Alanna Kardon-Alkalay , LCSW

Alanna Kardon-Alkalay is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in New York with 15 years of clinical experience. She has worked across agencies, schools, and in private practice, bringing a broad background that spans preventive services with children and families to adult mental health day programming. Her work has also included a contract with a New York public school system to support student needs, and substantial private-practice work with adults seeking help for depression, anxiety, ADHD, eating concerns, relationship challenges, and parenting issues.

She has experience supporting individuals who have faced post-traumatic stress, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Alanna earned a master’s degree from Fordham University in Tarrytown, NY, where she received clinical training in individual counseling and family systems. She frequently employs cognitive behavioral techniques and is open to humanistic and integrative methods, drawing on narrative approaches to help clients make meaning of their stories.

Alanna develops individualized treatment plans with input from each client and adapts those plans as needs and life circumstances change. She emphasizes trust, the dignity and worth of each person, and professional integrity in her work, and she creates a supportive space for clients to explore growth. Mindfulness practices are woven into her approach when helpful, whether through meditation or time in nature, allowing clients to use their existing strengths as they pursue personal growth.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Alanna often integrates client-centered therapy into her online work, which focuses on building a respectful, nonjudgmental relationship that supports each person’s self-exploration and personal goals. This approach is helpful for relationship concerns, life transitions, and developing a clearer sense of purpose.

She frequently uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients identify and shift patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute to anxiety, depression, and stress. CBT offers practical tools for managing symptoms and testing new ways of responding to challenging situations.

Mindfulness therapy is another element Alanna incorporates, encouraging attention to the present moment through simple practices that can reduce reactivity and improve emotional awareness. Mindfulness can complement work on trauma, stress, and self-regulation.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Alanna works collaboratively with clients to determine which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. Licensed professionals may blend techniques over time as circumstances change and new priorities emerge.

Online sessions by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging offer flexibility for those balancing work, family, or caregiving responsibilities. These formats make it easier to maintain continuity of care, access therapists from different locations, and choose the mode of communication that feels most comfortable for each person.