Dr. Sandra Schein

I have been working as a licensed psychologist for more than 30 years, providing individual and group psychotherapy to older adolescents and adults within diverse settings, including inpatient and intensive outpatient eating disorder treatment facilities, skilled nursing facilities, college counseling centers, community mental health clinics, and private practice.

Having served as Director of College and Career Services for Oxford College of Emory University, and Dean of Students for New York Film Academy, I have particular passion and expertise for working with college-age adults--helping them navigate the overwhelming life-stage challenges of forging identity, living independently, deciding career and major, cultivating relationships, managing academic demands—while, encouraging them to honor their unique physical and mental health needs.

My therapeutic approach is grounded in the belief that the maladaptive patterns of thoughts and behaviors that previously kept us safe in more stressful times, currently keep us stuck and cause us frustration and pain, now that we have more autonomy over our environment. By creating a safe, collaborative and thoughtful space, I join my clients on an exploratory journey to identify and understand these patterns, how they no longer serve as effective coping strategies, and how we can together identify and adopt new and healthier thoughts and behaviors that will lead to more meaningful and joyful lives.

My work is informed by a psychodynamic approach, including attachment theory and constructivist theory. The therapeutic techniques I employ integrate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Positive Psychology treatment modalities, tailored to each client’s unique values and needs. This collaborative partnership with each client fosters self-awareness, compassion and resilience that promote personal and professional fulfillment.

My approach works really well for clients navigating eating disorders, body dysphoria, depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, early life trauma, and chronic health conditions.

I received my PhD in Counseling Psychology from UC Santa Barbara, followed by a two-year postdoc fellowship for Eating Disorders at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.