Affiliated Therapists
The therapists at the Manhattan Center for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy include psychologists, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical externs. Each of them has different areas of expertise and training backgrounds.
Lindsey Pappalardo, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Pappalardo specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders (including health anxiety, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety), depression, OCD, and trauma-related concerns. She also treats chronic insomnia, trichotillomania, dermatillomania, substance use issues, and chronic pain. She has a particular interest in supporting clients through navigating career changes or retirement. She works with adults of all ages and tailors evidence-based treatment to each client’s unique needs through a collaborative approach. In addition to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) Dr. Pappalardo also has expertise in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Grace Anderson, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Anderson specializes in the treatment of adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders (including generalized anxiety, phobias, social anxiety, panic attacks, and health anxiety), body-focused repetitive behaviors, insomnia, mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder), and borderline personality disorder. She has particular expertise in working with individuals navigating concerns such as self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicidal behaviors. She also frequently works with clients struggling with perfectionism and self-critical tendencies.
Rachel Chang, Psy.D.
Psychologist
Dr. Chang specializes in treating adults experiencing depression, insomnia, anxiety problems including social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, intrusive thoughts, health anxiety, procrastination, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She also treats trichotillomania, skin picking, emotion regulation difficulties, relationship problems, and eating disorders. Dr. Chang has extensive experience in providing evidence-based CBT treatments such as Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD. She regularly integrates Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and mindfulness-based interventions into her work. She has expertise working with individuals with relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, and people-pleasing tendencies. Her clients appreciate her warm and genuine manner and her emphasis on their individual goals, values, and needs.
Anna Womack, Ph.D.
Psychologist
June 2026: Dr. Womack is not currently accepting new patients.
Dr. Womack has a strong foundation in applying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) treatments to a variety of concerns, including insomnia, anxiety disorders (including social anxiety, health anxiety, OCD, and panic attacks) and mood disorders. Dr. Womack specializes in career counseling; she helps people who are considering or navigating career changes, coping with workplace stress, and seeking work-life balance.
Justin Arocho, Ph.D.
Assistant Director
Dr. Arocho specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy for adults with anxiety disorders (including panic attacks/disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder/worry, phobias, and social anxiety disorder), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, insomnia, illness/health anxiety and body-focused repetitive behaviors (including trichotillomania and skin picking). He also has expertise working with individuals with a history of vasovagal syncope, perfectionism, and low self-esteem. His approach to therapy is encouraging and collaborative, and he employs a broad range of evidence-based treatments including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I), and Habit Reversal Training (HRT), among others. He is fluent in Spanish and is highly experienced in working with LGBTQ and ethnic minority individuals.
Jenny Choi, Ph.D.
Psychologist
Dr. Choi specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders (including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, health anxiety, phobias, and panic attacks), depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma-related issues, and body-focused repetitive behaviors (including trichotillomania and skin picking). She also has expertise working with individuals who struggle with self-esteem, fear of failure, perfectionism, and procrastination. She works with teens and adults using a warm, collaborative approach. She provides culturally sensitive treatment. Dr. Choi has extensive experience providing integrative evidence-based interventions, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Habit Reversal Training (HRT), CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and mindfulness-based approaches.
Amoha Bajaj-Mahajan, Ph.D. (“Dr. Bajaj”)
Psychologist
Dr. Bajaj is an expert in the area of stress and health in adults, especially as it relates to depression, anxiety, and adjustment to medical illness. She specializes in the treatment and management of insomnia, depression, anxiety, OCD, chronic pain, smoking cessation, women’s health and intimacy, and adjustment to medical illnesses. In addition to these areas, Dr. Bajaj has experience helping those who struggle with perfectionism, rumination or negative thinking, low self-esteem, and other emotional difficulties. Dr. Bajaj has training and experience with Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and mindfulness-based interventions. Her clients have commented on her warm, genuine, and collaborative approach as she tailors treatment to each individual’s needs.
Austin Harrison, Ph.D.
Psychologist
June 2026: Dr. Harrison is not currently accepting new patients.
Dr. Harrison specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for adults with mood and anxiety disorders — namely, depression, generalized anxiety, panic disorder and agoraphobia, social anxiety, health anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He also has a particular interest in working with individuals pursuing creative endeavors who struggle with procrastination, productivity blocks, fear, and self-doubt. Dr. Harrison has training in a broad range of evidence-based interventions, including behavioral activation, exposure and response prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), CBT for insomnia, and mindfulness-based approaches.
Hannah Jerushalmy, Psy.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Jerushalmy has an additional specialty in treating concerns related to fertility and pregnancy. She has experience working with women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) or other fertility treatments, coping with pregnancy loss, and navigating navigating perinatal and postpartum challenges.
Michelle Pavony, Ph.D.
Psychologist
June 2026: Dr. Pavony is not currently accepting new patients.
Dr. Pavony specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of depression, OCD and other anxiety disorders, and is certified in Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD. She utilizes Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills to address eating disorders, social phobias, and interpersonal conflicts. She takes an individually-tailored and collaborative approach in her work with adolescents, adults, and couples, and has further clinical interests in life transitions and identity struggles.
Charlotte Gemperle
Extern
Ms. Gemperle is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Fordham University. She works with individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, OCD, body focused repetitive behaviors, and related difficulties. Prior to joining MCCBT, she trained at the Fordham Community Mental Health Clinic, where she worked with children and families in the Bronx struggling with emotion regulation. Previously, Ms. Gemperle worked as a clinic coordinator for the WaveMind Clinic, a private practice in Los Angeles serving people with anxiety, OCD, selective mutism, and behavior dysregulation. As part of this role, she also served as a behavioral counselor in the clinic’s intensive outpatient program (IOP).
Prior to her graduate work, Ms. Gemperle also conducted research at UCLA as part of the Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program. Ms. Gemperle holds a B.A. in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience from the University of Michigan. Her current research at Fordham surrounds examining the mechanisms of irritability and temper outbursts in pediatric anxiety and OCD, and the bidirectional relationship between parenting and child behavior
Arabella Peters, M.A.
Extern
Ms. Peters is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Montclair State University. She works with adults who are experiencing difficulties with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mood disorders, trichotillomania, posttraumatic stress, substance abuse, and other difficulties.
Prior to joining MCCBT, Arabella conducted comprehensive psychodiagnostic evaluations across the lifespan with an emphasis on neurodevelopmental and internalizing disorders at Carnegie Hill Psychiatry. She also has experience as a Senior Clinical Research Coordinator at the Seaver Autism Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she administered standardized cognitive, psychiatric, and neurophysiological assessments to autistic and non-autistic adults. Ms. Peters holds a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Linguistics from Emory University, as well as an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Montclair State University. Her current research focuses on the conceptualization and measurement of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive regulation in executive functioning in autistic youth.
Thariana Pichardo
Extern
Ms. Pichardo is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Fordham University. She works with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, relationship issues, and behavioral difficulties. Prior to joining MCCBT, Ms. Pichardo trained at the Fordham Community Mental Health Clinic and Inwood Community Services where she received training in a variety of modalities including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, humanistic psychology, and trauma-focused therapy. She has worked with adults across the lifespan, adolescents, and children. She conducts therapy in English and Spanish.
Ms. Pichardo holds a B.A. in Psychology and Political Science from Amherst College and an M.A. in Psychology from Fordham University. Prior to starting her doctoral training, Ms. Pichardo worked at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine where she worked with individuals on the autism spectrum. Her current research at Fordham focuses on developing resilience pathways for underserved youth’s mental health and wellbeing.
Paul B. Greene, Ph.D.
Director
Dr. Greene is an expert in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), OCD, depression, overeating, panic attacks, health anxiety, and the applications of mindfulness and meditation in the treatment of anxiety. He specializes in helping survivors of rape, assault, and accidents who develop posttraumatic anxiety. He has training in the use of exposure and response prevention, cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia. He is also certified in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
