Marriage and Family Counseling New York Long Island Manhattan

Counseling Corner for Marriage and Family Therapy, P.C. (CCMFT), opened its doors in March of 2003. It was originally The Relationship Enhancement Center. Our mission is to provide the community with the education and tools necessary to maintain healthy families, marriages and relationships. Our founder built this company with relationships in mind and takes pride in being able to say we help many people improve their lives on a daily basis and now in two counties. Since opening we have grown to two locations, Manhattan and Rockville Centre (Long Island) and are staffed with six therapists. All of our therapists are trained in Family Systems and Couples Therapy. Providing a unique approach to therapy is what keeps us excited about what we do and keeps the people that continue to work with us feeling hopeful in a way they never thought imaginable.

Many people who come to CCMFT for services have tried therapy before and had little success. Many times they have brought their family, spouse or partner in and did not feel the therapist was able to help. We feel that not every therapist is skilled in working with more than one individual in the room and this can be a difficult task if not trained appropriately. This is why therapists at CCMFT are unique in that each therapist is trained to do just that--to work with more than one person. Our therapists know how to deal with high conflict issues between spouses/partners, parent-child/teen, siblings, etc. Having this confidence provides hope and opportunities for new experiences. So, we encourage you to get to know our staff and see if CCMFT is the right place for you.

At Counseling Corner for MFT we are dedicated to help our clients to build and maintain healthy relationships. We believe that healthy relationships add to our satisfaction in life and one's overall health. Our approach is systemic in that we view each person in the context of his or her relationships. We assume that people exist in relation to one another and are part of the same system. It is within the context of these relationships that problems exist and our goal is to create change throughout the entire system (or relationships) rather than within the individual. With this type of work, where each person is working together, we believe change is more lasting.

I have carefully selected therapists to be part of a team that delivers high quality therapeutic services. All therapist at CCMFT are trained in Family Therapy and Couple Therapy theories and have received intensive training and supervision providing therapy to individuals, couples and families. Our therapists regularly attend trainings and professional conferences to make sure they are up to date with the latest techniques used in psychotherapy. It is our utmost concern that our clients receive services of the highest quality.

I hope that you will enjoy your visit of our website and welcome you to contact us for help with your relationship.

Cari L. Sans, M.A., LMFT, the founder and director, is a New York State Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist . She holds a bachelor of arts in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a master of arts degree in marriage and family therapy from Hofstra University, NY. Cari is a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the New York/Long Island chapters of the organization. Cari opened her private practice in 2003 while also working in a non-profit agency providing her services to clients with substance abuse and criminal issues. She was dedicated to not only seeing services provided in the public sector but also the private, where she found there were many people who wanted a safe place to come with their partners/spouse and family that is confidential. Since 2005 she has solely focused on her private practice and has recruited other therapists to join her team.

Cari has worked within the social service/mental health arena for the past 11 years in various roles. She has experience working with couples, families and individuals providing psychotherapy both within non-profit agency settings and private practice over the past 6 years. She has provided groups dealing with issues of weight loss, anger management, couple enhancement, parenting, and substance abuse. Cari has also presented workshops on Anger Management, Families and Chronic Illness, Parenting During Divorce, and Eating Extremes. In her career, Cari has worked with children, adolescents and their families both in residential treatment and early childhood programs. She has also worked with adults in correctional and substance abuse treatment. She is a trained Parenting Journey© and PEACE facilitator. Cari is currently a candidate for certification as an AAMFT approved supervisor. She is a member of the New York State Board for Mental Health Practitioners and has lectured at Hunter College (CUNY) in the School of Education.

Andrea Wilkinson Ohle, M.S., M.A., is a psychotherapist trained in marriage and family therapy and holds a limited permit to practice marriage and family therapy in the state of New York. She is an associate member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and a member of the state and Long Island chapters of that organization. Andrea brings to the table her experience in treating individuals, couples and families of all ages in the private-practice model. Additionally, she led several groups that focused on topics including bereavement, children of divorced parents, and substance abuse recovery. Andrea also helped lead a unique family program that featured joining activities for the family as a whole as well as play therapy for children who were grouped with peers. Settings of these experiences included community counseling agencies, a high school guidance department, and a homeless shelter for men.

Andrea came to the therapy field via a communications background and draws from that experience some essential communicative elements in the therapeutic room. She has a master of science degree in marriage and family therapy with honors from Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, and upon graduation was the department faculty's choice for Outstanding Marriage and Family Therapy Student. In addition, Andrea holds a masters of art degree in communication arts from New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, NY. Andrea enjoys volunteering her psychotherapy services weekly for those less fortunate at a community service agency in Eastern Suffolk County.

Sahar Khoshakhlagh, M.A., M.A., Psy.D (cand.), is a psychotherapist trained in marriage and family therapy and holds a limited permit to practice marriage and family therapy in the state of New York.. Sahar has received her masters degree from New York University in counseling and guidance, and a second masters degree from Alliant International University in marital and family therapy. Currently, Sahar is continuing her education at Alliant International University as a doctorate candidate in the field of marital and family therapy. Sahar is also an associate member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and has five years of experience working with at risk children, substance abusers, couples and families.

Sahar has worked at Baruch College assisting and counseling college students as well as Steinway Child and Family Services Inc., counseling and intervening in relational dynamics. Furthermore, Sahar has worked for the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Center and the child and family counseling center at Western Youth Services in Southern California. She has facilitated parenting classes, leadership retreats, and multicultural awareness workshops. As a facilitator and therapist, Sahar encourages higher thinking, effective communication, awareness of the self and the other, and the significance of partnership. Most importantly, Sahar focuses on factors such as relational dynamics, emotional cycles, and communication patterns rather than traits or symptoms in individual members.

Normajean Cefarelli, LMFT, is a New York State Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has trained extensively in counseling individuals, couples and families. She holds a Master of Family Therapy degree from Southern Connecticut State University and is a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) as well as a member of the state chapters of that organization. In addition, Normajean earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Associate of Science Degree in Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Counseling. Presently, Normajean works part-time at Naugatuck Family and Youth Services in Naugatuck, CT, a non-profit organization providing individual, couples and family therapy. She also works with Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery, a non-profit grassroots organization, managing and training volunteers in peer support roles and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Southern Connecticut State University.

Normajean has experience working with individuals, couples and families with anger issues as well as conducting educational presentations and facilitated discussions for anger management groups. She was able to build a strong relationship with the New Haven Connecticut Probate Court while serving as Guardian Ad Litum for children in family cases. Over the past three years, Normajean has conducted therapeutic supervised visits integrating a structural model for parenting. Normajean has also provided individual therapy sessions directly related to substance use/abuse issues for local university students attending Albertus Magnus College. Normajean has a strong passion for experiential therapies and is a Certified Gestalt Therapist and Equine Facilitated Psychotherapist. She has experience in private practice setting in Connecticut providing stress reduction through energy therapies and teaching traditional Usui Reiki.

Dorothy Pompi, M.S., is a trained psychotherapist having received her training in marriage and family therapy from Iona College, and holds a limited permit to practice marriage and family therapy in the state of New York. She is an associate member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and is an active member of the NYAMFT Metro Chapter.

Dorothy’s experience includes working with couples, families and individuals concerned with issues of intergenerational family relationships, changing family life cycle and stressors found in both new and long-term relationships. She has worked with blended families, young adults, and multi-stressed couples in both urban and suburban settings. Dorothy has applied behavioral techniques to aid parents, children and pre-adolescents struggling with anger and lack of self-control; tools are provided to family members, yielding positive emotional expression for all. Dorothy’s collaborative stance used in psychotherapy has enabled her to work with multicultural populations found in New York City. It is her belief that this collaborative style offers a relaxed and knowledgeable atmosphere in which clients can explore and bring about the process of change.