alzheimer’s disease process in order to develop new diagnostic tools and therapies as well as psychosocial interventions for patients and caregivers.  She was part of the team that demonstrated that the earliest manifestations of Alzheimer disease can be detected through an EEG brain scan (Science Daily, 2005). Some of the results from Dr. Torossian’s other research studies can be found in the following journal articles including: Outcome Over Seven Years of Healthy Adults With And Without Subjective Cognitive Impairment (Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2010); The Pre-Mild Cognitive Impairment, Subjective Cognitive Impairment Stage of Alzheimer’s Disease (Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2008); Mortality and Temporal Course of Probable Alzheimer’s Disease: A 5-Year Prospective Study (International Psychogeriatrics, 2005); and Alzheimer’s Disease And Medical Disease Conditions: A Prospective Cohort Study (Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 2005).  Dr. Torassian has also helped to co-authored a chapter entitled Staging Dementia, in the book, Principles and Practice of Geriatric Psychiatry, 3rd Edition (Editors: Abou-Saleh, Katona, Kumar, 2011).  She is a member and has also been a presenter at the International Psychogeriatric Association.

Beyond her work as a medical researcher, Dr. Torossian also has a private clinical practice working with adults and the elderly.  She provides both psychotherapy and psychological evaluation services.  Major clinical areas addressed within her practice include: healthy aging, geriatric issues, and early treatment of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.  For further information, Dr. Torossian can be reached at carol.torossian@med. nyu.edu.

Congratulations to Dr. Torossian on her many accomplishments!

Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D. 

Professor of Psychology

Program Director

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

Distinguished Alumni Spotlight (April, 2011)

Dr. Jesse Suh is a clinical research psychologist and an investigator for the VISN 4 Mental Illness, Research Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center where he oversees the MIRECC Neuroimaging Research Program. He is Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Center for Studies of Addiction. Using the latest therapies and neuroimaging techniques, he examines novel treatment approaches and behavior-brain vulnerability factors in the co-morbid conditions of substance addiction and PTSD. Dr. Suh’s primary responsibilities include submitting research grants, overseeing research projects, conducting assessment and treatment, analyzing behavior and neuroimaging data and publishing results.

Dr. Suh received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University, C.W. Post, as part of the entering Class of 1996. He then went on to complete the NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Studies of Addiction at the University of Pennsylvania. He has received research grants from NIH-NIDA to study the role of affect regulation in cocaine dependent patients, and from VA-MIRECC to investigate behavior-brain vulnerability factors in veterans with PTSD using behavioral and neuroimaging assessment tools. He has presented at various national and international conferences, and has published numerous book chapters and scientific journal articles on substance addiction and co-morbid conditions. Several of his most recent journal articles include: Effects of Varenicline on Smoking Cue-triggered Neural and Craving Responses (Archives of General Psychiatry, 2011), Identifying Marijuana Use in High-Risk Veterans for Targeted Screening (Journal of Addiction Medicine, 2010), Low Prefrontal Perfusion Linked to Depression Symptoms in Methadone-Maintained Opiate-Dependent Patients (Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2009), and Gender Differences in Predictors of Treatment Attrition with High-dose Naltrexone in Cocaine and Alcohol Dependence (American Journal of Addiction, 2008).

Dr. Suh’s core research and clinical interests lie in the area of substance addiction, co-morbid conditions, and treatment. He maintains a private practice in Philadelphia working with adolescents, adults and their families with trauma experiences and/or substance abuse problems, with the aim of facilitating a therapeutic environment, promoting emotional growth and building coping skills. As a Korean-American clinician, he possesses invaluable experience in working with Asian adolescent and adult clients, with emphasis on cultural, acculturation and intra-familial issues. For further information, Dr. Suh can be reached at Suh_J@mail.trc.upenn.edu.

Dr. Suh will be coming back to Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, on April 28, 2011.  In the morning, he will receive a Distinguished Alumni Award at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Award Ceremony. In the afternoon, he will give a campus-wide lecture entitled Using Affect-Related Behavioral-and Brain-Markers to Predict Relapse and Resilience in Substance Abuse.

Congratulations to Dr. Suh on his many accomplishments!

Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D. 

Professor of Psychology 

Program Director

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

 

Dr. Andrew Schuler is a renowned speaker, consultant and leadership coach who helps people and organizations become more effective and profitable, focus on their missions and maximize growth opportunities.  He is also the founder of Schuler Solutions, a management consulting company, which specializes in organizational change consulting and reorganization, team building, seminars and workshops and mergers and acquisitions.  Through his company’s products and services he helps clients develop more skills, profit, growth and productivity.  He has designed two proprietary products including the Teamwork Starts With Me Program and Growth Architectureâ, a strategy which when applied to an organization, effects meaningful, systemic change.  He has served diverse organizations in the private and public sectors including The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Sony Development, Nomura Securities, The National Institutes of Health, Sun International Resorts, Pepperidge Farm, The Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Godiva Chocolate and Crowne Plaza Hotels.

Dr. Schuler received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University, C.W. Post, as part of the entering Class of 1991.  He also earned his M.B.A. as a graduate of the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia, PA. Before starting his own consulting practice, he was the Operations Director for Talent+, Inc. an international consulting organization specializing in human resource selection and the development of high performance organizational cultures.  He is an accomplished workshop and seminar leader and his most popular programs include: How to Mentor for Success, Promoting Change Through People, and Motivate Sales Professionals for Peak Performance.  Through Lorenzo Publishing, the publications division of Schuler Solutions, Dr. Schuler has authored two books titled: 99 Negotiation Nuggets for Winners: Principles Guaranteed to Get You What You Want and Need in Your Life, Business and Career (2004), and You Say You Want a Revolution: How To Transform Your Company From Within (2005).  He has also written numerous articles and newsletters which can be found on his corporate website, www.schulersolutions.com.

Dr. Schuler’s core clinical interests lie in the area of leadership coaching and corporate change.  His work as a leadership coach has allowed him to study under and learn from top executive leaders, company presidents and chairpersons.  As a leadership coach, he works to become a strong partner and ally for his clients, creating a dynamic relationship in order to maximize each person’s learning style, strengths and stage of leadership development.  He believes in the positive approach and focuses on strengthening an individual’s unique talents so that limitations or weaknesses become irrelevant.  Dr. Schuler has successfully coached over 500 CEO’s and corporate executives.  For further information, Dr. Schuler can be reached at Speaker@AJSchuler.com.

Congratulations to Dr. Schuler on his many accomplishments!

 

Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

Program Director

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

December’s Distinguished Alumni Spotlight:

Dr. Dawn Cuglietto is a Director and licensed psychologist at St. Mary’s Hospital in New York, NY.  Following hospitalizations in acute care facilities, children with special needs and life-threatening conditions and their families come to St. Mary’s to receive intensive rehabilitation, specialized care and education in order to learn to manage their illness or injury, and achieve a better quality of life. One such specialty program at St. Mary’s is the Center for Pediatric Feeding Disorders.  In this combined day and in-patient treatment program, Dr. Cuglietto oversees a team of interdisciplinary professionals including pediatric gastroenterologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, behavioral psychologists, nutritionists, social workers and pediatric nurse practitioners who treat children with dysphagia and/or a feeding aversion.  Her specific responsibilities include supervising and conducting comprehensive evaluations, and developing individualized treatment plans aligned with parent’s goals, therapeutic meals, and nutritional implementation.  Utilizing a family-centered behavioral approach strategy, Dr. Cuglietto and her team of feeding disorder specialists assist children who present with difficulties such as mealtime tantrums, food refusal, nutritional deficiencies, failure to thrive, dependence on liquids, poor chewing/swallowing skills and extreme weight loss.

Dr. Cuglietto received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University, C.W. Post, as part of the entering Class of 1995.  Beyond her work at the Feeding Disorder Center at St. Mary’s, Dr. Cuglietto supervises a Chronic Illness Management psychology externship program and the second rotation in a Pediatric Neuropsychology/ Child Health Psychology postdoctoral fellowship program at St. Mary’s.  She also serves as The Ask The Expert on St. Mary’s nutritional advice column.  She has recently received the High-5 Honor Roll Platinum Award at St. Mary’s in recognition of her work and dedication.  In addition to her numerous roles at St. Mary’s, Dr. Cuglietto has her own independent practice where she consults with families, schools and medical professionals.  Her private practice specialties include child/adolescent development, building emotional/social competence in children, developmental disabilities, chronic illness, and sensory/behavioral treatment of feeding disorders.

Dr. Cuglietto’s core research interests lie in the area of child health psychology, chronic illness and feeding disorders.  For further information, Dr. Cuglietto can be reached by email at dcuglietto@stmaryskids.org or through her Ask The Expert Tip Advice column at stmaryskids.org/patients-and-families/family-resources/feeding-and-nutrition-tips.

Congratulations to Dr. Cuglietto on her many accomplishments!

Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

Program Director

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

November’s Distinguished Alumni Spotlight:

Dr. Josephine Minardo is the current Executive Director of the New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA) and the only early career psychologist (ECP) in the country to hold this kind of distinguished position.  She has a long history of leadership in state psychological association affairs, spanning over a decade, and has held numerous elected and appointed positions at both the state and national levels, in the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA) and the American Psychological Association (APA).  Among her current roles, she is the Chair of APA’s Committee on Early Career Psychologists, and serves on APA’s Committee of State Leaders, the Executive Board of APA Division 31 (State Affairs) and as the ECP liaison to the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). She has been very active in the psychology training community since graduate school and has made significant contributions to graduate student and ECP initiatives in NY and nationally.

Prior to joining NJPA, Dr. Minardo was Assistant Clinical Professor for 4½ years in the Dept. of Family and Social Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. There, she trained resident physicians in behavioral science and providing patient-centered care. She also served as Externship Coordinator for the training program in primary care psychology and was involved in program development for community-based initiatives aimed at improving diabetes self-management. Dr. Minardo currently maintains a small independent practice in White Plains, NY specializing in behavioral medicine.

Dr. Minardo is also principal and founder of Psych Internship Prep, an innovative and specialized consulting service on psychology internship preparation that provides personalized consultations to applicants on a variety of issues including application review, essay/cover letter editing, CV makeovers, as well as interview coaching.  Her website www.psychinternshipprep.com also offers webinars on a wide range of internship preparation topics, along with a number of other resources. Dr. Minardo has developed and presented Internship Preparation Workshops for over 10 years at NYSPA’s Internship Fair and for other states, including Connecticut, Maryland and Arkansas.

Dr. Minardo received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University, C.W. Post, as part of the entering Class of 1996.  She has her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Fordham University.  She has held several teaching positions as Assistant Professor at the Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine as well as Adjunct Professor at Westchester Community College and at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.  She has written several journal articles including, I Have Diabetes: How to Talk About It (Diabetic Living Magazine, Fall 2008) as well as The Trust Equation: Enhance Patient Trust and Remove Doubt with Two-Way Communication (American Chiropractic Association Journal, Spring 2008).  Dr. Minardo is also a well-known speaker and workshop presenter on a wide range of graduate student, ECP and internship related issues.  She has also received numerous honors and awards in the field of psychology including the National Register Early Career Psychologists Credentialing Scholarship, the NYSPA Distinguished Service Award and the NYSPA Sidney Orgel Memorial Award.

For further information, Dr. Minardo can be reached via her website, www.psychinternshipprep.com or by email at psychinternship@optonline.net or josie1doc@optonline.net.

Congratulations to Dr. Minardo on her many accomplishments!

 

Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

Program Director

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

Distinguished Alumni Spotlight

 

Dr. Gil Tippy is the Clinical Director and a Founder of the Rebecca School in New York, NY.  The Rebecca School is a therapeutic day school for children 4 to 21 with neurodevelopmental disorders of relating and communication, including PDD and autism.  Utilizing the Developmental, Individual difference, Relationship-based model (DIR) which has as its core belief that relationships are the foundation of learning, Dr. Tippy helps to develop a specialized clinical program for each child based on his/her own individual motor and sensory processing issues as well as unique strengths.  He is in private practice in Oyster Bay, New York where he sees children and adults who are not on the developmental spectrum, and he is the founder of a not for profit foundation specializing in providing developmental services consistent with the DIR/Floortime philosophy.

Dr. Tippy received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University, C.W. Post, as part of the entering Class of 1993.  He has been either a teacher or a psychologist for the last 32 years.  He was directly supervised by Stanley Greenspan, M.D., who created the DIR model.  Dr. Tippy is also a well known author and speaker.  He recently co-authored a book with Dr. Greenspan, Case Studies in DIR/Floortime Model in the School Setting: The Rebecca School Casebook for Parents and Professionals. He also co-authored a journal article, Attachment and Autism: Parental Attachment Representations and Relational Behaviors in the Parent-Child Dyad (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2010) as well as contributed a chapter on DIR/Floortime in the book, Cutting Edge Therapies for Autism 2010-2011 (Seri & Lyons, 2010).  His most recent speaking engagements include a talk entitled, A Complicated Friendship: DIR and Music Therapy, at the annual conference of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association in Pittsburgh, PA and a talk entitled, School as Home in Autism, at Columbia University Children’s Rights Group at Columbia University in New York, NY.

Dr. Tippys’s core research interests lie in the area of child development, parental attachment, ASD and PDD.  For further information, Dr. Tippy can be reached via his Child Development Blog at http://drgiltippy.wordpress.com, his facebook account, http://www.facebook.com/ people/Gil-Tippy/708181508, his twitter account, http://twitter.com/DrGilTippy or by email at Drtippy@hotmail.com.

Congratulations to Dr. Tippy on his many accomplishments!

 

Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

Program Director

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

Distinguished Alumni Spotlight

Dr. Manuel Guantez is the Executive Director of Turning Point in Verona, Secaucus and Paterson, NJ.  Turning Point is a behavioral health treatment program that focuses on alcohol and substance abuse addictions as well as their co-occurring disorders.  Turning Point serves clients across the state of New Jersey.  Under Dr. Guantez’s leadership, Turning Point has expanded beyond residential treatment programs for men and women to include the recent acquisition of a significant portion of Barnert Hospital in Paterson, NJ, the opening of an outpatient program in Verona, New Jersey, and the launch of a new family program in Verona, NJ.

Dr. Guantez is an international speaker and consultant working with the United Nations to help other countries achieve the gains in combating addiction that we have seen here in the United States.  He has been singled out as an important contributor in shaping statewide policy and practices in mental health and substance abuse, and has served on the New Jersey Division of Addiction Services’ Residential Licensure Standards Revision Committee, the Residential Treatment Services Committee and the Quality Standards Substance Abuse Treatment Committee.  He currently serves as Chair of the State Professional Advisory Committee on addictions and is the co-chair of the state mental health association co-occurring disorders committee.  He was an Assistant Professor at Montclair State University and taught all core graduate and undergraduate courses in addiction and mental health.

Dr. Guantez received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Montclair State University.  He received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University, C.W. Post, as part of the entering Class of 1994 and graduated in 1999.  He is a former U.S. Marine and Presidential Honor Guard.  For further information, Dr. Guantez can be reached at MGuantez@tpnj.org.

Congratulations to Dr. Guantez on his many accomplishments!

Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

Program Director

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

April’s Distinguished Alumni Spotlight:

Dr. Fotini-Sonia Apergi is the Director of the M.S. in Applied Psychology Program and a Professor of Psychology at Deree, The American College of Greece in Athens, Greece. She teaches numerous courses in Psychology including Abnormal Psychology and Child & Adolescent Psychopathology. She also coordinates the practicum training and teaches the practicum seminars in the Applied Psychology Program.

Dr. Apergi received her M.A. in general psychology from New York University. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University, C.W. Post, as part of the entering Class of 1996. After working as a clinician in several U.S. mental health and school settings, Dr. Apergi returned to Greece and joined the faculty at Deree in 2004. She has co-authored numerous journal articles including Clinical and Neurocognitive Effects of Clozapine and Risperidone in Treatment – Refractory Schizophrenic Patients: A Prospective Study (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, October, 1998.) In her article, Dr. Apergi describes how both drugs were effective across a wide spectrum of psychopathologic measures although in longer trials, cloazpine may be superior given its associated fewer side effects.

Dr. Apergi’s core research interests lie in the area of domestic and relationship violence and child abuse. She is also in private practice and contributes as a school consultant. For further information, Dr. Apergi can be reached at tapergi@acgmail.gr. Congratulations to Dr. Apergi on her many accomplishments!

Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

 Program Director Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

Dr. Linda Daniels is the Co-Director of the Psy.D. Forensic Concentration at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in Boston, MA.  Her responsibilities include teaching and training doctoral students to become forensic psychologists.  She oversees the various forensic concentration components including: core forensic coursework, student placement at forensic field internship sites and forensic psychology doctoral projects.  Dr. Daniels was also the former Senior Psychologist in the New York State Juvenile Court system where she discovered her passion for forensic psychology.  Dr. Daniels is a current medical-board appointed clinical affiliate of Long Island Jewish Medical Center.  She is a licensed psychologist in Massachusetts and New York.  She treats children, adolescents and adults in her private practice. 

Besides her expertise in forensic psychology, Dr. Daniels also has extensive experience in trauma.  She is an American Academy board-certified expert in traumatic stress and Emergency Crisis Management and a former State of Massachusetts Trainer of Behavioral Health Disaster Response to Mental Health and Substance Abuse Professionals.  When working as the Chief Psychologist at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, she herself became a trauma survivor.  On September 11, 2001, she was working on the 62nd floor of the North Tower when the first plane hit.  She continued working with trauma survivors at Port Authority for the next three years before moving to Massachusetts.  Dr. Daniels is also a court-qualified expert witness and is frequently hired by attorneys to provide trauma evaluations in civil court proceedings. She currently serves as a consultant with the Transportation Security Administration for Homeland Security.

Dr. Daniels received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University, C.W. Post as part of the entering class of 1991.  She graduated from the program in 1995.   In addition to her other achievements, Dr. Daniels is also a renowned author, consultant and presenter.  She has been published in various peer-reviewed journals including: Journal of Psychotherapy Practice & Research, Psychological Reports and the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal.   She is the author of Healing Journeys: How Trauma Survivors Learn to Live Again (Publishers Group West, April 2004).   In her book, Dr. Daniels describes how survivors of 9/11found different paths toward healing.  She offers specific coping strategies to utilize during the various stages of recovery including: breathing exercises, use of imagery, journal writing and reaching out to others.  She also explains that recovery is very individual and that it does not always take a linear path.  Dr. Daniels has also served as a panel expert and featured guest on television and at professional conferences. For further information, Dr. Daniels can be reached at linda_daniels@mspp.edu.

Dr. Daniels will be coming back to Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, on April 29, 2010.  In the morning, she will receive the first Distinguished Alumni Award at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Award Ceremony. In the afternoon, she will give a campus-wide lecture entitled Adolescent brain development and the juvenile justice system: Beyond a preponderance of the evidence

Congratulations to Dr. Daniels on her many accomplishments!

Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D. 

Professor of Psychology 

Program Director

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program

Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

February Distinguished Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Nancy Nichols-Goldstein 

Dr. Nancy Nichols-Goldstein is a Senior Psychologist at the Bellevue Forensic Psychiatry Clinic in New York, NY.  She conducts “fitness to proceed” evaluations and write opinions for both the Criminal and Supreme Courts for adolescent and adult clients with severe and persistent mental illness who are unable to live safely in the community without assistance.  Specifically, Dr. Nichols-Goldstein interviews people involved at all points along the criminal justice process, from ple-pleading through after sentence, to determine if criteria are met for a diagnosis of mental illness and to make recommendations.  She also conducts psychological testing as indicated and supervises psychology externs.

Dr. Nichols-Goldstein received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT and her Master’s of Arts Degree from the New School for Social Research.  She earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University, C.W. Post, as part of the entering Class of 1994.  She also has advanced training in Critical Issues in American Psychiatry and the Law from the Postgraduate Medical School of New York University.  Dr. Nichols-Goldstein is a member of the Society for Personal Assessment (SPA).  She has taught clinical interviewing, group dynamics, psychological analysis of criminal behavior, criminal psychopathology in literature and personality theory and concepts of psychotherapy at John Jay College.  She is the author of numerous journal articles including The Essence of Effective Leadership with Adolescent Groups: Regression in the Service of the Ego (Journal of Child and Adolescent Group Therapy, October 2004.)  In her article, Dr. Nichols-Goldstein describes how the effective therapist working with adolescents must be able to temporarily and partially regress when creating exercises or using props to connect with adolescent reality.

Dr. Nichols-Goldstein’s interests include clinical/forensic interviewing and the psychological analysis of criminal psychopathology in literature.  She will also be returning to Long Island University, C.W. Post, as a SMART speaker where she will discuss the topic, Forensic Aspects of Psychology.  For further information, Dr. Nichols-Goldstein can be reached at nngoldstein@gmail.com.

 Congratulations to Dr. Nichols-Goldstein on her many accomplishments!

Eva L. Feindler, Ph.D. 

Professor of Psychology, Program Director, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program, Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus

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