CJ Polihronakis, Ph.D.

Greetings! I am glad you have come across my website and are thinking about potentially starting therapy. My name is CJ Polihronakis (pronounced Pol-eh-ron-ah-kiss) (he/him/his), and I am a licensed psychologist in New York, Maryland, & Virginia. I have over 10 years worth of education, training, and professional experience providing culturally-informed mental health services. Most of my clinical work has focused on supporting college students and adults, and I have vast experience working with individuals of various intersecting cultural identities. ​ ​Some of my areas of expertise include: • Intersectional identity development (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious/spiritual identity, etc.) • Bisexuality, Pansexuality, Non-monosexuality • LGBTQIA+ Identities & Queer Issues • Men and Masculinities • Sex, Intimacy, Kink, & Sexual health (from a Sex-Positive Approach) • Interpersonal Concerns • Family of Origin Concerns • Career/Professional Concerns • Life Transitions (e.g., recent move, grief/loss)​ ​​​ ​Nevertheless, I have worked with clients on a wide breadth of presenting concerns (e.g., low mood, anxiety, family, relationships/dating) throughout my education and training. ​I look forward to speaking with you during a free 20-minute consultation phone call to learn more about your treatment goals and interest in working with me! It can often feel daunting and challenging to ask others for help; however, I am truly glad you have ended up on my page and are looking for support at this point in your life. My hope as your future therapist is to help you emerge into the best version of yourself by assisting you overcome some of the internal barriers that may be impacting how you perceive yourself, others, and the world. I predominantly draw from Relational-Cultural, Multicultural, & Person Centered counseling theories in my work with clients; yet, I also have experience integrating mindfulness and other skill-based interventions into my treatment approach. As a therapist, I like to approach my work with clients in a collaborative, engaged, exploratory, & conversational manner. A central dimension of my approach is being attuned to your intersecting identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status), while also considering how experiences of discrimination (e.g., racism, heterosexism, sexism, cis-sexism, xenophobia) and living within oppressive systems (e.g., White Supremacy, Cis-hetero-patriarchy, capitalist culture) may be associated with the emergence of different concerns bringing you to treatment at this time. In turn, I also remain conscious of my own identities and socialization processes as a White, Bisexual/Queer, generally able-bodied, Greek-American & Italian-American, Ph.D.-educated man throughout my work with my culturally diverse clients to ensure the therapy space is as affirming and bias-free as possible. My goal as your future therapist, therefore, is to provide you with an empathic, validating, caring space where you feel comfortable being your authentic self and opening about experiences across different points in your life. In addition, I will assist you with considering how the foundational relationships and core experiences across your life may be associated with some of your self-perceptions, ways of relating to other people, as well as other concerns that may be bringing you to therapy (e.g., anxiety, low mood, negative self-talk). Throughout my work with clients I am: • Attune to our identity-based/cultural differences and similarities • Empathic and compassionate • Passionate about helping you gain new insights • Supportive in helping you develop healthy, nurturing relationships with yourself and others • Collaborative in identifying changes in your ongoing needs/goals, & • Open to any feedback you may have to ensure we are adequately addressing your concerns. License Information State of New York - License #027821 State of Maryland - License #06719 Commonwealth of Virginia - License #0810007344