Christine M. Newman, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist &
Clinical 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 &
Clinical 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 Master’s 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.
Jamie M. Postal, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Jamie M. Postal earned her Doctoral Degree in School Psychology and Masters Degree in Human Development from Lehigh University. Prior to attending Lehigh, Dr. Postal earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from North Carolina State University. Additionally, Dr. Postal is an adjunct professor at Adelphi University where she teaches General Psychology and Writing in Psychology to undergraduate students.
Dr. Postal completed her post-doctoral training at Mid Island Psychology Associates, where she specialized in the treatment of OCD and related disorders, anxiety disorders, and PTSD with a special focus on utilizing Prolonged Exposure (PE) for the treatment of trauma. Dr. Postal truly enjoys providing support to patients experiencing a wide range of psychological challenges and has developed a special interest in working with young adults and adolescents struggling with self-esteem and body image issues.
Prior to joining the Mid Island team, Dr. Postal’s 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. Dr. Postal also has extensive experience completing comprehensive psycho-educational evaluations. Dr. Postal’s past 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.