Christine M. Newman, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist &
Clincal Director
Christine M. Newman earned her Masters and Doctorate in clinical psychology from Hofstra University. Dr. Newman completed her internship as well as her post-doctoral training at a private clinic specializing in intensive outpatient treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders.Dr. Newman also has specialized training in the treatment in the treatment of Eating Disorders.
Dr. Newman is the co-founder of Mid Island Psychology Associates, PLLC, which is a practice which specializes in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders. The practice offers intensive treatment options for individuals diagnosed with OCD and related disorders. She currently provides individual therapy for children, adolescents, and adults utilizing Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Her clinical expertise encompasses a wide range of problems including anxiety and mood disorders, more specifically obsessive compulsive spectrum disorders, panic disorder, eating disorders and borderline personality disorder. Dr. Newman has been intensively trained as a DBT therapist through the Linehan Institute, and has completed many trainings and workshops in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She has obtained extensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy as well as exposure and response prevention. Aside from her research and clinical practice,
Dr. Newman has taught various courses in psychology at both Molloy College and SUNY Old Westbury. She also provides trainings for clinicians on a range of topics such as Exposure and Response Prevention for the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as well as the treatment of school refusal. Her clinical interests include using empirically supported modalities such as CBT, DBT, and ACT. She maintains a special interest in using in-vivo and imaginal exposure therapies in order to treat obsessive compulsive disorder.
Loren Packer-Hopke, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist &
Clincal Director
Loren Packer-Hopke earned her Masters and Doctorate in School and Community Psychology from Hofstra University. She received a B.A. from Adelphi University where she focused on clinical psychology.Dr. Packer-Hopke completed her post-doctoral training at a private specialized clinic in the treatment of OCD, where she specialized in intensive outpatient treatment for OCD spectrum disorders.
Dr. Packer-Hopke has worked at the Long Island Counseling Center providing individual therapy using CBT, for the treatment of adults, adolescents, and children with anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, child abuse, and chronic mental illness.In the past she has worked as a counselor in the REACH Continuing Education Program at Hofstra University where she was responsible for socialization training for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. She also worked as a therapist for the Institute for Family Forensic Psychology providing individual and family counseling for children and adolescents experiencing divorce, custody issues, foster care, and other types of family transitions.
Despina D. Konstas, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Despina Konstas earned her Masters and Doctorate in Clinical and School Psychology from Hofstra University where she received the Camelot Foundation Award, as well as a Doctoral Research Fellowship. She received a B.A. from New York University in Psychology. Dr. Konstas completed her post-doctoral training at the student counseling center at Hofstra University where she went on to become a staff psychologist where she provided supervision to psychology interns, and continued her role providing psychotherapy to undergraduate and graduate students in addition to leading various groups such as a Dialectical Behavior Therapy groups, as well as bereavement groups and anxiety reduction groups.
Dr. Konstas has obtained extensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy as well as exposure and response prevention. Dr. Konstas has also received training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy.
Dr. Konstas has conducted and presented research on various topics such as the effectiveness of CBT in reducing suicidal ideation, suicide risk reduction in college students, interpersonal trauma, self-injurious behaviors as well as eating disorders. Dr. Konstas has presented various workshops and trainings in the area of sexual assault, eating disorders, drug use, as well as safe space trainings.
Keith Woythaler, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Keith Woythaler has spent more than 10 years providing direct therapeutic services to help adults, children, and families live meaningful and productive lives, despite suffering from the often chronic and pervasive effects of mental illness. He specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related obsessive-compulsive “spectrum disorders”, as well as other forms of anxiety including but not limited to Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, and Phobias, as well as various forms of mood disorders, including Major Depression. While CBT is my foundational approach, I utilize aspects of other therapies (ACT, DBT, etc.) when clinically relevant.
Dr. Woythaler completed his undergraduate degree at Lafayette College, and went on to complete both his Masters and Doctoral degrees at Hofstra University. While at Hofstra University, I became one of the first at that institution to complete research in the field of utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) technology as a therapeutic tool in treating phobias, specifically the fear of flying. In private practice, I have continued to help individuals overcome their fear of flying with more traditional, non-VR, forms of therapy.
Matthew Lippman, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Matthew Lippman earned Masters and Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Hofstra University. Prior to attending Hofstra University Dr. Lippman earned a Bachelors and Masters degree in Education with a specialization in guidance and counseling and is licensed as a school guidance counselor. Dr. Lippman has worked in a variety of settings including private practices specializing in the treatment of O-C spectrum disorders, as well as assisted living, and forensic setting.
Dr. Lippman has a special interest in the treatment of Anxiety and Mood Disorders, more specifically OCD. Dr. Lippman uses evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, as well as Behavior Modification Techniques. Dr. Lippman also specializes in the area of behavioral parent training.
Mitchell L. Schare, Ph.D., ABPP
Director of Professional Training
Dr. Mitchell L. Schare, holds the rank of Professor and is a long-term faculty member and the former director of training in the PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Hofstra University. He holds a specialty board certification from the American Board of Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology, is a Fellow of the Association for Behavioral & Cognitive Therapies and is a licensed New York State Psychologist. He has served as a mental health consultant for the New York State Department of Mental Health, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force as well as numerous other hospitals and institutions.
At Mid Island Psychology Associates, Dr. Schare is the Director of Professional Training. He provides clinical supervision for post-doctoral psychologists and psychology externs, provides didactic training and serves as a consultant to the clinic staff.
Dr. Schare completed his doctorate in Clinical Psychology with specializations in anxiety disorders treatment, substance abuse behaviors, and human sexuality & sexual dysfunction therapy at the State University of New York – Binghamton in 1985 following an internship at the Brown University Medical School Consortium in Providence, R.I.
As a clinical scientist, Dr. Schare continues a strong interest and expertise in the area of anxiety disorder treatment. He mentors doctoral students in and researches the application of Exposure therapy for the treatment of phobias, OCD and reactions to serious trauma. Having worked with trauma victims for 40 years, Dr. Schare has developed expertise in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and disseminates his knowledge through his teaching of doctoral candidates, professional research publications, media interviews, scientific presentations worldwide and through training sessions to professional and general audiences. He is a long-term proponent of Exposure therapy in all of its modalities of application and has been a leader with extensive research & experience in the application of virtual reality exposure therapy.
Jamie M. Whitenack, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Psychologist
Jamie M. Whitenack earned her Masters Degree in human development and Doctoral Degree in School Psychology from Lehigh University. Prior to attending Lehigh, Dr. Whitenack earned her Bachelors Degree in Psychology from North Carolina State University. Additionally, Dr. Whitenack is an adjunct professor at Adelphi University where she teaches General Psychology and Writing in Psychology to undergraduate students.
Dr. Whitenack’s past clinical work was within the school setting, where she provided one-on-one, and group therapy to children. Her work in schools provided her with opportunities to serve children of diverse ages, ethnicities, life experiences and psychological needs. She enjoys consulting with parents and school personnel to promote the use of evidence-based intervention strategies both at home and in school. In addition, Dr. Whitenack has extensive experience completing comprehensive psycho-educational evaluations.
Since joining Mid Island Psychology Associates, Dr. Whitenack has specialized in the treatment of OCD as well as PTSD with a special focus on utilizing Prolonged Exposure (PE) for the treatment of trauma.
Dr. Whitenack’s research has primarily focused on effective parenting skills to foster healthy development during early childhood, particularly for at-risk families and youth. She has both conducted and presented her research at various nationally recognized conferences, and has co-authored publications in the field.
