Frequently Asked Questions

I specialize in working with adolescents and adults. Many of my clients seek treatment for anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. I also have clients who reach out for help in navigating life transitions (e.g., leaving for college, starting a new job, moving to a new city) and managing intense or overwhelming emotions.

Yes. I meet with the parents of my adolescent clients at the start of treatment to discuss goals and make an effort to connect regularly to review progress.

I also provide crisis support for parents of adolescents struggling with suicidal ideation and/or self-harm.

I use evidence-based treatments, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for emotion regulation and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for sleep problems.

Clients describe my approach as compassionate and straightforward. I take a collaborative approach to help my clients achieve their goals.

I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss your needs and my approach. If we decide to move forward with treatment, the first session is a 90-minute intake to review your history and goals. After that, ongoing sessions are usually weekly for 45 minutes.

Most of my clients meet with me weekly for 45 minutes. Depending on your goals for therapy, we may decide that a longer session (60 minutes) is needed or that we want to change the frequency of our meetings (twice weekly or once every two weeks).

For sleep treatment, we may space out the sessions to allow more time to implement the changes discussed.

For parent crisis coaching, it may make sense to have more frequent meetings (2-3 times per week), especially if your teen is currently in the hospital or a residential treatment facility.

Yes. My office is conveniently located on the Upper East Side at 90th Street between Fifth Ave and Madison Ave. It is a short walk from the 4/5/6 subway stations at 86th Street and 96th Street.

Yes. I offer secure telehealth sessions for clients in New York State. Due to licensing restrictions, all clients must be physically located in New York State during virtual sessions.

My rate is $350 for a 45-minute session, $450 for a 60-minute session, and $700 for the initial 90-minute intake session (which can be split into two 45-minute sessions billed at $350 each).

I do not take insurance. Payment is due at the time of service. I can provide a superbill that can be submitted to your insurance for possible reimbursement as an out-of-network provider. If you are looking to use insurance to cover the cost of therapy, I would recommend reaching out to your insurance company directly and asking what amount is reimbursed for out-of-network providers.

Session times are held for you. In the event that you need to cancel a session, I ask that you cancel at least 48 hours in advance. This is so I can offer the time to other clients.

Any session that is cancelled less than 48 hours before the start time will be subject to a late cancellation fee.

No. As a psychologist in New York State, I cannot prescribe medication. I do work closely with prescribers and can provide referrals if medication is indicated.

If you are in immediate crisis, please dial 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. You can also call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. I do not provide emergency or on-call services.

Every client is different. Some people need short-term support for one specific goal or concern. Others benefit from longer-term therapy. We will regularly discuss goals and progress.

CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The goal of CBT is to change unhelpful thoughts (cognitions) and behaviors in order to improve your emotions and daily functioning. This treatment can feel more structured and change-focused because the emphasis is on building a tool-kit of skills to use to help change your emotions. There is a lot of research demonstrating that CBT is effective for treating anxiety and depression in adolescents and adults.

CBT-I is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for individuals who are struggling with insomnia. Insomnia can include difficulty falling asleep, waking in the night (difficulty staying asleep), or waking up too early. The goal of CBT-I is learning skills to change the beliefs and behaviors that are maintaining sleep problems. A typical course of CBT-I is 6-8 sessions and does not involve medication.

DBT stands for Dialectical Behavior Therapy. The goal of DBT is to help individuals who struggle with managing intense emotions and engage in life-threatening behaviors (e.g., suicidality, self-harm) build a life worth living. DBT treatment includes learning skills around emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and mindfulness.

Comprehensive DBT programs combine individual therapy, group therapy where individuals can learn the DBT skills, and 24/7 phone coaching where clients have access to their therapist between sessions for real-time support in using skills to effectively respond to intense emotions and/or life-threatening behaviors.

Dr. Gasperetti previously worked at a comprehensive DBT program and brings her years of experience in providing comprehensive DBT to her clients at Morning Light Psychology.

At Morning Light Psychology, we offer DBT-informed treatment, which means that we provide individual therapy and teach DBT skills, but do not offer 24/7 phone coaching.

If you have questions about the difference between comprehensive DBT and DBT-informed care, please reach out to Dr. Gasperetti.