A Brooklyn-Based Therapy Practice Built for Better Care
We built Helm to change that.
Helm was created to solve a problem: too many families were traveling too far, paying too much, or receiving therapy that just wasn’t working.
Our Mission:
To increase access to excellent, evidence-based care by offering therapy at a range of fees, training our clinicians in gold-standard methods, and supporting both clients and therapists with a structure that works.
Our Founder’s Story
Dr. Zendegui spent years working in academic medical centers that were full of dedicated people trying to do great work in systems that were stretched too thin. She saw how easy it was for good clinicians to burn out, and how hard it was for families to find care that helped.
Then a family showed up in her Midtown office all the way from Brooklyn for something that could’ve been treated closer to home. That was the push Dr. Z needed to build what was missing:
A practice founded in research and evidence.
Staffed by smart, compassionate clinicians who are supported and passionate about learning. Focused on giving kids, families, and adults the tools to get better.
She created a model grounded in research and real life, and a place where therapy leads to actual change, with a team that cares enough to keep learning.
Meet Our Therapists
Patricia Mensa, LMSW
Administrative Assistant
(Not Currently Seeing Clients)
What We Stand For:
We believe great therapy requires ongoing education. Our team is trained in evidence-based approaches like CBT, ERP, SPACE, and DBT-informed care, and continues to study, collaborate, and grow. Therapy is never one-size-fits-all, and we’re constantly learning to do it better.
Lifelong Learning
We provide high-touch, high-quality care grounded in research, not just instinct. Every case is supervised by our founder, and we build in time for collaboration, consultation, and review, so our clients get thoughtful, effective care, not just time on the calendar.
Clinical Excellence
We care about the therapist community, the client community, and the broader systems that shape mental health. This practice was built to be a win-win-win: great care for clients, fulfilling work for clinicians, and a sustainable, supportive business structure.
Community
We don’t believe diversity is a checkbox or a branding moment. It’s essential to good care. Our team includes clinicians with different racial, cultural, linguistic, immigration, parenting, and disability experiences because that’s what it means to reflect the people we serve.
Real Diversity
Tried therapy before and it didn’t help?
You’re not alone. We hear this all the time from clients who felt like therapy was just... talking.
At Helm, therapy is structured, collaborative, and focused on doing something different, not just rehashing what’s hard. We’ll work with you to build skills that stick, in real life, not just in the room.
At Helm, clients often walk away with:
● More confidence navigating anxiety or uncertainty
● Tools they actually use outside of therapy
● A better understanding of patterns and how to shift them
● Stronger emotional regulation and communication
● A sense of momentum, clarity, and control
Therapy should lead to change, not just conversation.