Our Staff:
Mordechai Weinberger, LCSW
In 1999, Mordechai received his certification in the fascinating alternative emotional therapy, “One Brain.” After completing further certifications in hypnosis, EFT (Emotional Freedom Tapping), and more, Mordechai worked as an alternative practitioner for four years before upgrading professionally and graduating from the prestigious Wurzweiler School of Social Work in 2005.
Since graduating, Mordechai Weinberger has maintained an ongoing quest for knowledge and therapeutic techniques to address the ever-changing and expanding need for new understandings of mental health. Mr. Weinberger’s approach to therapy is to provide a holistic treatment that doesn’t just aim to “manage symptoms.” He has proven through treating over 4,000 people that true healing from the inside out is possible.
Over 22 years in the field, he has developed a signature approach that combines the logical, emotional, and subconscious elements of human psychology. This method works to repair root causes of mental health issues while simultaneously changing the thinking and behaviors that result. By looking at the person as a whole and understanding their individual experiences, Mr. Weinberger has created a top-quality therapy setting for clients ranging from all ages, stages, and walks of life.
Brooke Davidson, LCSW
Brooke is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with years of experience working in a variety of settings ranging from outpatient mental health clinics to acute psychiatric inpatient facilities. Brooke is passionate about helping people both as a clinician and supervisor. She is originally from Westchester, New York but spent six years of her life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she discovered that in order to do great work it starts with a great work environment. Over the past two years, Brooke shifted her career from working directly with clients to pursuing jobs that allow her to create a warm and caring work environment as a Crisis Supervisor and Clinical Director. Brooke is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with such passionate professionals who share the same desire to heal and support one another.
Alyssa Jaffe, LMHC
Alyssa is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, with a passion for providing holistic mental health care. Alyssa graduated from SUNY College at Old Westbury’s Mental Health Counseling program and has focused post graduate training in Integrative Nutrition for Mental Health, as well as Substance Use Disorder counseling. Alyssa takes a person centered approach, using a mix of evidence based treatment modalities, her knowledge about the impact of lifestyle and nutrition on mental health, and a good dose of creativity to help clients increase their sense of well-being in all areas of life. Alyssa is a firm believer in the benefits of collaborative care, and will work with other healthcare professionals when indicated, to help clients attain a fully therapeutic experience.
Moshe Sender, LMHC
Justin Pugliese
Justin earned his Master’s degree in psychology from Pace University. He has also completed training certification programs in Multi-systemic Therapy, Trauma-informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, and Critical Time Intervention. He has 14 years of experience working in the social service field, functioning in various roles, including foster-care case manager, behaviorist for people with developmental disabilities, family therapist, and program director at a supportive housing apartment complex for people who have experienced chronic homelessness and severe mental illness. In the program director role, Justin gained key experience as point of contact for audits conducted by government agencies and other funders, as well as experience managing team dynamics, managing software databases crucial for documentation of clients records and managing various operations-oriented activities, all of which prepared him well for carrying out his responsibilities as Director of Compliance at Serenity Center. In addition, Justin has published a peer-reviewed article in the academic journal, Modern Psychoanalysis. In his personal life, Justin has a passion for creative writing, and has written 2 novels and a volume of poetry.
Steven (Shlomo) Uzhansky, LMSW, CPRS
Shlomo is a licensed social worker with years of experience in helping individuals overcome issues such as addiction, depression, and anxiety. Shlomo’s previous career as an outreach Rabbi allows him to be of assistance to those struggling with issues of religious identity and spiritual development. Accordingly, he specializes in dealing with teens-at-risk and their families.
Shlomo is easy to relate to and is a warm, approachable, and non-judgmental individual who is deeply committed to his client’s well-being. Shlomo is currently enrolled in a doctorate program and is constantly learning new ways to improve treatment outcomes for those he works with.
Shlomo speaks Russian and Hebrew and has a deep insight into a plethora of cultures and backgrounds.
Daniella Gruenspecht, MSW Intern
Daniella Gruenspecht is a native New Yorker with a background in education, holistic wellness, and mindfulness. Upon completion of her MS at Hunter college in 2011, Daniella went on to serve as a school counselor in the NYC public and private schools for over 9 years before completing coursework for advanced certification in mental health counseling at Alfred University.
For over a decade, Daniella has been working with individuals and communities in facilitating safe spaces for personal development. Through her work across countries and cultures, Daniella has developed a unique approach to integrative healing that is focused on discovering one’s inner strength and drawing from it to create purpose and meaning.
Daniella has worked with children and adults to facilitate journeys of self-exploration through a compassionate lens and alignment of mind, body, and spirit. She believes healing starts with acceptance, and that through curiosity, a playful approach, and a judgment-free ear, it is possible to help one discover their own strengths and inner resources for wellbeing.
Stanley Fireman
Stanley has experience in clinical counseling for over 40 years in private practice and in hospitals. During the last 20 years, he worked in multiple hospital outpatient clinics all part of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation where he treated patients with Pain Management issues, anger management, depression, anxiety, abuse, domestic violence, opiate dependence/addiction, alcohol dependency, family systems, and stressors that affect life changes and other situations that cause disequilibrium. Stanley specializes in family system psychology, and has done extensive work with couples and how to improve communication. Regarding Pain Management and emotions, he worked with individuals experiencing chronic pain and how it affects their lives and the lives of their families. This includes possible role changes in the family system. He was also the Behavioral Medicine faculty for the Family Medicine Residency Program where he taught physicians how to identify and treat psychological issues. He focused on teaching them how to take sexual histories and identify abuse with the appropriate referrals for safe space when needed. In addition to that, Stanley facilitated groups of physicians, nurses, social workers, and other care givers who met periodically to discuss struggling patients and families and how to increase communication while focusing on the caretaking of the identified patient. Another goal of this group was to identify and manage professional burnout. His approach is Functional, working with the Client in the present, helping to identify, explore possible sources of the conflict(s), and learn techniques to manage the felt difficulties. Stanley also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness. He provides a comfortable environment, an appropriate sense of humor with empathy and an opportunity for the client to express feelings/concerns in a safe and confidential setting. His success in providing treatment has been affording patients/clients the opportunity to be confronted respectfully with painful issues in order to allow them to work through the distress with the goal of empowerment to reach healthy functioning.
Talya Sahler, LMSW
Talya graduated from Simmons University in Boston, which is the oldest social work school in the country. Talya is a licensed social worker, who specializes in trauma, and earned a trauma specialist certificate from Simmons University. Talya brings warmth, compassion, and dedication to her work and puts forth extra effort to empower her clients and provide them with the tools to bring healing, joy and confidence into their lives. Talya enjoys working with adults, children, couples, and groups. Some of the modalities she employs include: Internal Family Systems (IFS), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Grief work, Emotional Focused Therapy, Family Systems Work, Sandtray and Play Therapy, Art Therapy, and Somatic Experiencing therapy. Talya is experienced in working with domestic violence and single parents. As a member of the orthodox Jewish community, Talya understands the cultural intricacies of living in our communities and provides culturally informed therapy.
Brittany Beharry, LMSW
Brittany is a Mental Health Counselor with a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling from Pace University. Brittany has been in the field for nearly five years and has a passion for supporting adults, adolescents, geriatrics, and their families. She has experience working with anxiety, depression, grief and loss, addiction, relational problems, and other life experiences. She believes that each person has their own story and strives to foster a safe place where clients can tell their story as well as gain insight into how it has impacted them and create a new reality that is more fulfilling.
Brittany describes herself as having a sense of humor and personable demeanor. She comes from a cultured background and is aware of the importance of culture and its implications. Brittany has an eclectic approach, utilizing various theoretical approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, and Narrative Therapy as well as real life experience.
Yochanan Kuhnreich, LMSW
Working with people, pointing out their strengths and dealing with their challenges has always been my passion, and my past careers have nurtured those passions. Spending twenty-five years as a teacher and thirteen years as the principal of Bais Yaakov in Montreal, I was fortunate to be able to connect with so many people in various walks of life with a variety of issues. Looking towards retirement it was natural to continue the path of helping people from a different vantage point. YU’s Wurzweiler school of social work, in collaboration with Sara Schenirer program, was the perfect opportunity to enhance those skills to a professional level. It is a privilege and responsibility to be under the tutelage of Mordechai Weinberger and his amazing staff at the Serenity Center in Monsey. Knowing that we are helping so many individuals is truly gratifying.
Loren Berkovics
Loren is a licensed social worker with a degree from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social work. Loren’s approach is eclectic, using various tools and modalities; in one session, there can be more than 5 different interventions used, the goal is to use what works. Loren has a previous degree in Medical Imaging from Long Island University, Post Campus and has worked in the medical and health field since 1999. Radiography training uses creativity, and quick thinking to adapt to any type of barrier, very much like therapy. Loren is certified in Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by the Child HELP Partnership in St. John’s University, NY. Loren is also trained in Gestalt, Inner Child Healing, Schema therapy and as a Trauma Specialist through the Trauma Institute of Arizona. Loren’s focus is working with individuals with PTSD, sexual abuse, assault, suicidal behaviors, personality disorders, anxiety, depression,
and OCD.
Loren’s approach is client centered as no one fits in a box- so why should therapy? Loren would be honored in taking this journey to a happier you. In Loren’s free time she reads, plays board games, and enjoys the outdoors.
Rebecca Harary, LMSW
Rebecca Harary earned her Master’s degree in Social Work at Hunter Silberman School of Social Work. She received extensive training through her courses and fieldwork which she completed over the course of two years. Rebecca has experience in individual therapy. She specializes in treating anxiety, depression, panic attacks/ agoraphobia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety, phobias, relationship issues, social skills training, and building self esteem / confidence. Rebecca is experienced in modalities such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), psychodynamic therapy, somatic therapy, attachment based therapy, inner child therapy, narrative therapy, and motivational interviewing. Rebecca focuses on validating her clients and assisting them in seeing their strengths. Rebecca helps her clients apply helpful tools that aid them in achieving their therapeutic goals and applying them to their lives long term.
Elena Rowatti, MBA, HCM
Elena has recently moved from southern New Jersey to New York to start her career after graduating in 2022 from Widener University with her Master’s in Business Administration – Healthcare Management. In 2021 Elena also received her bachelors degree from Widener University, and graduated with a major in Management and minor in Marketing. Prior to joining the amazing team here at Serenity and becoming the Therapist Success Manager for the clinic, Elena has 5 years of previous experience in the Healthcare field, working in a pharmacy. Elena mentioned she has always had a passion for helping others and that is what has driven her towards creating a career path in the healthcare field. Elena describes herself as a motivated, reliable, and devoted individual with a witty sense of humor. She loves all animals, hanging with her friends, traveling, trying new things, and making others smile.
It starts with you. Let us help you help yourself.
845.286.2210
Email: info@serenityctr.com
232 North Main St
Spring Valley, NY 10977