Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

My Philosophy and Approach to Therapy

Are you feeling stuck in life? Are you burdened by the pains of the past and present? Are you experiencing anxiety, stress, health problems or depression that are negatively impacting your ability to do the things that matter to you? Welcome, I'm glad you have found my page. I hope the words on this screen are able to instill a sense that no matter what you are going through right now, change and healing are possible.

I offer evidence based individual psychotherapy to help people move from a place of stuckness and surviving to one of thriving and engaged living. I take a person centered, holistic, trauma informed, culturally humble, individualized approach to every person I work with. I primarily work from an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy framework, with adults in the age range of 18 - 65 years old.

Together we can work to help you heal the pains of the past and present, while also celebrating your strengths, empowering you to set meaningful life goals and engage in actions that deeply matter to you. All of this is based on the foundation of a strong working therapeutic relationship in which a sense of safety, non-judgment and respect is essential, and I am deeply dedicated to co-creating this with you.

I offer both short term and long term psychotherapy via telehealth, and I will tell you more about my experience on the "About" page.

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About Laurie Gallo, Ph.D. (she/her)

I am a licensed clinical psychologist in the states of NY and CT, specializing in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for adults (ages 18-65)presenting with trauma related stress and anxiety, PTSD, stress and anxiety related ailments, and depressive disorders. I integrate Mindfulness and Compassion Focused approaches into my work which I would describe as trauma informed, holistic, culturally humble and evidence based. I am also a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) and a Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga Certified Facilitator (TCTSY-300).

Current Roles & Activities

In addition to being the Founder of ACT for Thriving, where I offer individual psychotherapy, Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY-F), Trainings & Supervision, and Research Collaboration; I am an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Psychiatric Institute at Montefiore Einstein (PRIME)/ Albert Einsten College of Medicine. I am a Co-Investigator on an NIH grant examining the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for co-morbid chronic pain and opioid use in primary care patients receiving suboxone treatment, and a Research mentor for an IMPOWER-ME grant examining training substance use counselors to deliver ACT in Opioid Treatment Programs. I supervise and teach psychology trainees in the predoctoral internship program at Montefiore Medical Center. I also serve as as an Advisor on the Continuing Education Board for Affirm Mental Health that offers evidence based continuing education for psychologists and social workers in NYS. http://affirmmentalhealth.com/

Prior Experience

From 2010-2023 I worked full time as an Attending Psychologist and Assistant Professor at Montefiore Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. Throughout my tenure at Montefiore I held various clinical, teaching, supervisory, and leadership positions in the Department of Psychiatry, including Lead Psychologist in the Adult Outpatient Psychiatric Department, Associate Director of the Pre-doctoral Psychology Internship, Associate Director of CBT Training Program for the Psychiatry Residency Training Program, and Founder and Director of the THRIVE (Trauma Healing and Resilience in Vulnerable Environments) outpatient trauma specialty psychotherapy program. The Department of Psychiatry at Montefiore/Einstein has recognized my work with awards for Excellence in Teaching (2018) and Clinical Excellence (2022).

Education & Training

I completed my graduate studies at Binghamton University (SUNY), earning a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and my pre-doctoral internship at the Syracuse VA Medical Center, with a specialization in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders including trauma related stress and anxiety. I received advanced postdoctoral training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for anxiety and depressive disorders at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Payne Whitney Westchester/Weill Cornell.

Explore Services

Psychotherapy Services

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

My area of expertise is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) which is a transdiagnostic, evidence based psychotherapy.
ACT incorporates mindfulness, acceptance, and behavioral skills to help you live a life full of meaning. You will learn to develop patterns of behavior that help you connect to what you deeply care about, even in the face of the challenges life is presenting you and the internal struggles you are experiencing.
It can be helpful for a variety of life problems including anxiety, worry, depression, work related burnout, chronic pain, binge eating, trauma related distress.

Trauma Focused Therapy

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

I specialize in trauma informed care, and I also offer a variety of evidence based therapies for trauma related distress, PTSD, and Complex PTSD.

Cognitive Processing Therapy
Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR)
Prolonged Exposure (Exposure Therapy)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy- Prolonged Exposure (DBT-PE)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Written Exposure Therapy (WET)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at changing the way you think to change the way you feel and behave, and is an evidence based therapy for a variety of forms of human suffering including panic disorder, phobias, OCD, PTSD, and depression.
I can offer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy if you are interested, and my usual style is to integrate CBT with mindfulness, acceptance and compassion approaches.

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Although this is not a talk therapy, there is emerging research demonstrating that TCTSY is effective in treating PTSD and Complex PTSD even when compared to Cognitive Processing Therapy, a gold standard treatment for PTSD.
I am a certified TCTSY facilitator, and can offer TCTSY as part of your psychotherapy treatment plan when appropriate, and also offer individual and group sessions via zoom

Mindfulness & Compassion

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Mindfulness & Compassion

I am trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion. There is a lot of research demonstrating that developing mindfulness and self-compassion skills can decrease stress related health ailments and psychological distress.
I often integrate mindfulness & compassion into my therapeutic work with people, and if interested, I can offer structured MBSR and Mindful Self Compassion interventions.

Mind-Body Wellness

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Mindfulness & Compassion

Stress related health problems are escalating in the pressure of this "do more" culture. You can learn to cultivate greater awareness of the mind-body connection and develop practices to support your overall health and well-being.
I offer a range of mind-body techniques, such as mindfulness, relaxation techniques, motivational strategies to increase exercise for mood and anxiety, and meditation, to help you reduce stress, improve sleep, self-care and enhance overall quality of life.

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Trainings & Presentations

I offer trainings in the areas of

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma Focused Therapy
Mindfulness
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
I am particularly interested in the adaptation of evidence based treatments for underserved communities as well as dissemination of these treatments into clincal settings.

I have conducted trainings in various settings including didactics with psychology and psychiatry trainees, within academic medical settings with healthcare professionals, Continuing Education Programs for psychologists and social workers, and national and international conferences. Please see below for a sample of some of my recent and upcoming presentations.

Please contact me if you are interested in scheduling a training for your agency, group practice, or training program.

Contact Me

Upcoming Presentations: & Trainings

July, 2024 Association for Contextual Behavioral Science,

World Conference Buenos Aires, Argentina

Gallo, L (2024, July). Persisting with Purpose: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Racially and Economically Marginalized Populations. Workshop to be presented by Laurie Gallo. Co-authors: Yash Bhambhani PhD, Samuel Holzman, BS, Hector Perez MD, Vilma Gabbay MD

Siber-Sanderowitz, S. & Gallo, L (2024, July). Applying a Structural Competency Framework to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Workshop to be presented by Shaina Siber-Sanderowitz & Laurie Gallo.

November, 2024 Association for the Advancement for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA

Siber-Sanderowitz, S, & Gallo, L (2024, November). Empower, Engage & Evolve: How Patient-Centered Clinical Tracks Can Support the Future of CBT Implementation. Workshop to be presented by Shaina Siber-Sanderowitz & Laurie Gallo.

Sample of Prior Trainings & Presentations

Gallo, L, & Bhambhani, Y. (June, 2022). Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Address Trauma, Healing, and Resilience in Vulnerable Environments. 1.5 hour workshop presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Contextual and Behavioral Sciences, San Francisco.

Gallo, L, & Bhambhani, Y. (2021, May). Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. 4 hour training presented through the Montefiore Medical Center Social Work Academy.

Gallo, L, (2020, June). Cultivating Compassion in the Time of COVID.

2 hour training presented through the Montefiore Medical Center Social Work Academy.

Gallo, L (2020, July). Coping with COVID-19 related anxiety: A CBT Tool Kit. 2 hour training for Montefiore Medical Center Adult Outpatient Psychiatric Department Staff.

Gallo, L. (2018-2020). Introduction to Mindfulness Workshop with Einstein Medical Students

Research Collaboration

I Welcome Research Collaborations & Consultations

My prior research has focused on adapting evidence based treatments for underserved populations, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness Based Group Interventions. I have also published in the areas of examining trauma related stress in healthcare workers, substance use, and program development.

I am currently a Co-Investigator on a NIH RO1 Grant, and a Research Mentor on a Pilot Grant as part of the larger IMPOWR-ME: Integrative Management of Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder for Whole Recovery Research Center at Montefiore Einstein.

Contact me if you are interested in consulting or collaborating on a research project.

Contact Me

Current Research Projects

09/21-present

L. Gallo: Co-Investigator; Examining the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in the treatment of Co-Morbid Chronic Pain and Opioid Dependence in Patients in Outpatient Buprenorphine Treatment.

RM1DA055437 (PI: Starrels/Gabbay)

09/01/21-08/31/23

NIH

$9,201,464

Integrated Care for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder: The IMPOWR Research Center at Montefiore/Einstein (IMPOWR-ME)

The IMPOWR Research Center at Montefiore-Einstein (IMPOWR-ME) is a multidisciplinary and synergistic program of research to test multimodal treatments that address both chronic pain and opioid use disorder.

08/22- present

L. Gallo, Research Mentor

Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) mentor on IMPOWR-ME pilot project.

Andrea Jakubowski, MD, MS Division of General Internal Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center was awarded the IMPOWR-ME pilot grant. This project is focusing on adapting Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to be delivered by Opioid Treatment Program counselors to people suffering from comorbid chronic pain and opioid use disorder. The ACT therapy manual created by Bhambhani & Gallo (2024) for the larger IMPOWR-ME2 Clinical Trial is being utilized.

Publications

Gallo, L., Bhambhani, Y., Gulamhussein, Q., Nauphal, M., Lopez-Castro, T., Sabado, A., Jakubowski, A., & Gabbay, V. Training substance use counselors in delivering Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in opioid treatment programs for comorbid chronic pain and opioid use disorder. Manuscript in preparation

Bhambhani, Y., Gallo, L., McNamara, E. O., Stotts, A., & Gabbay, V. (n.d.) Persisting with purpose: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to target comorbid opioid use disorder and chronic pain in a racially and economically marginalized population. Manuscript under review

Gallo, L., Bhambhani, Y., Lu, T., Holzman, S., Bao, Y., Musicaro, R., Roske, C., Richard, J. T., Delgado, G. E., Baker, Z., Starrels, J., Stotts, A., Deng, Y., Rodgers, C. R. R., Perez, H. R., Norton, B. T., & Gabbay, V. (in press). A randomized trial evaluating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and smart phone care management application to augment buprenorphine therapy for opioid use and chronic pain. Substance Use and Addiction.

Siber-Sanderowitz, S., Gallo, L. (2023). From Pathways to Partnerships: Building Patient-Centered

Clinical Tracks (PCCT) in Outpatient Community Mental Health Settings. Community Mental Health Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-023-01214-x

DeLapp, R.C.T & Gallo, L. (2022). A Flexible Treatment Planning Model for Racism-related Stress in

Adolescents and Young Adults. Journal of Health Service Psychology, 48; 161-173.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42843-022-00073-6

Siber-Sanderowitz S, Limowski AR, Gallo L, Schneider M, Pimentel S, Mueller S, Rego S, Alpert J.

(2022) Mobilizing a psychiatric crisis response to COVID-19 for NYC hospital workers: Lessons learned from the mental health front lines. Gen Hosp Psychiatry; 74:141-143.

doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2021.12.005

Bhambhani, Y., & Gallo, L. (2021). Developing and Adapting a Mindfulness-Based Group Intervention

for Racially and Economically Marginalized Patients in the Bronx. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2021.04.010

Cahill, S. P., Gallo, L., Lisman, S. A., & Weinstein, A. (2006). Willing or Able?: The meanings of self-efficacy. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 25, 196-209.

Sample of Upcoming Research Presentations

Gallo, L., Jakubowski, A., Gulamhussein, Q., Nauphal, M., Lopez-Castro, T., Sabbado, A., & Bhambhani, Y. (2024, July 25-28). Acceptability and Feasibility of Training OTP Counselors in Providing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy [Symposium Presentation]. Association for Contextual Behavioral Science World Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Gallo, L., Bhambhani, Y., Holzman, S., Perez, H. R., & Gabbay, V. (2024, July 25-28). Implementing a Culturally Responsive Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Group Protocol in Primary Care for Patients suffering from OUD and CP: Initial Findings [Symposium Presentation]. Association for Contextual Behavioral Science World Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Siber-Sanderowitz, S, & Gallo, L. (2024, July 25-28). Community Context: Integrating a Structural Competence Approach with ACT to Improve Treatment for Substance Use Disorders. [Symposium Presentation]. Association for Contextual Behavioral Science World Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please contact me at DrGallo@ActforThriving.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Do you offer in person sessions?

At this time I am only offering telehealth appointments. I am licensed in the states of NY and CT, and can offer services in both states. However, you do need to be in the state of your residence at the time of the session to abide by telehealth regulations.

What can I expect in the first session?

The first time we meet, it will be a longer evaluation session usually around 90 minutes. This will allow me to conduct a diagnostic evaluation, as well as an opportunity for you to start to get to know me. The first 2-3 sessions I see as part of an Evaluation phase in which you and I collaboratively determine whether we are a good fit, and either develop a treatment plan for our work moving forward, or discuss alternatives that would be a better match for you at this time.

How long are therapy sessions?

The initial evaluation session is ususally 90 minutes long. Individual therapy sessions are either 45 minutes or 60 minutes depending on the individualized treatment plan developed for you based on your needs and circumstances. The frequency of therapy sessions will be determined by your individualized treatment plan.

Do you accept insurance?

Currently ACT for Thriving does not accept insurance. ACT for Thriving is considered an out-of-network provider, but I can provide you with a bill that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.

I recommend that prior to scheduling an initial appointment that you call your insurance company and find out whether

(1) you have out of network coverage for outpatient mental health services,

(2) what your deductible is and how much is remaining, and

(3) what percentage of the fee your insurance will pay after your deductible is met (coinsurance).

Laurie Gallo, PhD.(she/her) Founder, ACT for Thriving

My Philosophy and Approach to Therapy

"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

About Laurie Gallo, Ph.D. (she/her)

Sources of Human Suffering I Work With

"The more I hold myself close and fully embrace who I am, the more I thrive"

Psychotherapy Services

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

Trauma Focused Therapy

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Mindfulness & Compassion

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Mindfulness & Compassion

Mind-Body Wellness

Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga

Mindfulness & Compassion

"Your trauma does not define your future. You have the strength and resilience to create a life filled with joy and purpose."

Trainings & Presentations

Upcoming Presentations: & Trainings

Sample of Prior Trainings & Presentations

Supervision & Consultation

I provide consultation for licensed clinicians. Please contact me if you're interested in consultation services.

"No Mud, no Lotus."

Research Collaboration

I Welcome Research Collaborations & Consultations

Current Research Projects

Publications

Sample of Upcoming Research Presentations

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Me

I offer telehealth services in NY and CT. Please reach out for a free 20 minute consultation or ask any questions to see if we are a good fit!

ACT for Thriving LLC

Hours

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