01 · Who Alanna works with

Alanna works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and family conflicts

Alanna lists 17 specialisms and 21 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Alanna chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Alanna's own words

What Alanna says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I am an individual and family therapist licensed ( LCSW) in New York State. I have 14 years of experience working for agencies and schools along with my own private practice. My experience ranges from working in preventive services with children and their families to counseling individuals in an adult mental health day program. I also had a contract with a NY public school system to support student needs. Much of my private practice involved working with adults who came for support for issues such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, eating disorders, relationship issues and parenting concerns. I have also worked with individuals who have experienced post traumatic stress disorder, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect.

I received my Masters degree at Fordham University in Tarrytown, NY where I received clinical training in individual counseling and family systems. I often use a cognitive-behavioral approach with my clients. Additionally, I have experience with and am open to other therapeutic methods such as humanistic and integrative therapy. Each client has their own story to tell and I support people in making meaning out of their own narrative. Since each person I work with comes with a unique history, challenges and reasons for seeking support; I create individual treatment plans with input from each client. These plans are adjusted as their needs change along with their own life experiences and transitions. I will take my cues from you, as we work together on goals that best suit your needs at any given point in time.

Trust is a vital part of the client-therapist relationship. I follow the ethics of my profession which include the dignity and worth of each human being, and the importance of integrity. This means strictly adhering to client-therapist confidentiality. I do my utmost to create a safe space for my clients to share their thoughts and feelings. Finally, as people work on personal growth, I emphasize using mindfulness to appreciate the here and now and enjoying the present. For some this may mean meditation, while others feel most at peace in nature. You, the client, decides what has meaning in your life. I look forward to supporting you in achieving the personal growth you seek using the strengths you already possess .

Alanna Kardon-Alkalay, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Nov 2026

03 · How Alanna works

The 7 approaches Alanna lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Alanna lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Alanna's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Alanna runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Works on the assumption that current patterns - in relationships, at work, in how you treat yourself - have a history, and that seeing the history loosens the pattern. Less structured than CBT, usually longer, and more interested in what comes up unbidden than in a weekly agenda.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Internal Family SystemsIFS

Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Alanna practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Alanna's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Alanna at this point.

2. Naming Alanna specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Alanna is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Alanna.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Alanna

Built from what Alanna actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Alanna's - Alanna has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 15 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LCSW

Licensed in

New York

Licence

NY LCSW 071834-01

Licence number

071834-01

Licence expires

31 Oct 2027

NPI

1063512135

Years in practice

15

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Alanna's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 7 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Alanna. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.