for N.Y.S. Psychiatric Institute & Columbia Presbyterian. He also supervises doctoral interns from both Yeshiva-Ferkauf and Hofstra Universities and is an adjunct clinical supervisor for Yeshiva University Graduate School of Psychology.  He trains various mental health experts and professionals in CBT, has presented CBT symposiums at the American Psychiatric Association and to the American Psychological Association and has also given seminars on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.   Dr. Sisti is also a published author on cognitive therapy.

In an ongoing effort to keep up with state of the art CBT and its newest developments, he is also committed to ongoing training in, "third generation" CBT's.  He has extensive training and experience with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Dr. Steven Hayes & Kelly Wilson.  Additional ACT experience comes through being a founding board member of NYC-Association of Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), and ongoing peer ACT supervision and training through ACT-NYCE.  He has trained repeatedly with master third generation clinicians such as; Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) with Dr. Marsha Linehan.   He has trained in "interpersonal" CBT's such as Functional Analytic Psychotherapy with Dr.'s Mavis Tsai & Bob Kohlenberg.  He is also founder & president of The "Long Island-CBT Network (www.LICBT.org)", a LI based professional CBT/EBP networking & dissemination organization.

to work as a team with medical/psychiatric professionals.  Additionally her ongoing experience working as a certified school psychologist within several Long Island School districts, gives her broad experience with both children, adolescents, adults and families. We are very fortunate to have a professional with this much experience with childhood and adolescent disorders on staff.  Her specialties include, cognitive-behavioral Therapy, ADHD, eating & body image disorders, and children-adolescent disorders.  She has presented her research at psychological conventions on; attention & hyperactivity disorders (ADD & ADHD), eating disorders and body image disorders. She regularly conducts groups, workshops and seminars on ADHD, eating disorders and adolescent trauma.

Joseph is one of our Brooklyn & SI centers senior members, and has many years of successful CBT cases at our center.   He has gained invaluable experience working with severe and complex psychological disorders at his clinical internships with: Coney Island Hospital’s MICA (mentally ill chemically abusing) populations, the U.S. Probation Department and various adolescent & high school populations. Beyond his graduate training in CBT, we are proud of Joseph's expertise in Rational Emotive Behavior therapy (REBT), a powerful and traditional form of cognitive therapy.  His experience and training in this seminal type of CBT was gained at The Albert Ellis Institute in New York City, the original home of REBT and a founding home for the development for CBT.  Joseph went onto receive advanced training and experience in other types of CBT at, The New York Cognitive Therapy and Wellness Centers.  There he practiced as a cognitive therapist treating anxiety, mood, and other disorders along with a wide range the co-occuring complexities often seen in outpatient therapy.  As he is also licensed & certified national school counselor, Joseph also brings valuable expertise and familiarity with the developmental challenges and problems of adolescence and the simultaneous struggles of adult parents.  He has worked in high schools in the arch dioceses of New York and the Department of Education. He has also returned to St. Francis College in 2006 as an adjunct professor in the Psychology Department, where he introduces and trains undergraduate students in psychology.

Constance McKenzie, PhD

When she returned to New York, she earned her second M.A. in Criminal Justice from John Jay College.   After many years of hands on clinical experience, she earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Walden University. She also has a long college teaching career and is a full time professor at Touro College.  As an instructor at Touro she introduces aspiring psychologists to the science of psychology, via courses such as: developmental-psychology, psychopathology, experimental psychology, eating disorders, etc.  Clinically Dr. McKenzie has nearly two decades of experience working with difficult cases involving mood disorders and anxiety disorders complicated by anger, rage, impulse disorders and personality disorders. She has a special interest in anger management, is a fellow of the National Anger Management Association.  We are fortunate to have Dr. McKenzie extensive experience and expertise in anger related problems and disorders.  Anger disorders are often multiple disorder cases (“co-morbid” disorders),  e.g. disorders in; mood, anger, impulsivity, relationships, attachment, co-dependency, personality, etc.  With Dr. McKenzie’s experience in anger management, comes many years of experience in treating these complex mood problems, and a successful history of teaching the skills necessary to manage such intense and complex problems.     

   Dr. McKenzie also brings extensive experience and knowledge about helping couples and families to recover from these disruptions of impulsivity and mood disorders.  By teaching better skills from which to understand and manage moods, communicate constructively, mutually problem solve and actively listen, she has helped many to live more constructive lives as individuals, within their families and their communities.  She also has a special interest and expertise in providing psychotherapy to those with chronic illness, grief, death and dying related counseling. We are proud and fortunate indeed to have Dr. McKenzie’s many years of experience and community dedication with us a Suffolk Cognitive Behavioral, PLLC.

her research at NYU focuses on the social and emotional development of adolescents. She is specifically interested in the connections between adolescents’ experiences at home and their experiences in other contexts (e.g., school, social contexts). Lisa has extensive experience in laboratory and applied research settings as both a field worker and a research scientist. She has conducted research on a variety of cognitive relevant topics, such as; the internalization of appearance-related stereotypes, the effects of a sense of belonging on achievement and the effects of how mood influences our choice of activities.   Lisa is also a published author on research about adolescents and has presented at various professional conferences.

At Long Island Jewish Medical’s -Eating Disorders Center, she further developed her clinical skills working with one of the most complex and co-morbid of disorders; mixed and multiple diagnosis, e.g., eating disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, impulse disorders, compulsive disorders, etc.  There she also gained further clinical experience with program development, group and family therapy, and CBT skills promoting self-esteem, positive body image and individual empowerment.

Lisa further developed her CBT skills with adults while originally interning at Suffolk Cognitive Behavioral, PLLC.  There she gathered expert experience in the application of CBT to a variety of common problems such as anxiety and mood disorders.

At the other end of the age spectrum, Lisa has gathered additional clinical experience while working with senior adults with Alzheimer’s and other related dementias; she working cognitive behaviorally to facilitate and maintain social and cognitive skills.

Mindy E. Levin-Lee, LCSW

She began this work with an initial internship at a Senior Center in New York City. She followed up by working in the Department of Social Work at the New York Hospital / Cornell Medical Center.  She specializes in working with individuals, couples, and families who are coping with anxiety, depression, grief, and loss. Mrs. Lee brings her past experience of working with a variety of diagnosis with a wide range of patients, e.g., children, couples, adults and groups.  Mrs. Lee’s many years in the field have provided her with a wide range of clinical training in both long term (traditional psychodynamic) and short-term (cognitive-behavioral) therapies.

Suffolk Cognitive Behavioral, is fortunate to have her wealth of invaluable experience working with individuals and their families, within multi-disciplinary settings, coping with multiple physical, medical and emotional difficulties.  She regularly works with various MD’s, nurses, and physical therapists in helping patients to cope with various emotional challenges associated with complex problems and multiple professionals. Additionally she brings unique expertise in working with cognitively disabled adults and their families.  She has extensive experience working with the psychological difficulties (anxiety, depression, etc.,) associated with various medical disorders such as; cardiovascular illness, stroke, diabetes, cancer, traumatic injuries, and crisis intervention.

Ilana Dworin, PsyD

Dr. Dworin is a post-doctoral fellow at Suffolk Cognitive Behavioral.  She earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University with concentrations in both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Relational Psychodynamic Therapy.  Her doctoral training was obtained through Yeshiva University’s CBT Program for Anxiety & Depressive Disorders (directed by a distinguished CBT clinician, Academy of Cognitive Therapy Fellow Lata K. McGinn, PhD, ACT).  Having her fundamental

doctoral clinical training in a CBT specialization insures extensive CBT experience and expertise.  From there, she gained more advanced expertise in CBT as an extern at The American Institute of Cognitive Therapy under the direction of Master CBT clinician Robert Leahy, PhD. There, she also deepened her experience treating individuals experiencing a wide range of difficulties including general anxiety, social anxiety, panic, depression, OCD, stress management and various phobias. Dr. Dworin continued her training at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital’s Psychiatric Recovery Center where she gained experience working with adults with severe & chronic mental illness and providing group therapy.  Her experience at St. Lukes also gave her training in third generation CBT, i.e., DialecticalBehavior Therapy.  Most recently, Dr. Dworin completed her pre-doctoral internship at Maimonides Medical Center. Dr. Dworin has previously held research positions at Northwestern University, studying the development of Schizophrenia, and her current research interests focus on peer influences on the development of anxiety during adolescence. Dr. Dworin works with individuals across the age span, ranging from children through elders.

Laura Bilick - Office & Insurance Manager

Shelli Trager - Intake Coordinator

Ms. Trager is the intake coordinator at Suffolk Cognitive-Behavioral, she is often the first person to meet and greet patients who call the center for information.  With a call to the center, she will be more than happy to answer any general questions about the center.  Ms. Trager has worked for mental health professionals and their patients for decades and has in that way gathered a wealth of invaluable experience in helping patients to make difficult decisions around starting therapy and answering general mental health FAQ's (frequently asked questions).  Ms. Trager also manages the calendars and appointments of our staff, and will patiently guide patients through the complex process of initial screening and referral.
In addition, to her work at SCB, Ms. Trager is an entrepreneur, with a BS in Education, from The University of Connecticut.  She manages her own multi-faceted medical business by helping other mental health professionals with all aspects of office management, information Technology, etc.