Dr. Rebecca Kason- Founder & Executive Director
Welcome to SageMind Psychology
Transforming lives through expert, compassionate, and evidence-based therapy – for children, teens, adults, and families.
I’m so glad you found your way to our page! At SageMind Psychology, I am incredibly proud to be part of a team of highly skilled, compassionate therapists. Our clinicians are extensively trained to work with clients who struggle with emotion regulation, impulsivity, and complex behavioral or relational challenges. A frequently sought after to help children, teens, parents, and adults struggling with self-harm, suicidal ideation, anxiety, depression, parent-child conflict, twice-exceptional (2E) learners, and trauma.
SageMind Psychology is one of New York’s leading practices for LGBTQIA+ affirming and neurodiversity-informed care. Our team of experts ensure that every client feels seen, validated, and supported. You can learn more about each of our therapists or schedule a complimentary consultation.
About Dr. Kason
Dr. Rebecca Kason is the Founder and Executive Director of SageMind Psychology, an evidence-based group practice specializing in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), behavioral therapy, and parent-focused interventions for children, adolescents, adults, and families.
She is a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced expertise in emotion dysregulation, suicidality and self-harm, anxiety disorders, OCD, ADHD and executive functioning challenges, neurodiversity-affirming care, behavioral disorders, family conflict, and school refusal. Dr. Kason is particularly known for her work with neurodiverse children, adolescents, and young adults, including twice-exceptional youth and individuals with complex emotional and behavioral presentations.
Dr. Kason earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University Post and completed her APA-accredited doctoral internship at Mount Sinai Services at Elmhurst and Queens Programs, where she received intensive training treating children, adolescents, adults, and families across outpatient, school-based, and community mental health settings.
Her doctoral training focused heavily on DBT, CBT, behavioral interventions, play therapy, and family systems work. Her dissertation examined the importance of family inclusion in child therapy, which continues to shape her collaborative and systems-oriented treatment approach today.
During her doctoral training at Long Island University Post, Dr. Kason trained under Jill Rathus, PsyD, co-developer of the adolescent adaptation of DBT alongside Dr. Marsha Linehan. She was a founding member of Dr. Rathus’s DBT research lab at Long Island University Post and participated extensively in the university’s DBT programming and training environment. These experiences provided intensive exposure to evidence-based treatment for high-acuity adolescents and families and strongly shaped both her clinical work and the treatment philosophy of SageMind Psychology.
In addition to her academic training, Dr. Kason also participated on a DBT consultation team within a private practice setting, further deepening her experience applying DBT within real-world outpatient care.
Throughout her training and career, Dr. Kason has worked extensively with high-acuity children, adolescents, young adults, and families, including individuals experiencing chronic suicidal ideation, self-harm, severe emotion dysregulation, school refusal, anxiety-based avoidance, behavioral crises, and complex family dynamics. She has significant experience supporting clients who require structured, family-involved, and behaviorally-oriented treatment approaches, including intensive levels of care and multidisciplinary collaboration.
Her work frequently includes intensive parent coaching and family therapy aimed at helping caregivers respond more effectively to emotional dysregulation, behavioral challenges, anxiety, school avoidance, and safety concerns. She is frequently sought out for complex presentations involving suicidality, neurodiversity, school refusal, anxiety disorders, behavioral dysregulation, and parent-child conflict.
Dr. Kason frequently collaborates with psychiatrists, pediatricians, schools, educational advocates, learning specialists, and other treatment providers to develop coordinated, comprehensive treatment plans for children, adolescents, and families with complex needs.
In addition to private practice work, Dr. Kason has delivered evidence-based interventions across hospitals, outpatient clinics, schools, and research settings. She trained and worked within major healthcare systems including Maimonides Medical Center and Mount Sinai-affiliated programs. She also worked at The Quad Preparatory School, where she gained extensive experience supporting neurodiverse and twice-exceptional students with emotional, behavioral, executive functioning, school avoidance, and social challenges.
Her clinical specialties include:
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
- Anxiety disorders and phobias
- OCD and contamination fears
- ADHD and executive functioning difficulties
- Neurodiversity-affirming therapy
- Autism spectrum presentations
- Emotion dysregulation
- Self-harm and suicidal ideation
- School refusal and anxiety-based avoidance
- Parent coaching and parent-focused treatment
- Family therapy
- Behavioral disorders
- Interpersonal difficulties and relationship patterns
- Adolescent and young adult mental health
- LGBTQIA affirming care
As Executive Director of SageMind Psychology, Dr. Kason is deeply committed to clinician training, supervision, and program development. She provides ongoing supervision and advanced training in DBT, CBT, ERP, behavioral interventions, parent coaching, risk assessment, and evidence-based treatment for high-acuity youth and families. She believes that high-quality outcomes come from collaborative, highly trained clinicians working within a supportive and growth-oriented team environment.
Under her leadership, SageMind Psychology has developed specialized programming for children, teens, adults, and families, including DBT skills groups, intensive outpatient programming, parent-focused interventions, school refusal support, neurodiversity-affirming services, and integrated family treatment models. The practice serves clients both in-person in New York and virtually across multiple states and is known for its structured, skills-based, and highly individualized approach to care.
Dr. Kason’s therapeutic style is active, validating, collaborative, and practical. Her work emphasizes measurable behavioral change, skill generalization outside of session, and helping clients build sustainable improvements in daily functioning, emotional regulation, relationships, and quality of life.
Clinical Leadership & Program Development
- Founder and Executive Director of SageMind Psychology
- Development of DBT-informed programming for children, adolescents, adults, and families
- Oversight of clinician training, supervision, and evidence-based programming
- Development of child and adolescent intensive outpatient programming
- Creation of parent coaching and family-focused treatment models
- Consultation and treatment planning for high-acuity youth, school refusal, and neurodiverse populations
- Blogging and interviewing on a number of mental health topics
Education & Advanced Clinical Training
- PsyD in Clinical Psychology, Long Island University Post
- APA-Accredited Doctoral Internship, Mount Sinai Services
- DBT training and mentorship under Jill Rathus, PsyD
- Founding member of Jill Rathus’s DBT research lab at Long Island University Post
- Participation in university-based DBT programming and consultation
- Participation on a DBT consultation team within a private practice setting
- Specialized training in CBT, ERP, behavioral therapy, parent coaching, and family interventions
- Experience across hospitals, schools, outpatient clinics, and intensive treatment settings
Evidence-Based Treatment Approaches
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
- Behavioral Therapy
- Parent Coaching and Parent-Focused Treatment
- Family Systems Interventions
- Executive Functioning Support
- Neurodiversity-Affirming Care
Populations Served
- Children
- Adolescents
- Young adults/adults
- Neurodiverse individuals
- Twice-exceptional youth
- Families and parents
- Individuals with anxiety, OCD, ADHD, emotion dysregulation, school refusal, and behavioral challenges
Types of Treatment
Individual Therapy • Parent Coaching
Age Range: 0–70
Specialties: Supervision, Diagnostic Assessment, DBT, CBT, Private Practice Coaching
Experience With: LGBTQIA+, medical professionals, creatives, clients with health-related anxiety or disorders, young adults, parents
Availability
I have limited availability virtually and am fully licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts