Practice Philosophy:
Grace Berman is a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in working with children, adolescents, and adults. Warm and genuine, Grace creates a compassionate environment where clients of all ages learn new skills to navigate stress, anxiety, relationships, and life transitions. When working with children, she develops rapport easily and takes the time to understand a child’s interests so they feel connected and comfortable in the therapeutic process. She offers parents support and tangible strategies that can be applied at home to impact a child’s behavior, including tools that help parents to enhance communication, strengthen family relationships, create appropriate boundaries, and model coping skills. She collaborates with families, schools, nannies, and outside providers to ensure comprehensive, coordinated care. Parent involvement in a child’s treatment is important, however she balances this with creating a safe and confidential space for children and adolescents. With adults who are struggling with feeling lost, uncertainty about career decisions or relationships, and general life stressors, Grace provides a supportive atmosphere so they feel seen and understood while developing the strength to get unstuck and move forward with greater confidence. She’ll help make sense of family dynamics, offer guidance for romantic relationships and friendships, and counsel clients as they manage the stressors of adulthood.
Areas of Expertise:
Grace specializes in the treatment of children (ages 2 and up), adolescents, and adults with anxiety disorders including social anxiety disorder, specific phobias, generalized anxiety disorder, selective mutism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She also has a particular expertise in the intersection of anxiety disorders and ADHD, mood dysregulation, and behavioral challenges including low frustration tolerance, tantrums, and high levels of emotional sensitivity. As a parenting expert, she is equipped to support parents as individuals managing the stress of parenthood while providing actionable parenting strategies to support their children. She also has expertise in working with young adults who are experiencing anxiety due to transitions in school, work, relationships, and family. Grace has extensive training in a variety of evidence-based therapies, and she develops a personalized treatment plan drawing from Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT and DBT-C geared toward younger children), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Parent Management Training (PMT), Parent Child Interaction Therapy (for behavior disorders and for Selective Mutism), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE). Each client receives the optimal mix of therapies that makes sense for their individual circumstances.
Experience and Training:
Grace completed her Masters in Social Work at Columbia University School of Social Work, where she now teaches as an Adjunct Professor. She served as an Advanced Clinical Social Work Fellow at the Yale Child Study Center Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic, where she then worked as a faculty clinician. Prior to joining the Ross Center, she served as a clinical manager and therapist at the Child Mind Institute, where she was also responsible for supervising fellow clinicians. In addition to working directly with clients, she frequently shares her expertise with schools and delivers presentations and consultation to educators, caregivers, and other specialized groups. She is active in the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), serving on the public education committee to improve and expand public education and outreach about mental health. Grace is passionate about helping people across the lifespan recognize their bravery, resilience, and ability to handle challenging situations effectively, and feels great joy in watching clients overcome challenges they previously thought were insurmountable.
Blog Posts and Events:
- Blog Post: When Someone You Love is Depressed
- Facilitator: Parenting a Child with ADHD: How to Help Your Child Flourish
- Blog Post: ADHD Time Management: Overcoming Procrastination and Taking Control
- Podcast: Parenting in the Age of Social Media
- Blog Post: 7 Tips to Help your Child with Back to School Anxiety
