Heather Bernstein, PsyD

Practice Philosophy

Dr. Heather Bernstein is a warm, approachable, and highly skilled psychologist who provides evidence-based treatment for children, adolescents, young adults, and families. With a balanced style that is both gentle and direct, she helps patients better understand themselves, break out of unhelpful patterns, and build practical skills to reduce distress and improve daily functioning. Dr. Bernstein takes a holistic approach to care, examining how relationships, behaviors, thoughts, developmental stage, and emotions intersect to shape an individual’s experience.

Dr. Bernstein tailors treatment to each child’s age, perspective, and unique strengths, and works closely with parents to create a supportive, change-ready environment at home. With younger children, she integrates developmental science, brain-based understanding, playfulness, and skills training so treatment feels engaging and effective. This allows children to spend more time learning, playing, and being a kid while reducing day-to-day struggles. She works extensively with parents, validating the challenges of parenting while guiding families toward more regulated, compassionate, and effective responses that reduce conflict and frustration.   

Dt. Bernstein’s relaxed and authentic style allows her to connect easily with adolescents, teens, and young adults, including those who may feel skeptical or reluctant to engage. She uses humor and curiosity to build rapport and motivate change, helping patients of all ages strengthen emotional regulation, communication, self-understanding, and confidence. Her goal is for each patient to become the best version of themselves.

Areas of Expertise

Dr. Bernstein is recognized for her expertise in Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C), an evidence-based treatment for children ages 8–12 who struggle with emotional dysregulation, behavioral outbursts, big emotions, and complex family dynamics. She integrates DBT-based parenting interventions into treatment to help families establish structure, stability, and emotional resilience at home.

In addition, Dr. Bernstein has extensive experience treating anxiety disorders, mood disorders, disruptive behavior, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, suicidal ideation & behaviors, and challenges related to life transitions and identity. She has specialized training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and DBT for Children (DBT-C), and also draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based strategies, parent management training, and family systems approaches.  She works especially well with teens and young adults navigating executive functioning challenges, social relationships, decision-making, and increasing independence, and has extensive experience supporting families transitioning between outpatient, residential, and inpatient levels of care. Dr. Bernstein collaborates closely with schools, pediatricians, psychiatrists, and other providers to ensure coordinated and cohesive treatment.

Experience and Training

Dr. Bernstein earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Hartford and her B.S. in Psychology from Union College. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center/Institute of Living and pre-doctoral training in inpatient psychiatry at the University Neuropsychiatric Institute. Her clinical training includes specialized placements at the University of Washington Autism Center, Georgia Regents University Pediatric Inpatient Unit, East Central Regional Hospital, and the University of Hartford.  Dr. Bernstein has worked across outpatient, inpatient, residential, therapeutic boarding school, and school-based settings, giving her a deep understanding of how symptoms and family dynamics present across contexts. Previously, she served as Director of DBT-C at The Bethesda Group and Co-Director of the DBT Program at the Child Mind Institute, and conducted research at the Yale Stress Center. 

Dr. Bernstein sees patients in person at The Ross Center’s Virginia office and provides virtual care to patients located in New York, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and California.