The Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training

Your Subtitle text

OUR FACULTY & STAFF

EXECUTIVE FACULTY

Rosary Immordino, M.A., LP
Executive Director, Training Specialist

Rosary is a NYS Licensed Psychoanalyst. She has a masters degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University Teacher's College and received her Gestalt training at the GCPT. She practices in Jackson Heights, where she works with individuals, couples and groups. Areas of specialty are self-esteem, workplace issues, couples, interactive group work, OCD and pet bereavement. As faculty at GCPT, Rosary combines her skill and passion for training with her love of gestalt therapy. Rosary can be reached on (718) 507-6843 or at rosaryzap@aol.com.

M'Lou Caring, Ph.D.
Director of Training

M'Lou brings her ongoing search to meet the present moment with awareness and compassion to her practice and teaching of Gestalt therapy/theory. She is a licensed psychologist and a full member of the NYIGT. Her therapy and supervision practice, begun in 1973, is informed by years of exploring meditation, body work, improvisational dance, and consciousness /

sub-consciousness in healing. M'Lou can be reached at (212) 807-9613.

Ree

Ken Meyer, Ph.D.
Academic Director

Ken is a founding Director of the Gestalt Center of Long Island and currently teaches at several area Gestalt programs. He also provides advanced training workshops and supervision for graduates, and maintains a therapy practice in NYC and LI. He is a Full Member of the New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy and is a regular presenter at local, regional and international conferences. Ken can be reached at (631) 423-0461 or GestaltSeminars@aol.com

Lenore Migdal, Ph.D.
Director of Advisement

Lenore is a NY State licensed psychologist in private practice who obtained her Doctorate in Psychology from New York University in 1974. She also graduated from the New York University Post Doctoral Training Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy in 1981 while working as the Director of Mental Health at a Community Health Center. After many years in private practice she trained as a Gestalt therapist, graduating from the GCPT in 1999 and was asked to join the faculty. Lenore is also trained to teach self hypnosis and runs parenting workshops and Healing-Through-Writing workshops. She took The Loving Relationship Training and works with all ages, individuals, couples, adolescents and their families. She is now Director of the Advisor Program at the Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training. Lenore can be reached at leni245@aol.com or on (212) 865-4102.

Michael O'Brien, LP
Outreach Coordinator

Michael is a licensed psychoanalyst/psychotherapist with almost twenty years of experience working with individuals, couples and supervising therapists. A graduate of the Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy (GAP), I also graduated from programs in the work of Wilhelm Reich's Orgonomy, Arthur Janov's Primal therapy and Peter Levine's trauma model, Somatic Experience (SE). I integrate my experience with expressive body-oriented therapy, Adult-Child issues, 12 Step work, as well as meditation and Spirituality into the Gestalt framework. Michael can be reached at michaelobrien@gestaltnyc.org or (212) 254-7700.

Shelley Orren-King, LCSW

Shelley is former Executive Director of The Gestalt Center and a psychotherapist in private practice working with individuals, couples and groups. She has noted expertise working with women survivors of abuse, neglect and trauma and is the founder of W.I.S.H. (Women in Search of Healing). Her dedication to supporting mental health practitioners in practice building and wellness programs is evident in her private supervision, the workshop programs and consultations with community-based agencies, hospitals and schools. She has also advanced training in EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS) work. Shelley can be reached at (646) 831-5272 or at ShelleyOrren-King@gestaltnyc.org.

FACULTY

Kathryn Grooms, LMSW

Workshop Coordinator

Kathryn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with fifteen years of experience working with issues of substance abuse, mood disorders, anxiety, sexuality, gender and trauma. Kathryn has a private psychotherapy practice serving individuals and couples. To her clinical work, Kathryn brings an extensive history of work with the women's and LGBT communities in areas of HIV prevention and education, music and performance production and business management. She holds the degrees of Masters in Social Services and a Master in Law and Social Policy (MLSP) from Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. She received her advanced training as a therapist from the Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training. In addition to being faculty at the Center, she also coordinates the annual Workshop Program. Kathyrn can be reached at Kathryn@kathryngrooms.com or 347-752-1157.

Naaz Hosseini, M.A., LP

Naaz is a NYS Licensed Psychoanalyst and voice empowerment coach with a private practice in Nyack and Manhattan serving individuals, couples and groups. She is on the faculty of the Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training and is a supervisor at Teachers College Columbia University in the department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology. Her background includes craniosacral therapy, authentic movement, and professional dance, theatre and music. Naaz combines her skills to deliver unique, transformative experiences to groups and individuals that engage The Power of Your True Voice. Her inspirational voice and percussion CD, SoundPath, has been featured in Dance Magazine Recommends. She conceived and hosted Gurus of Gestalt, a cable TV series. Naaz can be reached on (845) 353-1974 or at Naaz@naazhosseini.com.

Marla Silverman, Ph.D

Marla is a psychologist with a private psychotherapy and supervision practice in NYC and Rockland county, and is former Director of Training at GCPT. She has worked with couples and individuals for over 30 years, and offers courses and supervision in the art of couples work. Marla can be reached at (845) 623-0807 (daily) and at (212) 580- 8419 (Wednesdays).

Marilyn Varsa, LMHC
Referral Service Director

Marilyn is a psychotherapist in private practice on Mahattan's Upper East Side. For 23 years she concurrently treated a diverse population as an on-site therapist at Goddard Riverside Community Center.

A graduate of the Gestalt Center, Marilyn has expanded her therapeutic approach through ongoing work in Body-Centered Gestalt Therapy with the Hartford Family Institute.

Marilyn can be reached on (212) 861-1168 or mvarsa@aol.com.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR

Joseph Barbuto, M.D.

Joseph trained as a Gestalt therapist with Marilyn Rosanes-Berrett prior to medical school and presently serves as the Gestalt Center's Medical Director. He is an associate professor of psychiatry at Cornell University, an attending psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian Hospital and a consultant at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Barbuto may be contacted on (212) 724-7366.

ADJUNCT FACULTY

Susan Berg, DSW

Susan has maintained a psychotherapy and supervision practice since 1979 and was also a faculty member of the Gestalt Center of LI for many years. More recently, she was Co-Director of North Shore Counseling Associates, a low-fee counseling and training center on LI. In addition to her psychotherapy practice, Dr. Berg has taught at Empire State College, Stony Brook University PhD program and Hunter College School of Social Work master of social work program. Areas of interest for her are: PTSD and subtle trauma (e.g., racism, sexism, heterosexism), women’s issues and mental health, and the exploration of emerging experiential modalities. Susan can be reached at (631) 928-2175 or (631) 804-1470, or at susanhberg@gmail.com.

Sharon Goldblum-Ranzman, LCSW, Ph.D.

Sharon is a graduate of the Psychosynthesis Center of NY and the Gestalt Center of Long Island. Sharonis faculty at the Gestalt Center of New York and has taught for Empire State College. She maintains a private supervision and therapy practice on Long Island and brings over 25 years of experience combining various spiritual paths and techniques to her modality of treatment. She has founded two spiritual retreat centers where she brings individuals through a psychotherapeutic/spiritual process in a wilderness setting. She has recently returned from The Oneness University in India, where she has been certified to give Deeksha, an energy transmission. Sharon can be reached on (631) 656-0590.

Elinor Greenberg, Ph.D., CPG

Elinor lectures and writes extensively on borderline, narcissistic and schizoid disorders. She received her doctorate in psychology from The New School in 1979 and has been a practicing gestalt therapist for over thirty years. Every seven to ten years, Elinor retrains in another form of psychotherapy and integrates it with her knowledge of Gestalt therapy theory and practice. She is a certified Ericksonian hypnotherapist; she is in the National Registry for Certified Group Psychotherapists and she is a graduate of and former faculty member of The Masterson Institute where she taught and supervised students in a psychoanalytically oriented object relations approach to the theory and treatment of personality disorders. Elinor has been studying kabalistic tarot and the Western mystical tradition for the past ten years and is at present working on integrating spirituality into her practice of psychotherapy. She is psychology consultant to The Tarot School and is on the editorial board of Gestalt Review. ELinor can be reached on (212) 580-9258 or at elinorg@mac.com.

DEANS EMERITUS

Vivien Wolsk, Ph.D.

Former executive director of the Gestalt Center, Vivien is a clinical psychologist with over thirty years of practice as a psychotherapist, teacher and supervisor. She was formerly the executive director and is now the Dean of Faculty at GCPT where she completed her Gestalt training and has been on training faculty since 1983. Vivien regularly leads her "Shape Up Your Psyche" workshops in NYC, reaching out to the fire and police departments as well as health professionals and the general public. She is a frequent contributor to magazines and newspapers as well as making media appearances, and is working on a Shape Up Your Psyche book as well as a children's emotional fitness musical CD.

STAFF

Anne Shenton - Administrator

Canadian born Anne Shenton joined the Gestalt Center in 2010. Prior to joining us, she was the Business and Human Resource manager at KB Network News, a public relations firm specializing in the hospitality business. She has also been the controller/human resources manager at a number of “high end” restaurants including Town and “44” at the Royalton. She has done financial work at law firms and worked with philanthropic organizations including Pediatric Aids and Lexington East 20’s Society (Lets). She has a BA from the New School for Social Research and a BS from Baruch College. Anne can be reached on (212) 387-9429 or at gestalt@gestaltnyc.org.

FACULTFACULTYY