Sophie Giovanola, Ph.D.
I am a New York State licensed psychologist with 20 plus years of clinical experience. Born in Switzerland, I first studied dance in my native country and then trained in France, England and the United States. I studied and taught at The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York City and performed professionally with The Martha Graham Dance Company for 6 years. After my career in dance I went back to school, first to Fordham University, College at Lincoln Center and then to graduate school at Teacher’s College Columbia University where I obtained a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2001.
Graham was inspired by universal myths and legends and sought to embody the exploration of the human psyche in her work. My immersion in the Graham philosophy led me to continue that exploration, making my transition from dancer to psychologist both natural and logical. While the primary instrument of communication changed, the exploration of feelings remained the creative challenge.
Since completing my education and internships, I have worked in a variety of settings including outpatient medical and mental health clinics and inpatient psychiatric services, forensic venues and now in private practice here in New York City.
In his book, The Creative Evolution, the French philosopher and Nobel Laureate, Henri Bergson observed:
“To exist is to change, to change is to mature,
to mature is to go on creating oneself, endlessly.”
I believe that therapy can facilitate and enhance that always evolving creation and development of self. Through the exploration of the past, the therapeutic process allows and facilitates the ability to live in the present and to imagine a future while contributing to a richer and more complete self-expression.
Education
Fordham University
B.A. in Psychology – 1992 Summa cum laude
Columbia University
M.S. Psychology – 1996
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology – 2001
Affiliations
The Mount Sinai Medical Center
Assistant Professor/Psychiatry
New York State Psychological Association