Sarah Finkelstein, PsyD

I am a Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Therapist at Bryant West Psychology, where I see individuals and couples both in person and online throughout New York State. I am trained and experienced in helping people who are facing anxiety, depression, and the aftermath of trauma, both from childhood and later in life. People come to me with difficulties in relationships, loneliness, and self-doubt, and I’ve helped folks through major life challenges and transitions. I work with people of diverse racial, cultural, religious, sexual, and gender identities, and am deeply aware that we each hold multiple identities that we inhabit in uniquely personal ways that labels cannot quite capture. 

My own identity as an observant Jew has given me a meaningful lens for understanding how identity and spirituality shape our inner worlds. I deeply enjoy connecting with people from all cultures, faiths, and backgrounds, and find it valuable to explore in therapy what our identities mean to us, how we experience and express them, how they intersect with each other, and how they impact our relationships, contribute to our sense of self, shape our values, and at times, create blind spots and get in our way, even while nourishing us. While this is not the focus in all therapies, I am very open to exploring these themes if they arise in our work. 

My goal in therapy is to create a collaborative and safe environment where we can address whatever is on your mind. Regardless of the issue, I am here to provide support while also challenging you to shift patterns that no longer serve you. I approach therapy primarily from a relational psychodynamic framework which recognizes that many of our struggles are rooted in our earliest and most vital attachments. These formative relationships can nurture and sustain us, while also contributing to enduring issues that may hold us back or cause us pain throughout our adult lives. Although these dynamics typically operate outside of our awareness, if we attend to them and heal old wounds, we can expand our capacity to make freer and more intentional choices in the present. 

I believe that a strong therapeutic relationship is at the heart of the therapeutic process and my priority is finding what works best for you.  At times, I integrate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and trauma-focused treatments, depending on what you most need as our work evolves. Together, we can consider what feels troubling or limiting in your life, deepen your self-understanding, and find a way forward that aligns with your values and goals. 

I received my doctorate in clinical psychology from Long Island University–Post and trained in a range of clinical settings. At Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, I worked with individuals facing serious mental health concerns in an inpatient setting, at Achieve Behavioral Health I provided outpatient psychotherapy for individuals primarily within the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, and at the SUNY Old Westbury Counseling Center, I served a diverse community of university students who were navigating the challenges of early adulthood. 

In my current role at Bryant West Psychology, it would be a privilege to support you as you take steps toward healing, personal understanding, and growth. I invite you to reach out to learn how we might create a meaningful therapeutic experience together.