Brooklyn Learning consists of a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist, Fara Jones, Music Psychotherapist, Meghan Hinman, Licensed Creative Arts Therapist, Jean Davis, Psychotherapist, Susannah Gersten, and Licensed Social Worker, Johanna McCarthy. Please read below to learn more about their professional services.
Fara Jones is a psychotherapist and drama therapist who works with individuals of all ages and provides both therapeutic and case management services, including outreach, advocacy, and coordination of care with other professionals (including teachers and guidance counselors). She has 12 years of experience working with children, adolescents and adults in mental health, substance abuse and school-based settings. Utilizing both traditional psychotherapy and creative arts therapy in her work, Fara tailors her treatment plans to meet the needs and inclinations of each of her clients, and works actively to establish a positive therapeutic relationship– which she believes to be one of the cornerstones of effective therapy. Fara provides individual, couples and family counseling, and has developed and implemented psychotherapy, psychoeducation and creative arts therapy groups for children, adolescents and adults. Her areas of specialization include parenting and families, children and adolescents, coping with trauma, and managing anxiety and depression.Her experience also includes curriculum development of conflict resolution workshops for students, parents and teachers in the NYC Department of Education where she worked for 5 years as a Program Manager for an Arts-In-Education company providing clinical supervision to a team of teaching artists and therapists. She has a private practice where she specializes in working with parents and families, adolescents, coping with trauma, addictions, anxiety and depression, and is currently developing The Mindful Parenting Group in Park Slope.
EXPERTISE: Parenting and family therapy, adolescents, anxiety and depression, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy, creative arts therapy
TYPE OF SERVICES: Individual, couples and family therapy
AGES: 5-up
LOCATION: Park Slope, Windsor Terrace or offices at Mondays and Wednesday- 406 7th ave #1F (@ 13th street) &
Fridays and Saturdays- 641 President St, Suite 103 (4th/ 5th ave)
CONTACT: fara@brooklynlearning.com & 917-359-3335
HOURS: Home and Office Visits: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays 10am-7pm;
Saturdays 1pm-5pm
Payment: Private Pay, Sliding Scale, Out-of-Network.
BLOGS: Mindful Parenting, Part 1 & Mindful Parenting, Part 2
Meghan is a licensed creative arts therapist and a board-certified music therapist with over ten years of experience working with babies, children, adolescents, and adults– alone or as a family– and use music to create a safe environment where support and positive change are a natural part of the process, just as music is a natural part of life at every stage. Meghan has advanced post-graduate training in Vocal Psychotherapy and In-Depth Music Therapy from the Music Psychotherapy Center in Manhattan.She has worked with a variety of medical facilities and agencies throughout the New York area, including Saint Vincent’s Hospital, helping children (and adults) to adjust to stressful diagnoses or to cope with the medical illness of parents or siblings. She is also part of the clinical supervisory faculty of the NYU Music Therapy Fieldwork Program. In her private practice in Brooklyn and on the Upper West Side, she works with children and adults struggling with loss in their lives, and with those who are looking for a creative way to understand themselves. Meghan has spoken internationally on the benefits of including music therapy in an interdisciplinary treatment plan, and on her work with bereaved children. She serves on the regional executive board of the American Music Therapy Association. In sessions Meghan and her clients can use musical instruments, singing voices, therapeutic toys, recordings of favorite music, and the innate creative spirit to address the treatment goals. With adults, music is a powerful tool in the session, usually utilized in conjunction with verbal psychotherapy. Adolescents so often identify and even speak through their favorite music, which makes it the perfect modality for exploring feelings and arriving at insights. With children, music and play therapy go hand in hand as we explore their inner world together. Music therapy with families promotes bonding and communication. Her style of therapy is client-led, and focused on self expression through music and/or the creative process.
EXPERTISE: Addiction, Anxiety or Fears, Child or Adolescent, Chronic Pain or Illness, Coping Skills, Depression, Divorce,Domestic Abuse, Domestic Violence, Emotional Disturbance, Family Conflict, Loss or Grief, Peer Relationships, Relationship Issues, Self Esteem, Self-Harming, Sex Therapy, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Addiction, Sleep or Insomnia, Spirituality, Trauma and PTSD, Using music to help express things that can’t be put into words, accessing feelings, coping with loss, coping with being different, using the voice to connect with self, creativity, humanistic and depth psychology.
TYPE OF SERVICES: Individual therapy, family therapy, small group
AGES: all
LOCATION: Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Windsor Terrace
HOURS: Home Visits: Monday-Friday, 9am-7pm.
CONTACT: Website & meghan@brooklynlearning.com & 646-450-1644
Payment: Private Pay, Cigna, Out-of-Network.
BLOGS: Music Therapy: Myths and Misconceptions & Children and Grieving
Jean is a licensed creative arts therapist and a registered and board-certified art therapist. She has postgraduate training in group therapy, gestalt therapy and ecopsychology and has over 15 years of experience with a wide variety of populations and in numerous settings. urrently, Jean is Chairperson for Pratt Institute’s Graduate Creative Arts Therapy Department, the program from which she graduated and in which she has served as an instructor for ten years. She has published numerous articles in professional journals and she presently serves on the editorial board for the Ecopsychology Journal. She is the former Director of the Transitional Living Community, a temporary residential program for homeless women with psychiatric diagnoses managed by Brooklyn Community Services. Prior, she was Clinical Director of the Greenwich Village Youth Council, which offers extensive supports to youth struggling with a range of difficulties. For more than a decade, she has maintained a private practice in Brooklyn, New York working with children and adults. In her private practice, alongside a foundation in psychological theory, she employs a combination of techniques – talking, art, play, imagination and nature – best suited to equipping clients with the ability to make vital insights and creative adjustments leading to greater self-knowledge and fuller lives characterized by clear awareness and perception. For certain clients, loosely directed art-making can assist in opening important issues that might otherwise be overlooked or defended against. A painting created and, then, turned upside down, can elicit a total shift in perspective and allow a multitude of surprising responses. For clients needing clear guidelines and organization, concrete and linear techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy and structured art or verbal therapy are often most effective. Colored pencils, tracing paper and rulers can be very helpful for clients seeking control following chaotic experiences. Jean also utilize outdoor space in close proximity to my therapy office in cases in which clients benefit from opening senses in contact with the natural environment. After the second session with a child, she develops treatment goals which address a combination of the child’s goals in concert with those of parents. When working with adults, goals are developed collaboratively.
EXPERTISE: ADHD, Addiction, Depression, Coping skills, Creativity Development, Emotional Disturbance, Family Conflict, Self Esteem, Anxiety and Fears, 16 years experience as an art therapist and additional training in Gestalt therapy, Group therapy and Ecopsychology.
LOCATION: 757 East 19th Street, Ditmas Park/Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY
CONTACT: jean@brooklynlearning.com 917-292-9301
HOURS: Office Visits: Weekday evenings and some mornings
Payment: Private Pay, Out-of-Network.
BLOGS: Environmental Art Therapy & Parents; Please Take A Moment
Susannah Gersten was born and raised in Brooklyn and specializes in working with young children and new parents. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Vassar College and her Master’s in Social Work from the Smith College School for Social Work. She has experience in mental health as well as community based counseling services in Park Slope, making her invaluable in building relationships with the schools and other services in the area. In her private practice, Susannah offers play therapy with young children as well as behavior management, behavior plans and other techniques that involve both children and their family. She also offer couples and family psychotherapy in order to help the parents and family address any underlying concerns in the family system. If parents desire, Susannah is happy to be in communication with guidance counselors, teachers and others at the child’s school. Outside of the office, She runs an equine assisted psychotherapy group with middle-school aged children to address anxiety, shyness and depression. This group is especially indicated for children who have not responded to traditional therapy in the past. She has run this program for three years and it’s in conjunction with GallopNYC which works out of Kensington stables.
EXPERTISE: Anxiety or Fears, Asperger’s Syndrome, Attention Deficit, Behavioral Issues, Child or Adolescent, Coping Skills, Depression, Divorce, Emotional Disturbance, Family Conflict, Learning Disabilities, Loss or Grief, Oppositional Defiance, Parenting, Peer Relationships, Relationship Issues, Self Esteem, Play therapy and behavior management with preschool and elementary aged children, animal-assisted psychotherapy.
TYPE OF SERVICES: Individual therapy, family therapy, parent consultations
AGES: Preschool and elementary aged children, parents
LOCATION: Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Sunset Park, Red Hook or office at 406 7th Avenue (@13th Street)
CONTACT: susannah@brooklynlearning.com & 718-360-8531
HOURS: Home and Office visits: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8 AM to 5 PM; Saturday 8 AM to 2 PM..
Payment: Private Pay, Out-of-Network, Sliding Scale.
BLOGS: Children and Divorce, Part 1, Children and Divorce Part 2, Equine Assisted Psychotherapy Program
Johanna is a licensed master level social worker with over 15 years of experience in the mental health field. She provide a comfortable and down to earth atmosphere and use warmth, humor and clinical insight to promote deeper self-awareness, personal growth and connection. She has devoted over a decade to working with and advocating for families affected by developmental disabilities and mental health issues. In the past five years, Johanna has played a more clinical role while working with adults, adolescents and children. She has had the opportunity to work with people suffering from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anger management, family and relationship issues. In addition, Johanna engage children in play therapy in order to provide them with a safe space to express their feelings, concerns, and support them in developing healthy coping mechanisms. She has particular knowledge and interest in children with sensory integration issues and children on the autistic spectrum, and has partnered successfully with specialists to determine how to best support these children. Her current area of interest and expertise lies in partnering with parents in order to help them better understand and meet the needs of their children. This work includes helping caregivers and acknowledging their distinct challenges in order to partner together in harmony. As well as, working with caregivers individually to assist them in accessing their unique strengths that will benefit their children.
EXPERTISE: Sexual abuse, Mental Retardation, Parenting, Loss/Grief, Self Harming, Self Esteem, Trauma/PTSD, Domestic Violence, Learning Disabilities, Depression, Coping Skills, Borderline Personality, Divorce.
TYPE OF SERVICES: Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Play Therapy
LOCATION: 19 West 34th Street, New York, NY
AGES: 5 years of age and up
CONTACT: johanna@brooklynlearning.com & (347)766-2301
HOURS: Office Visits: 9 AM-7 PM; Monday – Friday (flexible)
Payment: Private Pay, Sliding Scale.
BLOGS: Air Mask
