Program Team
Office Location: 325 Horace Mann
Matt Blanchard, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with a primary interest in the psychotherapy training, popular psychological discourse, and the ever-evolving concepts of mind and self. Matt is the author of Secrets and Lies in Psychotherapy (APA, 2019) with Barry Farber and Melanie Love, which compiles his online-interview research into why clients in therapy conceal, lie and avoid important topics such as suicidal ideation, substance use, sexual issues, and their feelings about therapy itself, with an emphasis on what therapists can do to foster honesty about these issues. He currently teaches Dynamic Psychotherapies for doctoral and masters cohorts. He is formerly an Associate Professor and the Director of Student Affairs for NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Professor Blanchard also spent five years with NYU's Counseling & Wellness Services seeing clients, running groups and supervising postdoctoral fellows. He has previously taught for NYU's Department of Applied Psychology, as well as first-year writing and research courses for the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
To make an appointment during Dr. Blanchard's office hours, please follow this link: Office Hours.
Office Location: Thompson Hall 422-E
George Nitzburg, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist whose work focuses on the intersection of technology and mental health. His primary research explores the impact of digital platforms on psychological well-being, including the potential benefits and limitations of turning to online platforms for peer support, telepsychology interventions, and continuing care. His work seeks to identify avenues to ethically address mental health access gaps and reduce the time between symptom onset and mental health help seeking. To this end, he currently researches and teaches about how to marshal technological advances to improve our understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness. He has also worked within the Northwell and Mount Sinai hospital health systems, studying schizophrenia spectrum and bipolar disorders, with a focus on illuminating how schizotypal traits and isolated psychotic experiences in the general population can improve our understanding of protective factors and intervention targets for psychosis. He has conducted psychotherapy and psychological testing with patients from a wide range of ages and backgrounds.
To make an appointment during Dr. Nitzburg's office hours, please follow this link: Office Hours.
Office Location: 328 Horace Mann Hall
Hannah Ades is a doctoral student in Dr. Farber’s lab at Teachers College. She was born in NYC and raised between New York, Argentina (where her family is from), and Uruguay (where she grew up going to school during summer breaks). She graduated from Harvard in 2018 with a concentration in Psychology and a secondary in Theatre, after which she worked at various advertising agencies as a producer. While a master’s student at TC, she had the opportunity to work under the guidance of Dr. Barry Farber, looking at the impact of self-disclosure of identity on the therapeutic alliance. She also worked with Dr. Christine Cha, exploring patterns related to future thinking, suicidality, and disclosure in suicidal and non-suicidal adolescents. In pursuit of her IP, she sought to identify variations in suicidal ideation, disclosure patterns, and help-seeking tendencies among ethnically and racially minoritized adolescents. As a doctoral candidate, she has shifted her focus toward examining romantic relationships among young adults – their nature, their impact, and their dissolution.
The Role of the Academic Program Advisor as I see it:
As a graduate of the master’s program, I am thrilled to guide future grads in their pursuit of what most excites them. The program can feel overwhelming, but I’m always happy to chat about research ideas, what a stats-centric career at Teachers College might look like, and how to find your niche in grad school. The people at TC are what make it so meaningful. I’ll help you find your community, get to know your peers and professors, and help you build the magnificent path you have ahead!
To make an appointment during Hannah's office hours, please follow this link: Office Hours.
Office Location: 328 Horace Mann Hall
Livia Cheung is a first-year doctoral student working with Dr. Verdeli. She earned her B.A. in Sociology and Political Science and her M.A. in Applied Economics from the University at Buffalo. She completed our Masters program in 2025, during which her integrative project focused on using rock climbing as a therapeutic tool to treat autistic children with clinical depression and/or anxiety. Currently, her research focuses on developing scalable treatments for caregivers supporting family members with disabilities in under-resourced communities.
The Role of the Academic Program Advisor as I see it:
As an M.A. Program Advisor, I aim to help students explore their research interests and clarify their professional and personal goals. I see my role as that of both a peer and a guide, supporting students throughout their journey. I strive to walk alongside them as they progress through the program. I’d also love to connect with students about anything related to surfing and skiing, self-care and physical exercise, which are important!
To make an appointment during Livia's office hours, please follow this link: Office Hours.
Office Location: 328 Horace Mann Hall
Carl Tauberman is a doctoral student in Dr. Verdeli's Global Mental Health Lab. Prior to this, he completed his M.A. in Clinical Psychology (Psychology in Education) at Teachers College in 2022. During his Master's, Carl managed the Resilience Center and also worked in the Global Mental Health (GMH) and Loss, Trauma, and Emotion (LTE) Labs. Before becoming a full-time student in NYC, Carl served in the U.S. Air Force for over ten years, living and working internationally while completing his B.S. in Social Sciences. His military experiences have shaped his passion to help others in low-resource settings to manage stressful transitions.
The Role of the Academic Program Advisor as I see it:
Coming into academia as a non-traditional, first-generation student, I understand the difficulties that come with navigating the university. I feel a responsibility to help others with this transition and, more specifically, I have experience in helping students with course selection, engaging with research experiences and ideas, and applying to future graduate programs. I am happy to meet individuals where they are in order to provide the best experience here at TC.
To make an appointment during Carl's office hours, please follow this link: Office Hours.