Dr. CJ Polihronakis

My name is Dr. CJ Polihronakis (pronounced Pol-eh-ron-ah-kiss) (he/him/his), and I am a licensed psychologist in New York, Maryland, & Virginia. After earning my undergraduate degree in Psychology & English from Georgetown University, I obtained a Mental Health Counseling Ed.M. and a Counseling Psychology Ph.D. from Columbia University. I have over 10 years worth of education, training, and professional experiences providing mental health services to diverse client populations. ​

I have ample experience providing support to:

• Undergraduate & Graduate Students
• Adults
• Caregivers
• Professionals Navigating Career Concerns
• Other Mental Health Providers

​Some of my areas of expertise include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Interpersonal Concerns
• Family of Origin Concerns
• Career & Professional Concerns
• Life Transitions
• Intersectional Identity Development
• Bisexuality, Pansexuality, Non-monosexuality
• LGBTQIA+ Identities & Queer Issues
• Men and Masculinities
• Sex, Intimacy, Kink, & Sexual Health (from a Sex-Positive Approach)
• Trauma​ (e.g., Identity-based, Adverse Childhood Experiences)​​​ ​

Nevertheless, I have worked with clients on a wide breadth of presenting concerns throughout my education and training. I look forward to having the opportunity to support you on your journey towards addressing your mental health concerns!

As your future therapist, I will strive to help you emerge into the best version of yourself by assisting you overcome some of the internal barriers that may be impacting how you perceive - and engage with - yourself, others, and the world.​I predominantly use Psychodynamic & Relational-Cultural counseling theories in my work with clients. I also have experience integrating mindfulness and other skill-based interventions into my treatment approach.​

As a therapist, I like to approach my work with clients in a collaborative, engaged, exploratory, & conversational manner. My goal as your future therapist, therefore, is to provide you with an empathic, validating, caring space where you feel comfortable being your authentic self and opening up about experiences across different points in your life. In addition, I will assist you with considering how the foundational relationships and core experiences across your life may be associated with some of your self-perceptions, ways of relating to other people, as well as other concerns that may be bringing you to therapy (e.g., anxiety, low mood, negative self-talk).​

The first step in commencing our work together is scheduling a free 20-minute consultation with me. During this initial conversation, I will explore your reason(s) for seeking therapy and ways you feel my professional experience and approach may help you achieve your therapy goals. Our initial discussion will also help us both determine whether I am a good match for your therapy needs. At the end of the conversation, if we both decide we are a good match, I will discuss logistics with you (e.g., scheduling, billing, and my practice policies). After our initial consultation, we will schedule an intake appointment so that I can obtain some additional background information (e.g., current concerns, family and social support, work and academic history). While the initial appointment will be semi-structured, gaining additional background information about you assists with my ability to provide holistic support and to remain attuned to your past experiences. Subsequent therapy sessions will be less structured and enable us to better establish our therapeutic relationship together, while also working towards your therapy goals.