Dr. Chartouni
Dr. Chartouni specializes in helping teens, college students, and young adults navigate anxiety, stress, perfectionism, relationships, family challenges, self-esteem, and the many transitions that come with adolescence and young adulthood.
Her approach is warm, supportive, and highly individualized. She places tremendous importance on developing a genuine therapeutic relationship and creating a space where patients feel comfortable and understood. Drawing from psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness-based approaches, she helps patients better understand themselves and the patterns that may be getting in their way, while developing healthier ways of coping, greater confidence, and resilience.
Dr. Chartouni particularly enjoys working with adolescents and young adults as they navigate the emotional, social, academic, and relationship challenges that often accompany these stages of life. Her goal is not simply to reduce symptoms, but to help young people develop a stronger understanding of themselves and feel better equipped to navigate relationships, challenges, and the transition into adulthood.
Dr. Chartouni also has particular expertise in supporting siblings and family members of individuals with developmental disabilities and special needs. She understands the unique and often complex emotional experiences that can accompany being part of a special-needs family and helps family members navigate these dynamics while developing healthy boundaries, attending to their own emotional needs, and building a strong sense of identity and well-being.
Services offered
Individual therapy
Providing a safe, confidential space for adolescents, college students, and young adults to work through emotional and behavioral issues, develop self-esteem and build healthy coping mechanisms.
Parent consultations
Offering guidance to parents on how best to support their adolescents’ emotional and psychological development.
Background & Clinical Training
Dr. Vanessa A. Chartouni is a licensed Clinical Psychologist who has worked with clients and their families for over 25 years.
Her practice is focused on adolescents, college students, and young adults.
Dr. Chartouni’s work in the mental health field began during her time as an undergraduate at Duke University, where she majored in Developmental Psychology and interned at Duke Hospital.
After graduating from Duke with a Bachelor of Arts, she went to Boston where she worked in a Clinical Psychology practice, aiding in research and development in the area of psychological assessment. Dr. Chartouni then went on to obtain her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at The City University of New York and then a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Behavioral Medicine at University of Miami School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital.
After leaving the hospital setting, where she worked with children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of mental health struggles, she opened a private practice, where she continues to work today.
Dr. Chartouni is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Florida Psychological Association. She is also the Co-owner and Co-founder of Steps for Success, a home-school-away-from-home therapeutic program for adolescents on the autism spectrum.