Wellness Program Practitioners
Meet our: Psychologists | Acupuncturists | Mind/Body Specialist | Yoga Instructors | Nutritionist
Psychologists
Shelley S. Lee, PhD
Shelley Lee, PhD, is the Director of Psychological Services at the NYU Fertility Center. She is a clinical psychologist trained in cognitive behavioral therapy. She has had extensive experience working with individuals and couples undergoing infertility treatment including all aspects of ART, including oocyte and sperm donation. Shelley also works in private practice with high functioning clients with psychological issues unrelated to infertility.
Shelley received her BA in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin, an MA and PhD in clinical psychology from the New School for Social Research, New York City. She completed a psychology internship and post-doctoral fellowship in the Division Reproductive Medicine and Infertility in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center.
Dr. Lee is a member of the American Psychological Association and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
To schedule an appointment, please call (212) 263-0060.
Mindy R. Schiffman, PhD
Dr. Schiffman provides individual, couples and group counseling, as well as psychological evaluations for Program patients. Her specialty is in assisting people to cope with the emotional stress of medical illnesses, including infertility, chronic pain syndrome, and loss and bereavement issues. She has extensive experience working with infertility and cancer patients from diverse cultural backgrounds and lifestyles; and is certified to offer sex therapy to individuals and couples.
Dr. Schiffman received her BS and MBA from Simmons College. After receiving her PhD in clinical psychology from Columbia University's Teachers College, Dr. Schiffman completed fellowships in psycho-oncology on the gynecology unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and in Human Sexuality at New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center.
Prior to joining NYU Fertility Center, Dr. Schiffman worked in one of the first IVF programs in the United States and during the past 17 years as a private practitioner, she has worked to help patients come to terms with infertility or pregnancy loss, including helping them through the adoption process.
Dr. Schiffman is a member of the American Psychological Association, the New York State Psychological Association, the Society for Sex Therapy and Research, as well as the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. She is certified in sex therapy by the American Board of Sexology.
To schedule an appointment, please call (212) 263-0054.
Acupuncturists
Lara Rosenthal, L.Ac.
Lara Rosenthal, LAc is a licensed acupuncturist and board certified Chinese herbologist specializing in women's health and fertility. She is a faculty member at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York, and a clinical supervisor at the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases' Initiative for Women with Disabilities. Lara is a professional member of RESOLVE™ and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. She has a BS in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and studied and worked in Taiwan for three years. Lara regularly conducts lectures for both the general public and for practicing physicians on the uses of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine to enhance fertility and treat common gynecologic issues. Her work on acupuncture and in vitro fertilization has been published in Fertility and Sterility, and the Journal of Chinese Medicine.
Lara provides services at NYU Fertility Center, as well as her private practice in Manhattan. For more information, please visit http://www.lararosenthal.com/.
To schedule an acupuncture appointment, please call (212) 807-6769 or email info@lararosenthal.com.
Belinda Anderson, Ph.D., L.Ac.
Belinda Anderson, PhD, LAc is currently the Academic Dean at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York City and maintains a private clinical practice. She is recognized as an expert in the use of acupuncture in conjunction with in vitro fertilization (IVF), having published the first comprehensive review of the research investigating the use of acupuncture for improving IVF outcomes.
Dr. Anderson earned her PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Sydney (Australia) and her Masters degree in Chinese and Japanese Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine from the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA, Boston, MA). She has over 20 years of teaching, academic administrative and research experience. Recent research positions were at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York City) and at NESA in collaboration with Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA).
Dr. Anderson is widely published, serves as an editor for several complementary and alternative medical journals, and regularly participates on National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) expert panels to determine research-funding allocation. Dr. Anderson is currently the Academic Dean and Research Director at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in NY, and an Assistant Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Yeshiva University, NY).
Belinda provides services at NYU Fertility Center in coordination with Lara Rosenthal, LAc. To schedule an acupuncture appointment, please call (212) 807-6769 or email info@lararosenthal.com .
Sara Frohlich, L.Ac.
Sara Frohlich is nationally certified in acupuncture and herbal medicine (NCCAOM). She received her Masters of Science from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York, and completed post-graduate studies in China. She has treated patients at St.Vincent’s Cancer Center, the Initiative for Women with Disabilities at the Hospital for Joint Diseases and has a diverse private practice.
Sara specializes in women’s health issues. She treats gynecological conditions including PCOS, irregular or painful menstrual cycles and fibroids. She has a special focus on fertility and is dedicated to helping her patients to conceive using acupuncture and herbal medicine alone or in conjunction with IVF or other assisted reproductive protocols. Every treatment is focused on the specific patterns for each individual, and she strives to create a healthy balance of Eastern and Western practices in her patient’s lives. She is also trained as a labor doula and enjoys working with women throughout their pregnancies as well as post-partum.
In addition to women’s health, she treats a wide range of conditions ranging from digestive issues to back pain, and enjoys working with and educating patients who are new to acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
Sara provides services at NYU Fertility Center in coordination with Lara Rosenthal, LAc. To schedule an acupuncture appointment, please call (212) 807-6769 or email info@lararosenthal.com .
Mind/Body Specialist
Helen Adrienne, LCSW, BCD
Helen Adrienne’s heart has been in private practice since 1979 both as a general therapist, working with a multitude of issues, and as a specialist providing mental health services for infertility or reproductive and gynecologic patients in New York City, Manhattan, and Bergen County, New Jersey A graduate of Rutgers University and Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service, Helen went on to train in family therapy, mind/body medicine, cognitive therapy, guided meditation and Ericksonian clinical hypnotherapy.
Helen has served as adjunct instructor of ob-gyn at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and New York Medical College. While on the life-long learning faculty of Rockland Community College, she led workshops on menopause and premenstrual syndrome. With a grant from the American Association of University Women and the support of Rockland Community College and the Rockland County Mental Health Association, she designed and ran a conference on complementary treatments for menopause. More than 200 women attended this conference in 1993, which was a cutting edge approach to the topic at that time.
Helen is a founding member of the New York City chapter of RESOLVE™, a national infertility organization. For many years she has run mind/body support groups through Resolve for the infertile patient.
She has been invited to share her expertise in the area of infertility at the conferences of two prestigious organizations, the Milton H. Erickson Foundation and the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Helen presents at local conferences as well.
Furthermore, Helen is an approved consultant for the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and is on the faculty of the New York Society of Ericksonian Psychotherapy and Hypnosis.
Helen has been published on the topic of the emotional aspects of infertility and is the monthly columnist for the infertility website INCIID. She now publishes her own bi-monthly newsletter, The Baby Manifest-O. To register for this newsletter, go to http://www.mind-body-unity.com.
The idea that the mind and the body are an inseparable unit (commonly called the “bodymind”) is documented scientifically and seems like common sense to us today. As a member of the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy, Helen is oriented toward providing mental health services to the place where mind, body and spirit meet.
Whether a medical condition triggers emotional issues or emotional issues impact the body, Helen is attuned, well-trained and devoted to providing appropriate therapeutic interventions and facilitating relief, healing and resolution of emotional strain and physical symptoms. Helen continues to provide services for men, women, couples and groups.
Helen is a licensed Social Worker in New York and New Jersey, and is a Board Certified Diplomat in Clinical Social Work. She provides services at NYU Fertility Center, as well as her private practice in Manhattan. For more information, please visit http://www.mind-body-unity.com.
To schedule an appointment, please call (212) 758-0125 or email helen@www.mind-body-unity.com.
Yoga Instructors
Tracy Toon-Spencer
Tracy Toon-Spencer is an Anusara-inspired Yoga teacher and a certified professional life coach. She has been practicing yoga for over 15 years and studying and teaching Anusara Yoga since 2003. It was her own struggles with conceiving and wanting holistic and peer support that lead her to create a class specifically for women on the path to pregnancy, to help them create a community of positive support and maintain a physical, mental and spiritual environment that would enrich fertility.
She has been teaching ongoing Fertility Yoga classes at World Yoga Center in Manhattan since 2005 and onsite at NYU Fertility Center since 2010. She completed the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine clinical training with advanced specialty training in infertility in 2005, and co-leads 8 week mind/body support groups for fertility in Manhattan. Her coaching practice specializes in helping women cope with fertility challenges. For more information, please visit www.fertilelifenyc.com.
To register for an on or off-site yoga class with Tracy, please call (212) 375-1688 or email TLToon@aol.com.
Barrie Raffel
Originally a dancer, Barrie began studying yoga in 1994 and received her teaching certificate in 1997 from Cyndi Lee, director of Om Yoga Center in New York City. She received her Relax and Renew (Restorative Yoga) advanced teaching certificate from Judith Lasater in 2006 and continues to study with several master teachers from many different lineages. Along with teaching at Namaste Yoga Center, private and small group classes for individuals and businesses throughout the city, she is co founder of Receptive Nest, a yogic approach to fertility, which provides workshops, lectures and classes throughout the tri state area. Barrie used yoga successfully to navigate the physical and emotional stresses during the challenging years of trying to conceive.
To learn more about the off-site yoga class with Barrie, please contact her at barrieraffel@earthlink.net.
Nutritionist
Kim Ross, MS, RD, CDN
Kim Ross graduated with honors from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. She attended New York University where she graduated with a master’s degree in science, concentrating in clinical nutrition and dietetics. Kim completed her dietetic internship through Mount Sinai hospital in New York City. She is also a graduate of the Designs For Health Institute, where she received her certification in holistic nutrition.
After she completed her studies Kim Ross headed the nutrition program for the Equinox fitness clubs. Because of Kim’s philosophy focusing on preventing and reversing degenerative diseases, Kim subsequently teamed up with several leading New York medical doctors where she practiced medical nutrition therapy addressing a variety of health issues from gastroenterology to auto-immune diseases to fertility.
Kim continues to attend seminars and workshops around the globe to gain additional knowledge in complimentary medicine with top healers in the field including Jeffrey Bland, PhD, Andrew Weil, MD, Leo Galland, MD, and Maya Tiwari, MD.
Kim provides services at NYU Fertility Center, as well as her private practice in Manhattan. For more information, please visit www.kimrossnutrition.com. To schedule an appointment, please call (917) 653-6824 or email info@kimrossnutrition.com.
