Family therapy and counseling in Yonkers, NY

I’m Dr. Joseph Yanni, a licensed psychologist who works with teenagers, college students, young adults, adults, parents, and families navigating anxiety, ADHD, emotional regulation, school and college stress, relationship challenges, and life transitions. I earned my Psy.D. in School Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and continue to work as a school psychologist, supporting students with emotional disabilities in a specialized educational setting. This experience has given me a practical understanding of how emotional, academic, social, family, and developmental concerns often overlap.

I use a collaborative, practical, and integrative approach that draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, humanistic and person-centered therapy, behavioral strategies, and lifestyle-based interventions. I believe therapy should be individualized rather than following a one-size-fits-all model. Together, we work to better understand what is contributing to the concern, build practical coping skills, strengthen relationships, and develop realistic strategies that create meaningful change.

I work especially well with teenagers, college students, young adults, and parents navigating the transition from adolescence into adulthood, while also supporting adults and families facing anxiety, relationship concerns, and other important life challenges. I provide in-person therapy in Scarsdale and Pleasantville, along with virtual therapy throughout New York State.

Does your child or adolescent’s behavior leave you wondering, “What is going on?”Are they having meltdowns, withdrawing, struggling at school, worrying, or feeling sad? Children and adolescents often communicate their feelings through behavior long before they have the words to explain what they are experiencing.I work with children, adolescents, and families navigating challenges such as adoption, divorce, co-parenting, blended-family transitions, grief and loss, school-related worries, family conflict, and the growing push for independence. I help children and caregivers better understand what may be underneath the behavior while strengthening connection, communication, and emotional regulation. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S). I received my Doctorate in Clinical Social Work (DSW) and Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from New York University, and my Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work (BSW) from Cornell University. With more than two decades of clinical experience across inpatient, outpatient, and residential settings.

In my practice I work with clients of all backgrounds and age groups; and I have a specialty in adolescence and young adulthood. I enjoy supporting clients as they navigate growing up and becoming adults in this complex world. My approach is grounded in Psychodynamic Theory and the belief that many of our problems are rooted in thinking patterns, behaviors, and emotional responses that we developed early in life. My work is eclectic and collaborative. I draw on many modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Trauma Informed Treatment, Family Systems Theory and Motivational Interviewing.

Most importantly, I see the therapeutic process as a collaborative endeavor between client and therapist. The client is the expert on themselves, and the therapist is a partner in their journey of self-exploration. We work together to change habits, behaviors, and thought patterns, that are causing distress, and getting in the way of the client’s goals.

I have a background in the creative arts, and enjoy supporting artists, writers, and actors, as they seek balance in their lives. Also, I have spent many years working in the New York City Schools with children, families, teachers, and administrators, to address individual students’ emotional and behavioral problems that interfere with school performance.

I love counseling – both giving and receiving. For over 40 years, I have helped adoptive families utilizing my law and counseling degrees.

The counseling aspect spans a wide range of populations, including tweens, seniors, singles, couples, and multiple family members.

I met my wife at graduate school while working on my Master’s in Social Work, and we have since adopted three children.

What I want clients to know about me is that I am not the kind of therapist who will just sit back, nod, and ask, “How does that make you feel?” I am warm, honest, direct, and very involved in the work we do together.

My strongest area of work is relationship and family dynamics. I help individuals, couples, and families understand the patterns that create conflict, distance, resentment, poor communication, and emotional disconnection. Many of my clients come to me feeling unheard, disrespected, emotionally exhausted, or unsure of how to move forward in an important relationship.

I also work with people who grew up in difficult or dysfunctional family environments and are now recognizing how those experiences may still be affecting their boundaries, relationships, parenting, self-worth, and emotional responses. I help clients understand not only what is happening, but how the pattern developed and what they can begin doing differently.

I believe insight is important, but insight alone is not enough. I want therapy to help you connect the dots and develop practical ways to communicate, set boundaries, manage conflict, and respond differently. I will support you, but I will also challenge you when I believe you are minimizing your needs, repeating unhealthy patterns, or avoiding something important.

I am not here to judge you, label the people in your life, or tell you what decisions to make. My role is to help you see things more clearly, understand what is within your control, and feel more confident in how you choose to move forward.

In addition to relationship and family concerns, I also work with anxiety, ADHD, emotional overwhelm, life transitions, and the impact these challenges can have on everyday functioning and relationships.