Staff
ISABELLA POLITANO, PSYD - clinical psychologist
Isabella Politano, Psy.D. is a NYS licensed clinical psychologist with a focus on children and adolescents. Before joining Envisage Neuropsychology PC, she was employed at the Lang School where she worked with twice exceptional (2e) students in 1st-12th grades and provided weekly individual counseling, as well as weekly psychoeducational group counseling to seven cohorts based on either the Zones of Regulation curriculum (elementary grades) or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills in Schools (DBT STEPS-A; middle- and high school). Prior to this, she completed her doctoral internship at Maimonides Medical Center where she worked with the lifespan providing both individual and group therapy and psychological evaluations within various hospital settings.
Isabella completed her third-year externship with Dr. Auciello at Envisage, which prompted her penchant for assessments, and has since gained extensive experience conducting psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations for individuals with various learning disabilities and psychological disorders. She also has experience working with children, adolescents and adults of multicultural backgrounds and utilizes an integrated approach to treatment, including psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, attachment, family systems and play therapy.
Isabella earned her Doctorate in School-Clinical Child Psychology from Yeshiva University, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology in 2020. She is bilingual and is fluent in Spanish. In her free time, Isabella enjoys spending time with her puppy, traveling the world with her husband, and taste-testing new recipes—especially for baked goods!
alicia Ramirez, MA - Post-doctoral fellow
Alicia is a Ph.D. candidate in the Clinical Psychology Program at Long Island University-Brooklyn, where she also earned her Master of Arts in clinical psychology. Recently, she completed her internship at the New York City Children’s Center (NYCCC) Queens campus, where she provided short-term individual, group, and family therapies, as well as psychological assessments, for young adolescents in various hospital settings. Alicia is set to defend her dissertation in 2024, focusing on the antecedents of prejudice, as she approaches the final steps toward earning her doctorate. Alicia began her journey at Envisage in the fall of 2018 as an extern, and she has since continued to work under the supervision of Dr. Auciello at Envisage throughout her graduate career. She has gained extensive experience conducting neuropsychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults with a range of learning disabilities, developmental challenges, and psychological disorders.
Her clinical experience is diverse, encompassing roles in clinical and school-based settings such as co-facilitating groups for at-risk students at the High School of Fashion Industries, providing psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychological assessments for young adults at L.I.U.-Brooklyn's Psychological Services Center, conducting short-term individual and family therapy with young adolescent patients at NYCCC-Bronx, and providing individual, family, and group psychotherapy with clients across the lifespan at the Metropolitan Center for Mental Health.
Fluent in Spanish, Alicia is passionate about serving diverse communities and has conducted therapy, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological assessments in Spanish throughout her graduate career. She remains committed to offering compassionate and culturally sensitive assessment services to children, adolescents, and adults from all backgrounds.
JANICE PUDER, phd - post-doctoral fellow
Dr. Puder is a post-doctoral fellow at Envisage Neuropsychology, specializing in creating engaging and positive testing experiences for clients. She has been with Envisage since 2022. Dr. Puder earned her PhD in School Psychology from Fordham University, where she also obtained a Master’s degree in Therapeutic Interventions. Her academic journey began with a B.A. in Psychology and Education from Villanova University. She aims to make testing sessions fun for clients and create an affirming diagnostic experience.
Her training experiences included working with Public Schools, the New York City Department of Education (DOE), Charter Schools, Preschools, Special Education Settings, and an Autism Consortium. She has a strong background working with clients from age two through adulthood in developing effective behavioral interventions. Her previous work in Applied Behavioral Analysis, Executive Functioning (EF) Coaching, Play-Based Therapy, and as a College Admissions Counselor further honed her skills in creating strategies to help clients achieve their full potential.
Dr. Puder’s dissertation, published work, and presentations have focused on the unique presentation of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in female clients. She developed the Scale for Autism in Females (SAF), which is currently under review for publication. Dr. Puder is committed to advancing understanding and support for autistic individuals to help them thrive academically and personally. She is passionate about fostering a respectful and supportive environment for all clients.
MICHELLE RUSSO, psy.m, MA - intern
Michelle is a fifth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology PsyD Program at Rutgers University. She received her MA in Clinical Psychology from Montclair University in 2019 and her PsyM in School Psychology from Rutgers University in 2023. Michelle has extensive experience and passion for working with school-aged children and adolescents, having previously served as a paraprofessional, substitute teacher, and marching band instructor in the Township of Union Public Schools District in Union, New Jersey. It was her experiences working in public schools that motivated her to pursue a career in working with children and adolescents.
Through her graduate studies, Michelle frequently provided individual, group, and family therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and their families in clinics and school-based settings. She also has several years of experience conducting psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations to children, adolescents, and young adults. Michelle initially joined Envisage Neuropsychology PC in 2022 as a doctoral extern and has remained there since. She most recently completed her doctoral internship at The Quad Preparatory School, where she worked with twice exceptional middle-school students and regularly consulted with parents, teachers, and outside providers to develop and implement school supports.
Over the last several years, Michelle has been engaged in research on how Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) assessments can be used to develop tailored interventions for academically struggling students. She is currently working on her dissertation of validating a novel instrument for assessing SRL in middle- and high-school populations. Outside of her studies, Michelle enjoys reading, writing, watching baseball (Go Yankees!), and traveling. She also has a passionate, lifelong love for weather, the marching arts, and Pokémon.
Nicole Doctoroff - extern
Nicole is a third-year PhD student in the School Psychology Program at Fordham University, originally from Michigan. She earned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Social Work from the University of Michigan. With extensive experience working with children facing behavioral concerns, ADHD, anxiety, and selective mutism, Nicole is passionate about providing comprehensive support to young people. Her background includes administering a wide range of psychoeducational assessments as a practicum student at the Hagin Center and she currently is gaining experience in a high-need elementary school in Brooklyn providing consultation and clinical services.
Before pursuing her PhD, Nicole worked as a research coordinator at the Center for Excellence in ADHD at Mount Sinai, where she honed her skills in research and intervention strategies, and later as a nanny, gaining valuable insights into child development.
t Fordham University, Nicole is conducting research on teacher decision-making in referring students to school psychologists, aiming to enhance the referral process for students in need. Her work reflects a deep commitment to improving the educational and psychological outcomes for children.
Xiaoyu (Irene) Zhang - extern
Irene is a second-year PhD candidate in the School Psychology program at Fordham University with a specialization in the Psychology of Bilingual Students. She received her B.F.A. in Fashion Design with a minor in Psychology from SUNY, Fashion Institute of Technology. Prior to her enrollment in the doctoral program, she studied in the school psychology bilingual advanced certificate program at Fordham.
Before working at Envisage, she worked at both graduate and elementary schools, as well as a neuropsychological and educational evaluation center with diverse student populations. Under supervision, she has conducted evaluations and counseling services for students with ADHD, anxiety, depression, specific learning disabilities, and ASD. In school settings, she has provided consultations for families, teachers, and school administrators and created intervention plans for students.
Additionally, she has supervised peers during neuropsychological testing and served as a teaching assistant for the cognitive assessment course. At Envisage, she aims to further foster her skills in neuropsychological evaluations, bring positive and meaningful assessment experiences to children and adolescents, and collaborate with families to better support their children’s development.
At Fordham University, Irene is working on her research apprenticeship project to study the experiences of diverse school psychology graduate students and identify areas of strength and improvement within the programs. Additionally, she is passionate about research related to children's language and executive function skills development.
Avi Kalver - extern
Avi is a fifth-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Program at Montclair State University. They received their B.A. in Clinical Psychology, Linguistics, and Creative Writing from Brandeis University in 2018. Avi has experience providing therapy and assessments to children, adolescents, and young adults and hopes to bring an engaging and tailored approach to assessment and treatment so that each individual and family can feel supported.
Prior to Envisage, Avi was an extern at Columbia University Medical Center providing LGBTQ-affirming Cognitive-Behavioral (CBT), and comprehensive Dialectical Behavioral (DBT) therapies to young adults. They completed an externship at the Child Study Center at NYU Langone providing Organizational Skills Training (OST) to children and adolescents with ADHD and co-leading a group treatment for children with selective mutism. Avi also completed an externship in a public school district, where they provided individual and group therapy to middle and high school students and conducted psychoeducational assessments. Currently, they are working on their dissertation, which explores the effects of social support on academic self-efficacy for students with ADHD.