Clinical Staff
Jonathan Woods, LCSW, received his undergraduate education at Dartmouth College and his MSW from Hunter College. He is trained in the treatment of adults, couples, children and adolescents. Areas of special interest include depression, adolescent turmoil and marital disenchantment. Mr. Woods has been in clinical practice since 1979.
Donald Fong, MD, received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University, graduating on the Dean's Distinguished List. He received his MD from Texas Tech School of Medicine and Interned at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital. He was a Resident in Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical Center. He completed a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital where he was Chief Resident.
Dora Berry, LCSW, studied as an undergraduate at the University of Iowa and at Roosevelt University of Chicago. She received her MSW from Rutgers University. She has worked professionally with children, adolescents and families since 1971. Areas of special interest include children in the midst of family crisis, learning disabled children and issues of identity and adaptation for children and adolescents situated in different cultural or ethnic environments.
Peter Thomas, PhD, received his undergraduate degree from Boston University and his doctorate from DePaul University. Dr. Thomas served two years as a Clinical Fellow in Psychology at Harvard Medical School where he received clinical training at Beth Israel Hospital and The Children's Hospital. He is a Clinical Member and Approved Supervisor for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Thomas specializes in family therapy and the treatment of disruptive behavior and mood disorders in children and adolescents. Dr. Thomas has been in clinical practice since 1986.
Jane Wei-yueh Low, LCSW, received her undergraduate degree from Trinity College and her MSW degree from Simmons College Graduate School of Social Work. Extensively trained in Bowen family systems theory, she is committed to assisting individuals manage themselves in important but difficult marital, family, work, school, and social relationships. Areas of special interest include anxiety, depression, stress management, marriage, divorce, loss and life transitions.
Scott G. Gill, LCSW, received his undergraduate education at Rider University and his MSW from Rutgers University. Mr. GIll is trained in the treatment of adults, couples, children and adolescents. He has experience in both academic and clinical settings. In addition to his work at Comprehensive Mental Health Services, Mr. Gill is a therapist for the Rutgers Preparatory School counseling department. Mr. Gill is an accomplished athlete, having played sports on high school teams and college teams, and takes special interest in the unique pressures confronted by student-athletes.
Alan Axelrod, LCSW, received his BA from Hunter College and his MSW from Yeshiva University. Areas of expertise include the emotional impact of physical illness and bereavement on adults and families, and the problems of older adults facing retirement and/or life changes. Professional positions have included Assistant Director of Adult Clinical Practice, Department of Social Work, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Director of Social Work at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Mr. Axelrod was among the first psychotherapists to use clinical hypnosis for symptom control with cancer patients. He has co-authored articles on emotional adjustment to illness, spoken widely on the topic, and has been interviewed by various news media. In addition, Mr. Axelrod has taught Cognitive/Behavioral Intervention at the Ehrenkranz School of Social Work, New York University, Another area of interest is integration of psychotherapy and Zen meditation. Mr. Axelrod has been in clinical practice since 1979.
Sandra Selby, LCSW, received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and her MSW from Smith College School of Social Work. She is trained in working with children, families, adults and couples. In addition to her work in private practice Ms. Selby has worked in schools, hospitals and community clinics. Ms. Selby has received postgraduate training in Bowen Natural SystemsTheory of Family Therapy. Areas of special interest include mood disorders, relationship issues, working with families coping with mental illness, and incorporating the benefits of mind-body connection to improving overall well-being. In addition, Ms. Selby has drawn upon her experience as an accomplished athlete to address development of self-esteem during adolescence.
Patricia Costigan, EdD, LDTC, received her undergraduate degree from New York University. She earned both a master's degree and a doctoral degree in education from Rutgers University. She is certified as a Remedial Reading Specialist and a Learning Disability Teacher-Consultant. She has been working with students since 1973. Dr. Costigan offers both comprehensive education evaluations and one-on-one interventions. One-on-one interventions assist with learning difficulties broadly defined, and/or with dyslexia in particular. Comprehensive learning evaluations include consideration of right/left brain processing; auditory, visual and kinesthetic preferences; and clarification of strengths and weaknesses affecting basic skills. Of note, Dr. Costigan has substantial experience working in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Sanjiv A. Patel, PsyD, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, his master's degrees in psychology from the New School for Social Research and Fairleigh Dickinson University and his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Patel is experienced in individual, family and group therapy with children, adolescents and their families. Specific areas of interest include depression, anxiety, bereavement, disruptive behavior, social skills, divorce and cultural conflicts. Dr. Patel began working with children professionally in 1989. An active father who has lived on four continents - having backpacked extensively on two - Dr. Patel brings a particularly well grounded and informed perspective to universal features of childhood development.
Karen Geller, PsyD, received her undergraduate degree from Boston University and her Doctorate in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University in 1989. Dr. Geller completed a year-long fellowship in Developmental Neuropsychology at the outpatient evaluation center of North Shore Children's Hospital in Salem, MA. In addition to her many years working in outpatient treatment, Dr. Geller worked for four and a half years as the Staff Neuropsychologist in an inpatient rehabilitation hospital with children and adolescents who had brain damage from injuries, strokes, tumors and other conditions. Dr. Geller works with adolescents, with children as young as two years old, and with adults up until their mid-twenties. In addition to individual psychotherapy (for clients with or without neurological problems), Dr. Geller provides comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations which provide a broad overview of brain functions including sensation, perception, basic motor functions, attention and concentration, language, memory, academic achievement, intelligence, emotional functioning and executive functions such as organization and self-regulation. More specifically, Dr. Geller assesses patients' patterns of strengths and weaknesses to formulate individualized treatment plans and/or adaptations for home, school or work.
Nathalie Edmond, PsyD, received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers College and her PsyD from Wright State University. She is trained in the treatment of adults, adolescents and couples. Her areas of interest are women’s issues, substance abuse, trauma, mood disorders, self-harming behaviors, people of color, gay, lesbian and bisexual issues.
Sarah Trillin, LCSW received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and her MSW from UCLA. She has experience working with children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. In addition to working in mental health agencies, Ms. Trillin has worked in schools, hospitals and other healthcare settings and has extensive experience working with chronic pain and addiction issues. Ms. Trillin has completed a postgraduate training program in Bowen Family Systems Theory and is interested in helping individuals look at symptoms in the context of their family systems. Areas of special interest include parenting issues and family therapy. Ms Trillin has written numerous articles for parenting magazines.
Candace Jones, LCSW received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania. She is trained in Bowen family systems theory and is on the faculty of the Princeton Family Center for Education, Inc. which is based on Murray Bowen's natural systems theory. She has extensive experience working with individuals, couples and families to help them better understand and manage important challenges in their lives. Areas of interest include anxiety, depression and marital/family conflict. Ms. Jones has been in clinical practice since 1980.
Selden Dunbar Illick, LCSW received her BS from the College of New Jersey and her MSS from Bryn Mawr College of Social Work and Social Research. She has trained extensively in Bowen Family Systems Theory and is the founder and Director of the Princeton Family Center for Education, Inc., which is based on Murray Bowen's natural systems theory. Ms. Illick considers individual human behavior within the context of family, work and social relationship systems. In the therapeutic process her goal is to promote awareness of the instinctual and automatic emotional forces that challenge one's ability to think and act responsibly. Ms. Illick has been in clinical practice since 1981.
Keith Raser, MD received her undergraduate degree from Kenyon College graduating summa cum laude. She attended Northwestern Medical School in Chicago and did her residency at Tufts University/New England Medical Center Hospitals in Boston where she was Chief Resident for Inpatient Psychiatry at New England Medical Center. Following residency she joined the Westwood Pembroke Health System where she became the Clinical Director of the outpatient psychopharmacology group practice and later the Medical Director of Geriatric Services at Pembroke Hospital. She moved with her family to NJ in 1998 and has been in private practice since. Dr. Raser enjoys working with individuals from late adolescence through later life. She is particularly understanding of individuals affected by family members' developmental challenges.
Joel Szkrybalo, PhD, received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his doctorate in clinical psychology from New York University. He has extensive experience in providing psychological assessment and therapy services to children, teens, adults, and families. His areas of interest include depression, anxiety, autistic spectrum disorders in children and teens, adoption and attachment issues, coping with loss, and social skills training. Dr. Szkrybalo developed an innovative, 10-week social skills program and has run dozens of groups for children ages 5-15. He has been a visiting lecturer at Princeton University for over four years, teaching a variety of undergraduate psychology courses. In 2006, he was awarded the Catherine Acuff Congressional Fellowship by the American Psychological Association. He served a year in Washington, DC as a special education and mental health policy advisor to United States Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico. Prior to joining CMHS, Dr. Szkrybalo worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, overseeing the development of a national program to provide improved care for returning US soldiers with traumatic brain injuries.