Kate Cuno

Background: Kate Cuno was awarded her PsyD from Argosy University Washington D.C. in 2013. She began her career in early childhood mental health at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center where she participated in the Harris Institute Fellowship program and served as a member of a Permanency Infant and Preschool Program, conducting relationship-based assessments and providing individual and dyadic therapy to infants and their caregivers. She then went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at the Parent-Infant Center of the Child and family Institute at Mt. Sinai St. Luke’s where she conducted developmental assessments and provided individual and dyadic psychotherapy to pregnant women and their newborns. She joined the HealthySteps team at Montefiore in 2014 and in 2018, was given the role of Director of HealthySteps research. She also managed a graduate student training program and Community Health Worker program. In addition, she represented Montefiore’s HealthySteps program within the Pediatric Innovation Initiative, led by Jack Shonkoff, MD at Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child. The Initiative includes the JPB Research Network, Pediatric Innovation Cluster, and Community Leadership Council, working together to empower parents and pediatricians with information and tools that will strengthen the doctor-family relationship and promote the healthy development of all children. Dr. Cuno joined Maimonides Medical Center in 2019 to develop their HealthySteps Program.

Practice Philosophy: Becoming a parent is a journey that is unique to everyone.  There are moments of both great excitement and fear. I provide psychotherapy to individuals along all points of the journey, from the planning stages of beginning a family to supporting parents in the early years of their children’s’ lives.  Individuals with histories of trauma, anxiety or depression may have particular trepidations about this transition.  With specialized training in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, infant mental health, and early childhood development, and a deep theoretical understanding of parent-child relationships, I can provide a unique level of support for those having or anticipating struggling during the adjustment period.  Individually or as a family, I can help you through logistics, learn to manage stress, and process the complex feelings that arise as your family grows. 

Into the postpartum period, I also provide support to individuals and/or families navigating the challenges of raising young children.  As a parent you may wonder if your child is developing on track. I can offer informal developmental evaluations and guidance on the best ways to promote all aspects of your child’s development.  You may have times where you are frustrated and overwhelmed.  I can provide strategies to deal with some of the most common difficulties such as sleeping and bedtime routines, feeding difficulties, tantrums and defiance, stranger and/or separation anxiety, adjustment to family changes, among others.  In our sessions, I can help you gain insight into what parenting is bringing up for you and learn strategies that allow you to be more present and attuned to your child.  I believe every parent intends to raise their children in the best way they know how but it’s often messy and difficult work. I can help you learn new ways to parent more empathically and effectively by understanding your child’s inner world and explore what you bring as a parent to each interaction.