Dr. Nicole Cooper is a licensed clinical psychologist. Therapy with Dr. Cooper is a collaborative process, which begins in a safe and comfortable environment where frankness is encouraged, candid feedback is provided, and humor is welcomed.

Dr. Cooper’s primary orientation is Cognitive Behavioral, but she is a pragmatist who knows that different people have different needs. Dr. Cooper thus incorporates research-backed and time-tested strategies from many psychological modalities including mindfulness, dialectical behavior therapy and psychodynamic therapy to help client’s tackle bad habits and problematic relationships and build stronger self-esteem.

With a focus on helping the client define and achieve his or her own personal goals, Dr. Cooper helps her clients integrate effective new ways of thinking and behaving into their daily lives. Ultimately, Dr. Cooper’s clients take their new “tools” out of the office and into their lives to create and maintain healthier lifestyles, happier relationships, and improved performance in target areas.

Dr. Cooper is a NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) trained and certified diagnostician and has been trained and certified in Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD (PE) by Edna Foa, PhD at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. She is currently in training to become a certified Dialectical Behavior Therapist. She has also had advanced training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Dr. Cooper’s strong roots in both academic and clinical psychology allow her to provide clients with the most up-to-date, evidence-based treatments combined with the warmth, calm energy and practical approach of an experienced clinician. Also, her experience working with people on both coasts (New York & California) and overseas (London) offers her clients a unique perspective.

In addition to her work at Union Square Practice, Dr. Cooper derives great satisfaction from teaching other mental health professionals. She serves on the faculties of both New York University Medical School and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine where she teaches early career psychiatrists how to do psychodiagnostic assessment and CBT.

Education & Experience

• AB with Honors in Classics (Minor in Spanish) at Stanford University
• PhD in clinical psychology at California School of Professional Psychology
• Clinical Psychology Internship at Columbia University Medical Center in 2002 (where she worked with Drs. Fader and Dulchin!)
• Postdoctoral fellowship at New York University specializing in trauma and PTSD
• Served on faculty of Mount Sinai School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor and Chief Clinical Psychologist of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program
• Cognitive Behavioral Specialist at University College London Student Psychological Services
• Serves on faculty of New York University Medical School as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry
• Serves on faculty of UCLA School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry
• Licensed in New York (since 2005) and California (since 2021)