Ashley Cooper, PsyD

Licensed Psychologist, State of New York

Nationally Certified School Psychologist

Training: Dr. Ashley Cooper received her undergraduate and graduate education from Roberts Wesleyan University, where she now serves as Assistant Professor of Psychology. In addition to her academic role, she is a clinical supervisor for doctoral students at Westside Psychological Services. Dr. Cooper has also received extensive training at Genesee Valley Psychology under the guidance of Drs. Lauren Wadsworth and Madeleine August.

Clinical Expertise: Dr. Cooper specializes in treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and works extensively with individuals and families in this capacity. She is proficient in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and the ComB Method for Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors. Her clinical experience also includes working with neurodivergent populations, such as those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Specific Learning Disabilities. Additionally, she provides executive functioning coaching and has comprehensive training in psychological assessments, particularly for diagnosing ASD, ADHD, and personality disorders. Dr. Cooper works closely with parents, providing coaching and interventions tailored to their needs, including the implementation of the SPACE method (Supportive Parenting of Anxious Childhood Emotions).

Approach: Dr. Cooper offers a person-centered, strengths-based approach, with a strong emphasis on the holistic aspects and contextual factors of each individual, including family systems and personal identities. She understands that people are complex and appreciates the nuances of the human experience, incorporating this philosophy into her treatment. Dr. Cooper creates a warm and gentle environment for clients to engage therapeutically. Prioritizing the therapeutic relationship, she aims to support clients in building a meaningful, value-driven life that aligns with their personal goals and aspirations. She inspires clients to proactively engage in their treatment, and nurture a curiosity about their own growth and development.

Diversity and Inclusion: Dr. Cooper is dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment in her clinical practice. She actively pursues ongoing training and education to enhance her cross-cultural humility. Dr. Cooper strives to ensure that the therapeutic relationship is respectful and effective for all clients.

Ages: Dr. Cooper works with individuals (3+) and families.

Carey Dowling, PhD

Licensed Psychologist in New York & Mississippi

Training: Dr. Carey Bernini Dowling earned her Bachelor's in Psychology from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, and her Master's and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Clifford Beers Clinic, in New Haven, CT, where she was trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents and continued to gain experience providing other empirically supported treatments. She completed a post-doctoral experience with colleagues at the University of Mississippi where she continued to work with children, adolescents, and their families, and expanded her experience with adult clients. While in Mississippi, she especially gained experience providing empirically supported treatments for anxiety, OCD, depression, and trauma-related disorders in children and adults.

Clinical Expertise: Dr. Dowling's clinical training and experience as a psychologist (and professor teaching primarily undergraduate students) has provided her the opportunity to work with children, teens, emerging adults, parents, and adults in many settings. Dr. Dowling has extensive experience working with issues including anxiety (e.g., Panic Disorder), depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), externalizing disorders (ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder), and trauma across the lifespan. Dr. Dowling uses multiple forms of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP for OCD in children - adults), Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy (for PTSD in adults), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT for PTSD in children and adolescents), Parent Management Training (for behavioral concerns in children and young adolescents), and the Unified Protocol for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders (for anxiety and mood disorders in adults). 

Approach: Dr. Dowling's approach is client centered. Her collaborative approach to treatment creates an environment where the client is the expert in their life and she works with them to help them make the necessary changes they want to make to improve the quality of their life. Treatment is rooted in a thorough assessment of any issues the client is having and the interventions are discussed and agreed upon with ongoing assessment helping to modify treatment as needed. She is particularly interested in helping clients reach their treatment goals and getting back to the life they value as quickly as possible through the use of empirically supported treatments. 

Diversity & Inclusion: Dr. Dowling is committed to creating an environment that is compassionate, safe, and inclusive for all of the various identities clients have (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, religious, political, etc.). She welcomes discussion of the influence of these identities and integrates them into treatment as appropriate. She also recognizes the need to continually learn and grow and has a personal and professional practice to continue to learn about identities and life experiences different from her own. 

Meg Dorfner, PsyD

Licensed Psychologist, State of New York

Training: Dr. Meg Dorfner earned her degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Youth Opportunity Center (YOC), an adolescent residential treatment facility with adjoined juvenile detention center in Muncie, Indiana. While at the YOC, Dr. Dorfner conducted numerous rigorous court-ordered assessments for at-risk youth and their families. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Genesee Valley Psychology specializing in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and trauma in children, adolescents, and young adults. 

Clinical Expertise: Dr. Dorfner has training experience in a variety of different clinical settings (e.g., community mental health centers, private practices, residential treatment facilities, and juvenile detention centers) that has allowed her to work with an assortment of different presenting concerns. Through these various clinical experiences, she has been trained to provide a wide range of psychological assessments for people of all ages (e.g., children, adolescents, and adults). This includes cognitive/intellectual assessments, comprehensive personality assessments, and assessments of behavioral and executive functioning. She has been formally trained in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of the ADOS-2, the gold standard assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorders. 

Testing Approach: When doing testing, Dr. Dorfner takes a comprehensive approach. She believes it is important to consider all of the gathered clinical information and potential differential diagnoses in order to provide thorough recommendations for the best course of treatment. This includes recognizing the socio-cultural identities that interact with life experiences and symptom presentation. Furthermore, she believes collaboration with client’s, family, and other professionals is imperative to understanding an individual and, therefore, to providing the most accurate results. She finds it important to identify and focus on a client's unique strengths and attributes in order to facilitate the best possible results and recommendations.

Ages: Dr. Dorfner sees clients as young as 5.