Practice Philosophy:
Dr. Simona Efanov is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who works with children, adults, and couples. Understanding and compassionate, she helps her clients to grow and reach their full potential while developing skills in resilience and greater self-awareness. She provides clients with a safe and comfortable space to discuss uncomfortable topics, where they explore unhelpful patterns and learn to cope with distressing emotions. Beginning with a thorough assessment, she listens carefully to understand all aspects of a client’s unique history, symptom presentation, emotional concerns, and social experiences. Her goal is to collaborate with clients and help them develop new ways to view their challenges, get unstuck, improve relationships and enhance quality of life.
Couples come to therapy with a wide range of concerns, ranging from infertility to infidelity, and Dr Efanov works with them to improve communication, develop stronger attachments, and resolve conflicts in a healthy way. She relates well to children and offers age-appropriate interventions that impact challenging behaviors, ADHD symptoms, and anxiety. Parents are often included in sessions and provided with strategies for home that reinforce treatment goals and improve the functioning of the whole family system.
Areas of Expertise:
Dr. Efanov is known for her work with children and adults with ADHD, helping clients to build skills in executive functioning and teaching strategies to better manage attention and focus. She is a level 2 Gottman trained Couples Therapist, offering couples a toolkit of interventions to manage conflict and enhance their relationship. She also has expertise in treatment for children and adults impacted by trauma and abuse, with extensive experience treating first responders, the military population, and law enforcement personnel. Dr. Efanov also conducts psychological testing and assessments for a variety of conditions. Additionally, she offers parent consultation to individuals who are looking for guidance in managing parental challenges, offering strategies that can support and enhance their child’s progress. She draws from a wide range of evidence-based treatments in therapy including Internal Family Systems, DBT, ACT, CBT for ADHD, CBT for Insomnia, and Trauma Focused CBT for children. She is attuned to the impact of culturally diverse backgrounds and sexual identity, offering compassionate, sensitive care to all individuals.
Experience and Training:
Dr. Efanov received her doctorate from the American School of Professional Psychology, Argosy and also completed a Master in Bioethics from the University of Montreal. She earned her bachelor’s degree from McGill University where she double majored in Psychology and Anatomy & Cell biology. Prior to working in clinical psychology, she conducted research in neuroscience, studying brain functionality and personality differences in college students and in clinical populations. She also teaches graduate level courses in clinical psychology at Argosy University and the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Efanov and has supervised externs, interns, post-docs and graduate counselors. Dr. Efanov has a Level 2 Gottman Couples Therapy Certification, and she adopts this approach in her work with couples. She has pursued advanced training in CBT, CBT for Executive Functioning and ADHD, Trauma-Focused CBT for children, CBT for Insomnia, and DBT. She has practiced in a variety of settings including inpatient hospitals, private practice, and integrated medical care clinics
Fluent in French and Romanian
Blog Posts and Events:
