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Meet Our Professional Staff

Our professional staff includes board certified child psychiatrists, adult psychiatrists, an advanced nurse practitioner, psychotherapists, learning consultants, organizational consultants and nutritionists.

Merritt Hubsher, MD

Merritt HubsherMerritt Hubsher, MD is the medical director of ADHD, Mood & Behavior Center. He is a Board Certified Child, Adolescent and Adult psychiatrist, and specializes in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD, ADHD) as well as all child and adolescent emotional, behavioral, social and academic disorders. He possesses an expertise in treatment of childhood mood disorders, such as Childhood Depression, Childhood Bipolar Disorder and Anxiety and OCD Disorders, behavior disorders such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder, as well as Pervasive Developmental Disorders, such as Asperger's Disorder and Autism, and Eating Disorders.

Dr. Hubsher received his medical degree from SUNY-Downstate Medical Center in New York. He received his residency training in Psychiatry at New York University Medical Center, where he also completed his fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Hubsher has been in practice since 1987, promoting effective treatment for children, adolescents and adults.

Dr. Hubsher has appeared on television and radio, has been quoted in numerous newspaper articles, and lectures all over the State of New Jersey to school teachers, guidance counselors, therapists and parent groups, as well as other psychiatrists, teaching the hallmarks of childhood mental health, behavioral and academic conditions, in order to increase awareness, and thereby help children to receive the help from which they can so greatly benefit.

Rebecca Dauerman, RN, APN

Rebecca Dauerman is a Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse specializing in children, adolescents and young adults. Ms. Dauerman treats a full range of mood and behavior disorders. Areas of expertise include: ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Anxiety Disorders.

Ms. Dauerman graduated with High Honors in 1995 from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey where she received a Master’s in Science majoring in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. She is nationally Board Certified by the American Nurse’s Credentialing Center. She is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Alpha Chapter, International Honor Society for Nursing. She received additional training in Structural Family Therapy through the Minuchin Institute for the Family.

Ms. Dauerman has over 20 years of nursing experience through the full continuum of care from Crisis Intervention, Inpatient, Partial Hospitalization, Intensive Outpatient and Outpatient levels of care. She utilizes a systemic, strength-based treatment approach and as such believes strongly in incorporating family members to comprehensively treat the individual and family in order to enable the highest potential for success and improvement in functional status.

Therese Felcher, LCSW, SSWS

Theresa FelcherTherese Felcher received her Master's degree in Social Work from New York University. She is also licensed and certified as a School Social Worker in the State of New Jersey. With over twenty years of experience as a psychotherapist in Family & Children's agencies in both New York and New Jersey, as well as group private practice, Ms. Felcher has extensive experience in treating children and adolescents with learning and developmental disorders, ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Mood Disorders and behavior problems. Ms. Felcher also provides parenting education to coordinate care and to improve the parent's ability to manage their child/adolescent's mental health/medical issues. As a clinician at Children's Specialized Hospital and at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in the Pediatric, Maternal /Child Division, and Diabetes and Endocrine Center, Ms. Felcher also specializes in working with children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of medical disorders, grief and bereavement issues and chronic medical illness.

Ms. Felcher utilizes a comprehensive approach to psychotherapy including psychodynamic, interactive play, cognitive-behavior and solution oriented therapy to help children, adolescents, adults and their families strengthen their coping skills and quality of life.

Mike Shugrue, LCSW

Mike ShugrueMichael Shugrue is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) at the ADHD, Mood and Behavior Center, where he specializes in treating children, adolescents, and their families. Michael joined the center in 2005 and provides individual, group, and family therapy. He is also a regular speaker at conferences and events addressing parents and educational audiences on a wide range of topics from dealing with ADHD to fostering self-esteem in special needs children.

Michael received his Masters of Social Work (MSW) from Columbia University in New York. Prior to joining the ADHD, Mood and Behavior Center, Michael spent 3 years at the Institute for Behavioral Health Services at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey. From 2000 to 2002, Michael worked at and helped develop "Project Destiny", a unique and highly successful Oakland, California-based full service, 'wrap-around' program. There, Michael both provided counseling and supportive services to high risk families in economically challenged neighborhoods as well as participated in the development, direction and team management of the burgeoning, grant supported 'wrap around' program. In addition to direct client work, Michael also has extensive experience working with juvenile justice, educational, and hospital/health service systems.

Cara Friedman, LCSW

Cara Friedman is a Licensed Child, Adolescent, and Family Psychotherapist as well as a Behavior Consultant at the ADHD, Mood, and Behavior Center. She provides individual and family therapy as well as Social Skills Groups for grade school children.

She has over ten years of experience working in the public school system, counseling students with a variety of disorders including, but not limited to, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, and the Autism Spectrum Disorders. Cara has participated in Child Study Teams, supervised crisis rooms, and is a Certified Instructor in Nonviolent Crisis Intervention. This has allowed her to train school districts in the Crisis Development/ Behavior Model, which enables staff to address behavior that may escalate into disruptive or even violent incidents.
She assists families in understanding their Rights to Special Education by attending Individual Education Plan (IEP) Meetings as well as 504 Meetings. She advocates for all children and adolescents to have the necessary resources to be successful at school as well as being happy and healthy individuals.

Roni Zarbiv, LCSW

Roni Zarbiv, LCSWRoni Zarbiv, LCSW, has extensive clinical experience in the field of wellness promotion and mental health. His areas of expertise include crisis intervention and stabilization, substance use disorders, and developmental / intellectual disabilities.

Roni's 25 years of clinical experience have enabled many of his patients, adults and teenagers alike, to move forward towards psychological wellness and recovery. His supportive approach motivates his patients to make necessary lifestyle changes, and incorporate recovery and wellness principles in their everyday life

His work with developmentally disabled individuals and their families centers on coping with disabilities, sexuality related issues, as well as substance abuse.

Roni's treatment approach includes crisis intervention, and individual and group counseling.

The Director of behavioral health services for a large agency in NYC, Roni presents lectures in professional conferences and is involved in staff training and program development. He is an avid advocate for the need to integrate services addressing the issue of substance abuse and developmental disabilities.

Roni has earned his BSW at Bar Ilan University in Israel and his MSW from Fordham University in NY.

Harley Goodfriend, LDT-C

Harley GoodfriendHarley Goodfriend, M.Ed is a certified Learning Disabilities-Teacher Consultant (LDT-C) specializing in the academic evaluation of children and adults for learning disabilities. Harley also provides academic tutoring to students, with and without learning disabilities, to improve proficiency in the areas of Math, Reading, Writing, Social Studies, Science, study skills and organizational skills.

Ms. Goodfriend has over ten years of collective experience in teaching, in both public and private learning disabilities and developmental disabilities schools, tutoring and providing educational evaluations. She has worked with high and low functioning populations including learning disabled, emotionally disabled and developmentally disabled. Harley's philosophy has always been that we are all individuals with different ways of learning. She continues to help students discover their own style of learning and apply it to their everyday lives.

Ms. Goodfriend was graduated with a Masters in Education and a certification as a Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant from Montclair State University, and received a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Kansas in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in students with disabilities. Harley is also trained in Orton-Gillingham and Wilson, two specialized Reading programs that teach phonics skills using multi-sensory techniques.

Christine Nucera, MAT, LDT-C.

Christine NuceraChristine attended Rutgers College in New Brunswick, N.J. for four years and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology in 1998. She then went on to attend Montclair State University and graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree and certifications for Teacher of the Handicapped and Elementary Education in 2001. Christine began her career as a Special Education teacher and worked in a variety of settings, such as a Resource Center teacher, Self-Contained Special Education teacher, and an In-Class Support teacher in a regular education classroom. She has experience working with a multitude of students with a variety of disabilities, such as learning disabilities, attentional difficulties, behavior issues, autism, multiple handicaps, etc. While working with students with disabilities, Christine developed an interest in assessment techniques. She decided to return to Montclair State University to pursue her Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant certification in 2004. Currently, Christine works as an L.D.T.-C. on a Child Study Team in a public school district in northern New Jersey. She works with students ranging from pre-school to high-school age. Christine has experience evaluating all levels of students and providing appropriate recommendations for both public and private school settings.

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210 Malapardis Road, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927
(973) 605-5000

 
   

 

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