Relational Therapist
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
NY LCSW Lic# 097699-01
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BA in Experimental Writing, Hampshire College 2000
MSW, Fordham University, Graduate School of Social Service 2011
Ambassador of Compassion, Stanford University CCARE 2021
A guiding theme in my work
A guiding theme in my work
“No mud, no lotus.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
Growth often begins when we gently turn toward what is difficult rather than away from it. Therapy can be a place where that process happens with curiosity, compassion, and support.
Therapeutic Approaches
Therapeutic Approaches
In my work providing individual, couples, relationship, and adult family therapy in New York, I draw from several therapeutic approaches that support insight, emotional regulation, and healthier relationships. Rather than relying on one rigid method, I integrate different perspectives depending on what will be most supportive for the individual, couple, relationship, or family in front of me.
These approaches support people navigating anxiety, relationship challenges, communication difficulties, betrayal, life transitions, and patterns that feel hard to shift alone.
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Compassion Focused Therapy helps people develop a kinder and more supportive relationship with themselves. This approach can be especially helpful for people struggling with shame, anxiety, or a strong inner critic. Together we work to build self-compassion, emotional balance, and greater resilience.
Mindful Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
Mindful Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
Mindful Nonviolent Communication supports clearer and more compassionate dialogue in relationships. In therapy we slow down communication, identify underlying feelings and needs, and practice speaking and listening in ways that reduce defensiveness and increase understanding.
Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness Practices
Mindfulness practices cultivate awareness of thoughts, emotions, and body sensations in the present moment. These practices support grounding, emotional regulation, and a greater sense of steadiness in daily life.
Psychoanalytic & Insight-Oriented Therapy
Psychoanalytic & Insight-Oriented Therapy
Insight-oriented and psychoanalytic therapy explores deeper patterns that shape how we experience ourselves and others. By bringing curiosity to past experiences and unconscious dynamics, we begin to understand repeating patterns and open space for new possibilities.
Relational Life Therapy (RLT)
Relational Life Therapy (RLT)
Relational Life Therapy focuses on improving communication and creating more honest, connected relationships. Often used in couples therapy, this approach helps partners recognize patterns that keep them stuck and practice more direct, respectful ways of relating.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps identify patterns in thinking that influence emotions and behavior. By recognizing these patterns, we can experiment with new ways of responding to anxiety, stress, and everyday challenges.
A little more about Reine.....
Curiosity about the human condition and a deep belief that people can grow over time guide me. I’ve always loved listening, learning, and becoming immersed in people’s stories. Therapy felt like a natural fit.
Before becoming a social worker in 2011, I was working at the intersection of books and art. Trained as a classical bookbinder, I created artist books exploring communication, identity, relationships and the meaning of it all. These themes have stayed with me and shape how I show up as a therapist — with creativity, care, and respect for the many layers of a person’s inner world.
In 2019, I entered the world of compassion studies. As the external world shut down, I focused on opening internally and learning what it means to build a more expansive, grounded form of care for myself and for others. I completed Stanford’s Applied Compassion Training program and became an Ambassador of Compassion — an overly official name for trying to be a better human — an experience that transformed both my personal life and my clinical work. Compassion, for ourselves and others, is the core of my practice. The Buddhist tenet of embodiment is something I reflect on daily. My teacher Robert Cusick cracked something open for me through his practice of embodiment and presence.
My therapeutic work is collaborative and grounded in curiosity. I’m not here to fix, judge, or rush you. We look honestly at what’s happening in your life and relationships, stay with the hard moments long enough to understand them, and build the skills you need to create real, lasting change. The work can be challenging, but it can also be surprising, meaningful, and even occasionally fun.
Learning and changing are values I hold deeply. I believe therapy is a space where people can grow into themselves with clarity, groundedness, and psychological flexibility. I would be honored to support you in that process.
If you'd like a sense of the ideas that continue to shape my work, you can also visit ideas I return to.
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