Danielle M. Shpigel, PhD

TREATMENT APPROACH Welcome! I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist specializing in helping adults of all ages struggling with a wide range of mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, trauma, and life adjustments such as navigating major transitions, enhancing the quality of relationships, improving self-esteem, and reducing stress. I also have specialized training in the relationship between the brain and behavior (neuropsychology) as well as helping clients and their loved ones improve quality of life in the face of chronic and acute illness (behavioral medicine), including traumatic and acquired brain injury, sleep difficulties, gastrointestinal problems, cancer and pain. My goal is not solely to ameliorate symptoms, but to uncover and fortify my clients’ strengths and inner resiliencies so that they can build a life of vitality and purpose. I enjoy working with individuals from diverse backgrounds, and am particularly passionate about improving women’s mental and physical health and supporting service members’ and Veterans’ psychological well-being. I strive to help clients learn how to better respond to thought patterns perpetuating their struggles, let go of societal and self-imposed rules that can often be life-constricting or destructive, and embrace the arc of emotions that come with living a full and rich life. Regardless of the challenges you present with, I aim to EMPOWER you to take charge of your life story rather than live at the mercy of difficult circumstances or emotional experiences, INSPIRE you to your purpose, and TRANSFORM emotional adversity into resilience and hope. My therapeutic style is interactive and collaborative. Specifically, I utilize a mind-body approach, integrating cognitive behavioral, humanistic, and mindfulness based principles to help clients improve their quality of life and achieve their personal goals. I often incorporate a touch of humor when appropriate as “it is well known that humor, more than anything else in the human make-up, can afford an aloofness and an ability to rise above any situation, even if only for a few seconds” (Viktor E. Frankl, MD). I welcome you to reach out with any questions and/or to schedule a free 30-minute initial consultation to see if I may be a good fit to support your journey towards psychological empowerment. I provide telehealth services in Washington DC, Virginia, New York, and states participating in PSYPACT. EDUCATION, TRAINING & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Prior to launching INSPIRE Psychological Wellness, Dr. Shpigel trained and worked in medical and mental health settings within several of New York’s major hospitals including Weill Cornell Medicine, New York–Presbyterian Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Veteran’s Health Administration, Columbia University’s New York State Psychiatric Institute, and New York City Health + Hospitals. Dr. Shpigel has served as Adjunct Faculty at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development where she taught graduate students within the Department of Applied Psychology. She has advanced scholarly work by contributing to grant funded research at the Brain Injury Research Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and the Translational Research Institute for Pain in Later Life at Weill Cornell Medicine. During her graduate studies, Dr. Shpigel was a member of labs examining eating behaviors and smoking/nicotine dependence at Yeshiva University/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her work has led to scientific articles and presentations at national and international conferences. Please see below for additional details regarding Dr. Shpigel’s credentials. PhD in Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis), minor in neuropsychology Yeshiva University in affiliation with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology & Rehabilitation Research Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Predoctoral Internship James J. Peters VA Medical Center SERVICES Psychotherapy: focuses on a mixture of learning and implementing concrete skills such as: • Strategies to better manage challenging situations: how do I improve communication with my partner or boss? How do I effectively implement boundaries and reduce my propensity to people please? • Ways to respond to unwanted intrusive thoughts and unpleasant emotions And/or in depth inner work; progress towards a place of deeper understanding and nurture self-discoveries. For example: • Why do I have a tendency to remain in unfulfilling relationships? • Why do I continue to work in a job that does not value me or with which I do not connect? Health Behavior Coaching: focuses on improving attitudes and behaviors that impact physical health including pain, sleep, and GI discomfort, such as negative illness beliefs, fear and avoidance. We also work together to promote psychological adjustment to living with illness and/or disability. For example, identity changes following a new diagnosis or prognosis, medical trauma, healthcare burnout, acceptance of limitations, and improving communication with loved ones about health related issues. Cognitive Remediation: involves re-learning, improving upon, or compensating for cognitive difficulties following injury or illness (e.g., concussion, brain tumor, stroke, multiple sclerosis) that impacts one’s thinking abilities. Goals vary and can include increasing safety, promoting autonomy, improving daily functioning, and reintegrating into professional, academic or social roles, with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life.