Lizzie Aviv, Ph.D.
Training
Ph.D. in Clinical Science from University of Southern California
M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University
B.A. in English Literature from Dartmouth College
Clinical Training & Experience
New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Perinatal Intensive Outpatient Program
UCLA Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Consultation-Liaison Services
Psychology Services Center, University of Southern California
Kortschak Center for Learning and Creativity, University of Southern California
Certifications & Specialized Training
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Three-Day Foundational Training
Bringing Baby Home Training, Gottman Center
Not every problem announces itself loudly. A thought that keeps circling, a relationship that's harder than it should be, a sense of being stuck somewhere you can't quite name — that's plenty of reason to start.
As a therapist, I work to build a warm and honest relationship, one where you feel cared for while being gently pushed to try something new. I try to be a steady, direct presence; someone who will sit with you in what's painful while helping you see the patterns you might be too close to notice yourself. My goal is that our work leaves you feeling more understood and more capable of changing the things you want to change in your life.
The feelings we work hardest to avoid tend to be the ones quietly costing us the most. Anxiety, perfectionism, and a chronic sense of being stuck often have something in common: feelings that have been pushed aside for a long time. For other people, emotions can feel too big, too fast, too much to manage. Either way, part of our work together is building a different relationship to your emotions. I draw on approaches like ACT, DBT, and exposure-based therapy to help you build self-compassion, tolerate hard feelings, and take action on what matters to you.
I have a particular focus on the perinatal period and the identity shifts that come with becoming—or trying to become—a parent. This is an area I've spent time studying as well as treating, and I especially enjoy working with new and expecting parents experiencing disturbing thoughts that are uncomfortable to talk about. I take a non-judgmental, warm approach to this work, recognizing that parents are, in many ways, having a rebirth of their own.
Couples work is another core part of my practice, particularly couples navigating major transitions: the shift into parenthood, conflict around division of labor, or a decision that feels genuinely unresolvable. I draw on approaches that help you understand the cycles you and your partner get stuck in by slowing down the moments that go badly, putting words to what's actually happening underneath a fight, and build acceptance alongside change.
Regardless of topic, I try to bring the same mix of steadiness and directness to our work together by naming what's hard to say, building tolerance for what's painful, and examining patterns that may have kept you stuck. Wherever you're starting from, my hope is that therapy becomes a place where you feel genuinely understood and where you can start to make sense of the things that once felt confusing or out of your hands.
Midtown NY
