Welcome to
Balance Mental Health Counseling

“Let us guide you or a loved one towards a positive change.”

– Tanairy Fernandez

Maternal Mental Health

We specialize in perinatal depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anxiety disorders in the pregnancy and postpartum period.

Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and twice as beautiful as you’ve ever imagined.” – Dr. Seuss

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Looking for a confidential space to talk about your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors? Click here to learn more about the counseling services we offer.

The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” – Carl Rogers

Play Therapy

Searching for a therapist that provides play therapy to children? Look no further. Click here to read about the services we can offer your child.

Toys are the child’s words.” – APT

About

The Balance Mental Health Counseling (Balance MHC) practice was founded on the basis of expanding mental health services to the communities of Long Island. We pride ourselves in having diverse mental health professionals, extensive clinical training in areas of specializations, and using evidence based treatment to witness improvements in our clients. We have been serving the Huntington Community for almost a decade.

We specialize in working with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related anxiety disorders in children and women during the perinatal period (pregnancy and postpartum).

Media

Appearances by Balance MHC.

Tour

Counselors

Tanairy Fernandez, MS.Ed, LMHC, NCC, PMH-C

Director

Tanairy Fernandez is the Founder and Clinical Director of Balance Mental Health Counseling located in Huntington, New York. She is a bilingual Licensed Mental Health Counselor specializing in Anxiety Disorders. Tanairy has extensive experience counseling clients with Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) and Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder (Pregnancy and postpartum). Treats children, adolescents, and adults. Her love for evidence-based therapies she utilizes treatment approaches: Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT) with a focus on Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), and Play therapy. She has completed her graduate education from St. John’s University, and right after graduate school she began her postgraduate training. One of her greatest goals in life is to never stop learning. As a result, she has completed Postgraduate clinical training from International OCD Foundation, Beck Institute, Postpartum Support International, The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, The Gottman Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Women’s Mental Health. She serves as a Clinical supervisor for the Graduate Mental Health Counseling internship program at Balance Mental Health Counseling. She provides a warm and welcoming environment for all clients to feel comfortable, and safe to talk about their personal concerns. Her goal with providing counseling is to increase clients’ level of personal understanding through their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Tanairy has a passion for helping clients decrease their fears, and gain control of their life again. In her free time she is cooking, reading, enjoying her family, exploring the historical sights of Long Island, and traveling.

  • Certified Perinatal Mental Health profession PMH-C Postpartum Support International (PSI)
  • Graduate of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) Behavioral Therapy Training Institute (BTTI)
  • National Certified Counselor (NCC)
  • Completed two day (16 hours) Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) Training and 1 year of TF-CBT Consultation calls with TF-CBT Trained supervisor.
  • Certified Gottman Bringing Baby Home Educator
  • Graduate of The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors Virtual Professional Training Institute

Dr. Tyce Nadrich, LMHC, ACS, NCC

Coordinator of Clinical Training

Dr. Tyce Nadrich is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (NY), Board Certified Counselor (NCC), and Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS). He currently serves as the Coordinator of Clinical Training and specializes in providing services for adolescents and adults working through racial ambiguity, biracial identity development, and the intersection of social and mental health issues and racial identity. He also provides services to fathers challenged with paternal postpartum depression, and has extensive experience working with clients with depression, anxiety, and difficulties adjusting and coping. His goal is to provide a warm, welcoming, and culturally competence counseling environment, and assist clients in their development of wellness, stability, and self-sufficiency. He is also a full-time professor at Molloy College’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program in Rockville Centre.

Darcy Barillas, MS, LMHC

Affiliated Counselor

Darcy Barillas is a bilingual Mental Health Counselor in Long Island, New York. She specializes in counseling adolescents and young adults, and has experience with counseling those who struggle with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Self-harm, and new life transitions. Darcy has a background in a psychodynamic approach to help others gain valuable insight to their past, as well as a background in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help others live a more fulfilling life while teaching healthy new coping skills. She is also a full-time school-based Therapist at Nassau BOCES Middle School.

Gisela Rivera, MS, MHC-LP

Mental Health Counselor

Under clinical supervision with Tanairy Fernandez.

Gisela Rivera is a bilingual (Spanish/English) Mental Health Counselor in Long Island, NY. She specializes in working with children, adolescents and adults to help manage life changes and to learn how to cope with stress, anxiety, depression and to promote healing. With a Humanistic or Person Centered approach, the focus of treatment will be supporting the client’s work towards their full potential. Gisela is also a Higher Education Officer for a CUNY college.

Gisela Rivera es una consejera bilingüe (español / inglés) de salud mental en Long Island, Nueva York. Se especializa en trabajar con niños, adolescentes y adultos para ayudar a controlar los cambios en la vida y aprender a lidiar con el estrés, la ansiedad, la depresión y promover la curación. Con un enfoque humanista o centrado en la persona, el enfoque del tratamiento será apoyar el trabajo del cliente hacia su máximo potencial. Gisela también es Oficial de Educación Superior en una Universidad de CUNY.

Kaitlin Phelps, MA, MHC-LP

Mental Health Counselor

Under clinical supervision with Tanairy Fernandez.

Kaitlin is a Mental Health Counselor. Her work focuses on helping clients build stronger relationships with themselves and others, finding coping skills that work for them, and collaboratively identifying and overcoming the patterns and challenges that are getting in the way of having a satisfying life. As a counselor, she seeks to understand her client’s story, concerns, and strengths, and work with them to create increased awareness, safety, and movement toward change. Kaitlin has experience and training with counseling LGBTQ+, anxiety, depression, intimate relationships, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs), and Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders. She works with children, adolescents, and adults, and is particularly passionate about helping young adults and teenagers find their way in an increasingly complex world. She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Theory, Play therapy, and Mindfulness, and completed her graduate degrees at Northwestern University and the University of Michigan.

  • Completed 2-Day Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder Components of care training
  • Graduate of The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors Virtual Professional Training Institute

Christopher Cannizzaro, MS.Ed, MHC-LP

Mental Health Counselor

Under clinical supervision with Dr. Tyce Nadrich.

Christopher Cannizzaro is a Mental Health Counselor.   After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in  Psychology from The University of Tampa, Chris went on to earn his Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health with a concentration in Athletic Counseling from Springfield College.  Christopher spent time working as a Mental Health Counselor embedded in a Division 1 Athletic Department where he served the student-athletes providing mental health and mental performance services.  Christopher also has experience working with children and their caretakers when he was an In-home Therapist in Springfield, MA.  Alongside using a CBT based therapeutic approach, Christopher likes to incorporate music and arts as a way to provide his clients an opportunity to explore other ways of self- expression.  In his free time, he likes to play the drums and bass guitar, read, and spend time with his family.

Virginia Cassidy

Graduate Counseling Intern

Under clinical supervision with Tanairy Fernandez.

Virginia considers counseling to be about finding the meaningful life you want to create for yourself, within a collaborative environment. Virginia is currently a graduate Mental Health counseling intern, pursuing her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Hofstra University. She has an interest in working with women with Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. In addition, counseling children, adolescents, and adults with anxiety, depression, and life transitions. She considers herself to have an integrative, eclectic approach to therapy with a focus on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, person centered, and psychodynamic orientations. Virginia welcomes clients of all stages of life to a safe and non-judgmental space to develop an understanding of self, to learn and to heal.

Kayla McLean

Graduate Counseling Intern

Under clinical supervision with Darcy Barillas.

Kayla is a graduate mental health counseling intern. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Molloy University. Kayla strives to cultivate a therapeutic space where clients feel safe to fully express their thoughts and feelings in an empathetic and nonjudgmental environment. She is devoted to a collaborative process of assisting individuals with identifying and achieving their goals. Kayla believes that the therapeutic process is beneficial in helping clients gain a deeper understanding of their own emotions, attain self-efficacy on how to cope in times of adversity, and ultimately become self-aware to foster significant changes in their lives that are parallel to their genuine beliefs. Kayla utilizes interventions from a Person-Centered and Cognitive Behavioral approach to assist individuals in decreasing negative thought patterns and behaviors while increasing positive thoughts, behaviors, and healthy coping strategies. Kayla has an interest in working with teens, young adults, and adults regarding a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, and adjustment issues.

Melissa Gordillo-Gomez

Graduate Counseling Intern

Under clinical supervision with Dr. Tyce Nadrich.

Melissa is a bilingual, graduate Mental Health Counseling Intern. She is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling at SUNY College at Old Westbury. She has professional experience working with kids and adults in various individual and group counseling settings. Melissa has a passion for working with individuals who have a variety of intersectional identities as she understands the importance that it may place on that individual’s mental well-being. Melissa has an integrative approach to therapy with a focus on Psychodynamic Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Overall, her goal is to provide support and guidance in a safe, warm, and open environment.

Sabirah Khan

Graduate Counseling Intern

Under clinical supervision with Tanairy Fernandez.

Sabirah is a mental health counseling intern, currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling at St. John’s University. Over the years, she has gained some experience working with kids in schools. Sabirah aims to create a therapeutic environment clients feel safe in, encouraging them to express and process their emotions/concerns, while learning healthy coping mechanisms. Her objective is to enable positive change within clients, promote ideas of mindfulness, and guide them through personal discoveries through their mental health journey. Additionally, as an individual of the Indo-Caribbean culture, she hopes to provide treatment to those of similar backgrounds, aiming to decrease the stigma within the culture’s community. She strives to create a judgement-free zone that is comfortable, and will center you in the counseling relationship. Sabirah’s approach is integrative, utilizing interventions from the schools of cognitive behavioral therapy, and person-centered therapy to help meet her clients’ needs.

Administrative Team

Valerie Goding

Administrator

Valerie Goding is an administrative assistant. She recently completed a Bachelors degree in psychology from Stony Brook University and is working towards pursuing a Masters in social work. Valerie believes everyone deserves the highest level of care and will go the extra mile to assist patients with their needs or concerns. Her goals are to promote a warm, comforting, and welcoming experience for all clients on their journey to healing and wellness. In the future, Valerie hopes to practice therapy with her own clients.

Services

Therapy sessions are goal-directed, future focused, and client centered. Each session promotes a time to learn about oneself, and how to apply the skills learned in therapy to the outside world. The therapeutic orientations practiced are Cognitive-Behavioral therapy (CBT), Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), and Mindfulness therapy.

Therapy is also available in Spanish and Creole!

Individual and Family therapy is available for Children, Adolescents, Young Adults, and Adults. Balanced Mental Health Counseling provides psychotherapy for the following concerns:

  • Academic Achievement
  • Adjustment concerns
  • Anxiety and Panic Disorders
  • Perinatal Mental Health (pregnancy and postpartum)
  • Depression
  • OCD
  • Perimenopause
  • Menopause
  • Self-Esteem
  • Stress Management
  • Trauma
Contact us at 631-572-8912 and receive a 15 minute free phone consultation. Find out if treatment is right for you or a loved one.
Call Now!

Counseling services are available to children and adolescents ages 6 to 18 years old. Both groups are faced with many daily challenges such as coping with concentration, anger outburst, social development, peer pressure, fears, worries, behavioral issues, and lack of self-image. To engage our children clients we provide Behavioral therapy with a combination of Play therapy. Children clients enjoy Play therapy because it makes them feel like the counselor has entered into their world, while allowing the counselor to understand the child’s behaviors and feelings. For our adolescent clients we focus on CBT. Through CBT adolescents will learn how their thinking impacts their feelings and behaviors. In addition to individual treatment we suggest Family therapy in order to receive the most effective outcome.

Counseling services are available to young adults’ ages 18 to 35 years old. During this period in adulthood one may experience difficult life changes which can cause Anxiety, Depression, stress, relationship conflict, career/college challenges, and Adjustment disorders. We focus on using CBT, SFBT, and Mindfulness orientations to treat young adults. As a young adult, life can get complicated. We are here to help through this difficult transition.

We provide services to adults struggling with issues affecting their daily functioning. Adulthood comes with its unique set of challenges. We are here to help with easing transition like parenthood, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (prenatal and postpartum), relationship changes, loss, and retirement. Our therapeutic orientations for treating adults are CBT and Mindfulness.

Sessions

In Office

The office space at Balance MHC is located in a quiet residential area.  Rooms are designed with mindfulness and tranquility in mind. Clients are able to enjoy complementary fresh coffee, tea, and baked goods while waiting for their session. Enjoy a calm and pleasant waiting room with relaxing tunes in the background. Our focus is for you to feel at peace and comfortable in your therapeutic environment.                                                                             

Benefits of in-person therapy:

  • Take a break from your usual scene
  • Develop positive therapeutic rapport
  • Feels personable
  • Escape to a calm and welcoming space
  • Confidentiality is more secure and controlled
  • No issues related to technical problems

Telemedicine (online therapy)

Online therapy is beneficial for people who find it difficult to commit to a set schedule for therapy. Online therapy tends to be a successful therapeutic tool for Adolescents and Young Adults. At Balance MHC we provide confidential online therapy. Utilizing online therapy we are able to reach clients who live outside the Long Island area.

Benefits of online therapy:

  • Accessibility
  • Convenience

Who can benefit from online therapy?

  • College student
  • Physically handicapped
  • Frequent travelers
  • Unstable work schedule
  • People with Agoraphobia (fear of leaving the home)
  • Living outside our service area

Fees

We happily accept the following insurances:


fidelis-care-logoCigna Heathcare

Forms of Payment

All major credit/debit cards (including HSA), checks, and cash are accepted for payment. Please write checks to “Balance Mental Health Counseling”.

We also accept Out-of-Network insurance. We can provide you with all the necessary information you may need to receive your out-of-network insurance. Clients who receive out-of-network benefits are typically reimbursed up to 85% of the counseling fee.

For clients with no health insurance Balance MHC provides reasonable out-of-pocket fee.

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical and mental health care will cost. Under the law, health care providers need to give clients who don’t have insurance, or who are not using insurance, an estimate of the expected charges for medical services.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. You can ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. You will receive a copy of your Good Faith Estimate.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

Contact