Esther Bilenkis

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Bilenkis completed her medical school training at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine. As an osteopathic physician, she believes in the holistic perspective to medicine: personalized treatment and addressing ailments through a mind, body and spirit approach. She completed psychiatric training at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, DC, a forensic psychiatric hospital, considered “the ICU of psychiatry” because it provides care to patients with chronic, treatment resistant psychiatric conditions. In her early career, Dr. Bilenkis’s experience practicing psychiatry through large, private equity owned corporations inflicted on her a moral injury due to a misalignment with her personal values, ultimately leading her to carve her own path in private practice! Her work as a psychiatrist is shaped not only by her training, but by her lived experiences. As a first-generation immigrant from a Ukrainian Jewish family, with English as her second language, she brings a deep understanding of intergenerational trauma, immigration stress, and mental health stigma into her work. Dr. Bilenkis is drawn to working with students, medical professionals, peripartum individuals, and first-generation immigrants — individuals who may be navigating complex identities, high expectations, and significant life transitions. She is looking to walk side by side with you through the trenches of your mental health struggles, unpacking the various contributing factors and offering evidence-based tools. Instead of just giving you a band aid, she offers the transformative experience of digging deep and getting to the root of your difficulties so you can finally move towards living your best life!