Elaina Zendegui, PsyD

Dr. Elaina Zendegui is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of Helm, where she provides evidence-based therapy for children, teens, adults, and parents, along with consultation to schools, clinicians, and mental health-related tech companies.

 

Her work is united by a mission to expand access to gold-standard treatment while building a system that supports both clients and clinicians. She supervises every case at Helm and continues to be actively involved in shaping the way therapy is delivered — collaborative, focused, and always informed by the latest research.

 

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Zendegui consults with schools, executive leaders, and mental health tech companies. She provides clinical training to a wide range of professionals—including social work students and staff, psychiatry fellows, and psychology trainees—through her leadership at the Clinic for Overcoming Anxiety in Adolescents and in Children (COAACH), a multidisciplinary training clinic she founded and directs within the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

 

Her work centers on anxiety, OCD, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), other eating disorders, and emotional dysregulation. Dr. Zendegui specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and has expertise in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and family-based approaches for selective mutism. She offers in-person sessions in Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as virtual therapy across New York State.

 

Academic + Clinical Appointments

• Assistant Clinical Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Founder & Director of the Clinic for Overcoming Anxiety in Adolescents and in Children

• Former Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director, Adolescent DBT Program, Mount Sinai

• Former Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Montefiore School Health Program

• Former Clinical Supervisor, Rutgers University

 

Education + Training

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital / Weill Cornell Medicine

• Clinical Internship, North Shore–LIJ Health System (Now Northwell Health)

• Clinical Psychology Externships: Bellevue Hospital, Child Mind Institute

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Rutgers University

• BA with Great Distinction, McGill University

Outside the Office:
In addition to being a psychologist, Dr. Z is the mother of two and the proud mother of a child with a disability and an ultra-rare disease. When she's not at Helm, she can be found at the park with her kids, planning her next hike or trip, debating restaurant rankings, or giving unsolicited but highly accurate coffee recommendations.