Fernanda is a licensed professional counselor who has extensive experience with children, teenagers and young adults dealing with generalized anxiety, school avoidance, depression, ADHD, normal life transitions, as well as loss and trauma.
Prior to moving to the United States in 2001, she obtained her license as a psychologist in Brazil after graduating from the prestigious Pontifícia Universidade Católica of São Paulo, where she specialized in child and adolescent clinical psychology.
Fernanda attended Teachers College, Columbia University where she earned a master’s in Psychology and Education, with emphasis in clinical psychology. She later extended her work at Columbia and earned a master’s in Psychological Counseling. While in graduate school, Fernanda worked with young adults at the Dean Hope Center. During her fieldwork, she counseled elementary and middle school students at two public schools in NYC and supported teachers through behavior issues, healthy relationship building, conflict resolution, and a wide range of psychological issues- including selective mutism, oppositional defiant disorder, eating disorders, poor self-esteem and poor self-regulation.
Fernanda joined SASCO after 7 years working as a middle school counselor at a Manhattan private school. There, she provided short term counseling for adolescents, and served as a liaison between parents, the school and outside providers. At the close of 2019, she decided it was time to pursue her longtime goal of working exclusively as a psychotherapist.
Fernanda’s main framework is psychodynamic and person centered but she often draws from different perspectives to meet clients where they are. She has training in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Dialectic Behavior Therapy/Mindfulness (DBT) methods and draws from them as appropriate. She enjoys working collaboratively with her clients, always respecting what each individual brings to the therapeutic relationship, and setting clear goals and expectations for treatment.
Commitment to Inclusivity: Sasco River Center is an equal opportunity organization, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, disability, color, size, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or socioeconomic background. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all clients and colleagues.