Karen Wachtel

I am a clinical psychologist who offers individual adult psychotherapy, couples therapy, parenting support, and collaborative parent-child therapy.   I work with many individuals adapting to and coping with with difficult transitions.   This focus includes postpartum depression, the more general set of stresses associated with  becoming a new parent, coping with a loved ones illness or challenges, and working through stage-of-life change.  

I am a supportive, interactive therapist and enjoy working collaboratively.  When working with parents, I focus on helping them come up with active interventions that can address  their child’s difficulties and needs.  

In addition to providing individual, couples, and parent-child therapy, I specialize in conducting comprehensive neuropsychological/ psychoeducational evaluations for children and young adults.  When conducting evaluations I work hard to put children at ease and focus on understanding their strengths as well as their areas of vulnerability.  I place emphasis on writing reports and giving feedback to parents in a manner that is accessible and understandable.

AREAS OF RESEARCH

Past research has involved understanding the process by which mothers come to terms with their children’s recent diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders and how coping influences parenting style.  Past research has also involved studying parent-child interactions and the social-emotional development of multiethnic children.

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

B.A., Brown University
M.A., Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Boston
Psychology Internship, Department of Veterans Affairs, Manhattan
Post Doctoral Fellowship, The Marsha Winokur Learning Centers of The Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services

CREDENTIALS/BOARD CERTIFICATION

NY State Licensed Psychologist

PUBLICATIONS

Wachtel, K., & Carter, A.S. (2008). Reaction to diagnosis and parenting styles among mothers of young children with ASDs . Autism: the International Journal of Research and Practice, 12, 575-594.

Grossman, S.A., Carter, A.S., & Wachtel, K. (2007). Associations of mother-child interaction with 1-year language and social- communication gains in toddlers with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Poster presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR), Davis, CA, May 2007.

Briggs-Gowan, M.J., Carter, A.S., Irwin, J.R., Wachtel, K., & Cicchetti, D.V. (2004).  The Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment: Screening for social-emotional problems and delays in competence.  Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 29, 143-155.

Wachtel, K. (2003).  Early social-emotional development in multiethnic toddlers: An exploration of the role of family functioning on child development.  Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), Tampa, FL, April, 2003.

Seifer, R., Dickstein, S., Wachtel, K., and Belair, R. (2000).  Infant sleep and mother symptoms: Actigraph monitoring of infants, mother appraisal of sleep, and mother depression and anxiety.  Poster presented at the International Conference on Infant Studies,  Brighton, England, July, 2000.