Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Psychologist on the Upper West Side
Evidence-based therapy for anxiety, ADHD, and disruptive behaviors.
Why seek evidence-based therapy in New York?
Evidence-based therapy uses approaches and techniques shown to be effective through research studies. I use them in my practice because I believe my patients deserve the best that clinical science has to offer.
And New Yorkers are busy. My goal is to help you feel better, faster.
Learn about evidence-based therapy for children, teens, and young adults.
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About Dr. Castro
As a licensed child and adolescent psychologist in NYC, I specialize in providing evidence-based therapies tailored to address anxiety, ADHD, and behavioral issues in children, teens, and young adults.
I received my PhD in Clinical Child Psychology from DePaul University and completed both my predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
Most recently, I was a staff psychologist at CUMC/NYP where I provided psychotherapy and assessment services to youth and families in an integrated pediatric primary care setting. I also taught third year medical students at Columbia University about ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders.
Why are you looking for a child and adolescent psychologist on the Upper West Side?
I treat a variety of concerns that commonly present in youth and young adults. You may not be sure what category or diagnosis fits best and that’s ok. See if any of the behaviors listed here sound familiar.
Mood
Self-isolation
Low motivation
Crying spells
Irritability
Decreased socializing
Clinical Psychology Blog Posts
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10 Warning Signs of Anxiety in Children to Look out for
Worries, nervousness, and fears are all normal parts of childhood and adolescence. But sometimes young people experience anxiety more frequently or intensely than is typical. Unfortunately, kids and parents don’t always recognize when anxiety is rising to clinically concerning levels. When anxiety sneaks into your child’s life undetected, it has the potential to become persistent […]
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ADHD in Children: 4 Ways to Help Your Child Thrive
Parents, if you’re reading this, you likely have a child diagnosed or suspected of having ADHD. You may be here because you’ve noticed your child’s struggle to sit still, stay focused, or both, and you’re probably feeling overwhelmed. If your child is among the 7 million children in the U.S. who have ADHD, please know […]
Evidence-Based Therapy on the Upper West Side for Youth
I offer cognitive behavioral therapy and other evidence-based modalities, matched to your concerns and goals.
Individual Therapy
I provide psychotherapy to children and teens struggling with any of the concerns above. I integrate techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and interpersonal psychotherapy for adolescents (IPT-A), depending on a child’s needs, symptoms, and age.
Prior to starting therapy, I collaborate with families to establish treatment goals that are meaningful and achievable. For all patients, I include a focus on building self-confidence and self-awareness of behavioral and emotional patterns.
Parent-Child Therapy
The parent-child relationship is uniquely powerful in building a child’s resilience to adversity. In parent-child therapy, I support parents in strengthening their relationship with their child and teach parents techniques to help their child overcome challenges.
This work is done virtually via live coaching of parents and their child at home. The live coaching format is incredibly effective at increasing parent confidence and efficacy. Best of all, it happens in a natural setting to ensure that the techniques work in real life, not just in an office.
I offer Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to address tantrums, noncompliance, oppositionality, and ADHD symptoms, and offer PCIT-CALM to address anxiety in young children.
Parent Coaching
When children are struggling, their caregivers often feel helpless and confused.
For parents of children with tantrums, disobedience, and attention-seeking behaviors, I provide behavior management training (also known as parent management training) to teach caregivers effective strategies for managing and decreasing these behaviors.
Parent coaching is also effective for addressing child anxiety. Especially for younger children, working on how parents react to their child’s anxiety can be sufficient to decrease anxiety and its interference in a child’s life. For this work, I use SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) developed by Dr. Lebowitz at Yale.
As a child and adolescent psychologist serving Upper West Side families, I offer both in-person and online therapy for children, teens, and young adults.
If you’re interested in working with me, use the button below to request a free 15-minute video consultation.
My office is now located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, convenient to the 1, 2, 3, B, and C trains.