About us
Our Leadership:
Shaina Siber-Sanderowitz, LCSW (she/her)
Owner
Clinical & Continuing Education Director
Our story
Shaina Siber, LCSW, is an integrative psychotherapist, educator, and the founder of AFFIRM Mental Health, which she launched in 2022 with the mission to empower mental health professionals and institutions to deliver high-quality, inclusive clinical care. She is also the host of the Affirming Minds Podcast, where she interviews leading experts and shares insights to help therapists feel more engaged, fulfilled, and connected in their work.
Throughout her 15+-year career, Shaina has held clinical and leadership roles dedicated to serving underserved populations and addressing systemic inequities in healthcare. Her areas of expertise include Integrative Psychotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) for burnout, Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), Structural Competency, and Gender-Affirming Care.
Before founding AFFIRM, Shaina served as the Director of Psychiatry Services for the Moses Division at Montefiore Medical Center (MMC), where she had both clinical and administrative oversight of several ambulatory and hospital-based psychiatry programs. During her tenure, she led the development of innovative programming, quality improvement initiatives, and new clinical interventions, while designing structured curricula focused on structural humility, evidence-based therapies, and affirming care practices.
Shaina regularly teaches licensed mental health professionals through continuing education courses and provides instruction for Montefiore’s Psychiatry Residency Training Program and Psychology Internship Program. She was previously a faculty associate at Arizona State University’s graduate social work program and at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
She has published multiple peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented at national and international conferences on topics including burnout, structural competency, and LGBTQ+ affirming care.
In addition to running her private practice, Shaina provides consultation services to community mental health programs, behavioral health start-ups, and non-profit organizations.
Shaina founded AFFIRM Mental Health in 2022 with the mission is to empower mental health professionals and institutions to deliver high-quality clinical care. Shaina earned her Masters of Social Work and Bachelors of Social Work from New York University. She’s spent her career in clinical and leadership roles focused on serving underserved populations and addressing systemic issues.
Before establishing AFFIRM Mental Health, she served as the Director of Psychiatry Services, Moses Division, at Montefiore Medical Center (MMC), having both clinical and administrative oversight of multiple ambulatory and hospital-based psychiatry services. She was at the helm of the development of innovative program and quality improvements initiatives, developed new clinical interventions and structured new curricula, emphasizing Structural Humility, Evidence-Based therapies, and LGBTQ+ Affirming Care. She is faculty associate at Arizona State University's graduate social work program and continues to lecture for MMC's Psychiatry Residency Training Program and Psychology Internship Program on Interpersonal Psychotherapy and Structural Competency.
She continues to run a private practice and offer consulting to community mental health program, behavioral health start-ups and non-profit organizations.
Lyndy Gregorski-Rotert
Operations & Marketing Coordinator
Our expertise
My Expertise: Trauma-Informed Care: I am deeply passionate about trauma-focused work, aiding individuals in healing from their past and fostering resilience for the future. Addressing Systemic Challenges:
I am dedicated to dismantling barriers in mental health care, particularly for underserved populations, through advocacy for systemic change. LGBTQ+ Affirming Care: I possess extensive experience in providing gender-affirming care and creating safe spaces for individuals to live authentically in my clinical practice and through training, supervision, and consultation. Mindfulness-Based Approaches:
My therapeutic toolkit includes Acceptance Commitment Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy to guide clients in navigating guilt, shame, self-criticism, and professional burnout.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT): I offer IPT, an effective approach for improving relationships, managing role transitions, and addressing grief and loss.
Our Continuing Education Advisory Board:
Laurie Gallo, PhD
Sabrina Mueller, LCSW
Hanya Shatara, LCSW
Dawn Colena, LCSW
