Miriam K. Ehrensaft PhD

Licensed since 1998, I have had at least 20% of my caseload (part time until 2017, then full time) with OCD and habit disorders, totaling 80-100 individuals. I have further supervised 1-2 trainees per year in at least 1 case each in the assessment and treatment of OCD, habit and co-occurring disorders since 1998. I specialize particularly in working with youth and their families, including PCIT adapted for anxious children or co-occuring behavior problems.

I treat co-occurring disorders such as ADHD; disruptive behavior disorders in children; other anxiety disorders (e.g. Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder; specific phobias). A diagnostic evaluation is conducted with each new patient to identify and target the primary diagnosis causing impairment/distress, and to address the context in which OCD is presenting (e.g. family, gender, culture). Evidence-based approaches are selected and a treatment plan developed collaboratively with the patient and family (for minors).

I received a doctorate in clinical psychology (1996) from Stony Brook University, a cognitive behavioral training program, where I first received training in the treatment of anxiety disorders, including OCD. I completed an internship at Albert Einstein School of Medicine, in inpatient, and outpatient rotations for both adult anxiety and child/adolescent psychology. I then completed a 3-year NIMH training fellowship in child psychiatric research at Columbia/NYSPI, training in both research and direct treatment of youth, including OCD and other disorders. I have attended countless OCD trainings at ABCT, and supervised trainees in CBT for anxious/OCD youth at Columbia and Duke.

Every individual exists in the context of culture, and more often than not, multiple cultures. I have worked with families from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, in both New York City and Durham, NC. Most recently in Durham, I have been privileged to work with families from the most urban to the most rural families, and with those identifying as Latinx, Black, Orthodox Jewish, and Asian American & Pacific Islander. I have experience in working with a wide range of religious faiths, with military families, and consider myself an ally to LBGTQAI+ individuals.

I have received several formal annual trainings in cultural competency as part of my faculty appointment at Duke, and participated in training workshops on working with families of LGBTQAI+ youth. I have also co-lead panels at two national conferences on working with parents from diverse cultural backgrounds. The bulk of my training has come from direct work over many years with families from a wide range of diverse backgrounds.