Book a therapist or psychiatrist in Hamden, CT covered by Aetna

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker credentialed in both New York and Connecticut. I earned my Master of Social Work from Fordham University in 2001 and have dedicated my career to helping clients overcome obstacles. I also hold a post-graduate certificates in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). By skillfully blending psychodynamic and behavioral techniques, I provide a dynamic and customized approach to healing and growth.

I believe therapy is most effective when you feel heard, understood, and respected. My person-centered approach is tailored to your experiences, strengths, goals, and needs. Informed by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, I offer practical tools to manage distress, challenge unhelpful thoughts, regulate emotions, build coping skills, and improve relationships. I strive to create a warm, supportive, nonjudgmental space where we can work collaboratively. Whether you’re facing anxiety, life transitions, emotional challenges, or feeling stuck, we can build on your strengths and create meaningful change.

I specialize in anxiety, depression, trauma, and LGBTQIA+ affirming care, specializing in mindfulness-based approaches rooted in DBT and CBT. Therapy can help you process difficult experiences, manage emotions, challenge unhelpful thoughts, build coping skills, and create meaningful change in a supportive, nonjudgmental space.

Starting therapy can feel like a big step, but you don’t have to have everything figured out. Whether you’re overwhelmed, anxious, navigating change, or feeling stuck, therapy offers space to feel heard and understood. I’ll meet you without judgment and work at your pace. If my approach feels like a good fit, I invite you to reach out.

You've been holding it together for everyone else. Let's make space for you.

You're self-aware enough to know something is wrong, and exhausted from trying to figure it out on your own. Maybe you've done therapy before. Maybe you've read the books, know the language, can explain your patterns — and still can't seem to change them. That gap between knowing and feeling is exactly where I work.

I specialize in trauma, anxiety, and the relational wounds that don't heal with insight alone. My clients are often thoughtful, capable, hard-working women who are harder on themselves than they'd ever be on anyone else — carrying old hurt in their bodies long after their minds have tried to move on.

My approach is warm and direct. I won't just nod and reflect — I'll work actively with you, using EMDR, somatic and parts-based (IFS-informed) methods, and nervous system tools drawn from yoga therapy and mindfulness. These aren't techniques I layer on top of talk therapy — they're how I understand healing: that your body has been part of the story all along, and it needs to be part of the recovery too.

I've been doing this work for over 18 years, and I bring my whole self to it — including my own experience navigating complex relationships, multiple roles, and the ongoing practice of self-compassion that I ask of my clients.

If you're ready to stop managing and start actually shifting — I'd love to connect.

I’m Ilene Robbins, a Licensed Professional Counselor and I believe meaningful change happens through connection, trust, and understanding. Clients often describe me as warm, highly perceptive and solution oriented . I strive to create a space where you can feel safe enough to be honest, understood, and supported without judgment.

I work with teens, adults, professionals, parents, and couples who may feel anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck — even when things appear “fine” on the outside. I have extensive experience supporting people through anxiety, depression, OCD, relationship challenges, parenting stress, and major life transitions.

As both a clinician and a parent, I understand how complex relationships and emotional worlds can be. I bring a balance of empathy, insight, and practical guidance to my work, helping clients make sense of patterns that feel confusing or painful and move toward healthier ways of thinking, feeling, and relating.

You don’t need to come in with perfectly formed goals, just a willingness to begin. My role is to walk alongside you, helping you feel less alone, more grounded, and more capable of creating meaningful, lasting change.

I have nearly a decade of experience in the mental health field. I combine compassion and my clinical expertise to support the clients I serve. My goal is to help clients navigate and overcome their struggles to support and help regain stability in their lives.

I value building a trusting, authentic relationship with each client. It’s important for clients to feel and recognize the growth and progress that naturally emerge through the process. I believe therapy works best when you feel heard, supported, and empowered every step of the way.