Sarah Levinson, LMSW, Esq. (she/her/hers)

Therapy is most powerful when it's a true collaboration. At the outset, we will work together to co-create a process that aligns with your experiences, values, and the changes you hope to make. I primarily use acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and find it especially helpful for those who enjoy a more relational and active approach than is typical of traditional talk-therapy. The aim of our work together is to foster a sense of psychological flexibility—the ability to be present, open to the content of your experiences, and engaged in what you find meaningful. I hope to help you form a new type of relationship with your thoughts and feelings, one where you are able to observe them rather than behaving in accordance with them. As we cultivate curiosity about how these experiences function for you, we’ll practice making space for what shows up, while developing a sense of agency in how you engage with your thoughts and feelings. In doing so, you'll become more fully connected to what matters to you and better able to move toward it.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ and polyamorous communities, I bring both personal and professional experience to my practice. I’m passionate about helping clients navigate the complexities of relationship dynamics, identity, sexuality, emotional well-being, and much more (see My Expertise). My approach blends warmth, curiosity, and compassion with direct and thoughtful challenges. I also enjoy helping clients find their voices, navigate the discomfort of both disappointing and being disappointed, understand the pull of avoidance, and develop more effective ways to communicate.

My Background

Before becoming a therapist, I spent two decades in law firm partner hiring—helping lawyers navigate career decisions, transitions, hierarchical power dynamics and the complexities of high-stress environments. Over time, I realized my true passion lay in understanding human behavior beyond professional choices. During those years, I also led a monthly discussion group for women choosing consensual non-monogamy (CNM), which functioned much like a group therapy space. That experience, along with my deep interest in communication, intimacy, and identity, ultimately inspired me to transition into therapy full-time.

I received my MSW from SUNY Buffalo and my JD from Columbia University School of Law. I trained extensively with the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy in both the sex therapy (STP) and gender and sexuality (PCGS) divisions. I am also very experienced working with local CNM, kink, LGBTQ+, and neurodivergent communities. In addition to my clinical work, I have created and facilitated workshops, panel discussions, and podcasts on consent, sexuality, and CNM.

Outside of therapy, I enjoy knitting, backpacking, Kundalini yoga, and attending Burning Man.

My Expertise

My expertise is in experiential-based CBT/ACT and exposure and response prevention (ERP). These approaches are particularly valuable in addressing panic, trauma, social anxiety, agoraphobia, OCD, body dysmorphia and eating disorders.

I also specialize in culturally aware sexuality and relationship dynamics across a wide variety of relationship structures, with extensive experience in CNM. Much of my work focuses on addressing communication, sexuality, intimacy, kink, consent, and infertility with individuals, couples, and moresomes. I have experience working with adolescents and adults of all ages.

Affiliations

• Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

• New York City Association for Contextual Behavioral Science

• Society for Sex Therapy & Research

• American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapist

• International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health

Michelle Schecter, JD, LMSW (she/her/hers)

Michelle earned her Master in Social Work (MSW) from NYU Silver School of Social Work. She previously earned her JD from NYU School of Law. Michelle brings many years of social and emotional intelligence from her first career as a lawyer representing domestic violence survivors. Her experience serving this population gave her many opportunities to witness the transformative power of therapy. This background inspired Michelle to take a special interest in PTSD. Michelle’s interests and experience working with trauma have also heightened the importance of providing a therapeutic space where clients feel safe to explore a wide range of human experiences of loneliness, social anxiety, mistrust, violation, panic, anxiety, depression, grief, anger and shame. Michelle has witnessed the extraordinary resilience that each of us contain. She builds on that resilience with both traditional psychodynamic and modern third generation CBT skills to begin the work of generating positive and lasting change.

Her training at a NYC psychoanalytic institute, and in private practice as a psychotherapist, has given Michelle the opportunity to work with clients facing myriad of life stressors; medical illness,psychiatric diagnosis (social phobia, Panic, OCD, PTSD, major depression), substance use, and also to relational issues, ie., divorce, LGBTQ+ traumas/stressors, coming out, death of a loved one, relationship conflict. In addition to her experience with adults, Michelle has also worked in an inner city agency with teens and young adults struggling with acute anxiety and depression.

Her professional journey as a therapist has also inspired a keen interest in third generation CBT and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). Michelle has been honing these modern approaches to therapy via ongoing training with a multitude of trainers, workshops, conferences, case conferences, and a rich array of senior supervisors and trainers. Michelle’s primary goal is to provide a nurturing environment free of judgment, and rooted in empathy, where the client feels heard and empowered. She believes learning to listen non-judgmentally to each other and to ourselves and learning to listen with acceptance and compassion, are key ACT and CBT skills which can help us to navigate even the biggest challenges in our relationships within ourselves.

Mark Sisti, PhD (he/him/his)

Mark Sisti, PhD is a co-founder of Creative Relating Psychology Psychotherapy in addition to being the founder and director of NYC Cognitive Behavioral, PLLC. He is a graduate of Hofstra University, a licensed psychologist and an adjunct professor at Yeshiva— Ferkauf University, Department of Clinical Psychology. Dr. Sisti is a Diplomat, Certified Cognitive Therapist & Trainer within The Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He is also a peer-reviewed trainer in a more contemporary experiential CBT called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Dr. Sisti has extensive experience with anxiety disorders through his work at Freedom From Fear, a nationally recognized anxiety and mood disorder advocacy organization, where he was formerly the Director of Cognitive Therapy and where he also participated as a Certified Cognitive Therapist in research trials for N.Y.S. Psychiatric Institute & Columbia Presbyterian. He has also supervised doctoral interns from both Yeshiva-Ferkauf and Hofstra Universities and is a volunteer adjunct clinical supervisor for Yeshiva University Graduate School of Psychology. He trains various mental health experts and professionals in CBT, mindfulness based CBTs, such as ACT, and has presented trainings and symposia for the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, Association for Contextual Behavior Therapy and Suffolk County Psych Assoc. He has also given numerous seminars and trainings on ACT and other mindfulness based CBTs.

As a committed life long learner, he has committed to ongoing supervision and training in “third generation” CBTs and mindfulness informed CBT, e.g., DBT, FAP, Compassion Informed Therapy and ACT. He has extensive training and experience with ACT through its founders and leaders, Dr. Steven Hayes & Kelly Wilson. Additional ACT experience comes through being a past president of the NYC chapter of ACBS (Association of Contextual Behavioral Science) ACBS-NYC, and founder of Long Island ACBS, a local ACT affiliate, ACT training and peer study group. He has also trained repeatedly with master third generation clinicians such as; (DBT)Dr. Marsha Linehan & Compassion Focused Therapists (Dennis Tirch, Tara Brach & Christine Neff/Chris Germer). He has also trained and given trainings in “interpersonal” CBTs such as FAP with Drs. Mavis Tsai & Bob Kohlenberg, along with completing a one year relational psychoanalytic training at the Mitchell Institute for Relational Psychoanalysis.