Dr. Berel works with adults and adolescents and provides individual, couples, and family counseling. She specializes in women’s issues and eating disorders and has extensive training treating individuals struggling with anorexia, bulimia, compulsive eating, and body image concerns. While almost half of her clinical practice is comprised of adults and adolescents struggling with these issues, the majority of her clients are men, women, and couples facing other difficulties including anxiety, depression, and relationship problems. Dr. Berel sees both heterosexual as well as same-sex couples. She also enjoys working with adolescents with anxiety and mood issues.

Dr. Berel’s approach in working with clients is one that tends to de-emphasize psychological problems as illnesses. She views eating problems, for example, as generated in part, from our culture’s emphasis on appearance, and has published articles based on this perspective. Although recognizing that certain psychological problems have a biological basis, she assumes that people develop various ways of being in the world based on the context in which they live. Several schools of thought influence her approach to psychotherapy. Where appropriate, Dr. Berel focuses on family and interpersonal influences. With other clients, she emphasizes the development of life skills and solutions to problems. She often uses a combination of these approaches and/or adjusts her therapeutic approach with clients depending on their needs.

Dr. Berel received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Washington State University and completed a predoctoral clinical internship at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She completed a postdoctoral position at Northside Hospital (through the Women's Center) as well as at the Atlanta VA. She sees clients at the Buckhead and Marietta offices. Dr. Berel is an online clinical psychologist on the Counseling Resource Website (http://counsellingresource.com/ask-the-psychologist/author/drsusan/).

Gerald S. Drose, Ph.D.
770-953-4744 ext. 12

Dr. Drose has been in practice in Atlanta since 1989. He started PFPA with his wife, Dr. Dina Zeckhausen. His favorite part of clinical practice is watching people learn to live more complete lives in their family and at work. He works with adolescents and adults helping them with relationship problems. He has done research and published articles in professional journals on sexual therapy and has extensive training and experience in couples therapy. He uses experiential methods, including hypnosis and gestalt techniques, to help clients reduce anxiety and stress.

Dr. Drose is also interested in creative expression at work and in personal relationships. “One of the worst things about psychological problems,” he says, “is that they rob us of our creativity and ability to provide love to the most important people in our lives. Good psychotherapy, whether focused on reducing depression, anxiety, or other symptoms, unlocks natural creativity, allowing clients to let go of the heaviness of life and begin to truly enjoy experiences.”

Dr. Drose is a columnist for the medical/health site: www.sharewik.com. He writes a weekly column called "Love, Sex, and Marriage".

Dr. Drose received his doctoral training at the University of South Carolina in Clinical Psychology. He sees clients at the Marietta and Buckhead offices.

Dina Zeckhausen, PhD
770-953-4744 ext. 13

Dr. Zeckhausen began practicing in Atlanta and co-founded PFPA in 1990. She also founded the Eating Disorder Information Network (EDIN) in 1996. She is currently EDIN’s Co-Director leading that organization in providing the greater Atlanta community with prevention and treatment services for Anorexia, Bulimia, and Obesity. Dina began writing and presenting treatment information on Eating Disorders when she was in graduate school and has helped raise awareness of eating disorders throughout the country. She has also written creatively to raise awareness of eating disorders including a play, What’s Eating Katie?, which has been performed by and for teens throughout Atlanta, and a children’s book, Full Mouse, Empty Mouse, which also has a curriculum that serves as part of a prevention package for grade school children.

Dr. Zeckhausen works with Adolescents and Adults, and specializes in Women’s issues, Eating Disorders, Anxiety, Depression, and couples therapy. “I enjoy helping clients to explore the issues from their early family life that may be contributing to their current struggles,” states Dr. Zeckhausen. “However, my goal is to help clients re-write the very limited and limiting stories that they tell themselves about themselves.  I am passionate about helping people discover their strengths and use those strengths to work through the internal blocks which prevent them from living life to their full potential.  Through my work with EDIN, I am able to address the wider cultural issues which contribute to eating disorders.  It is tremendously satisfying to empower people to resist pressures to be other than their authentic selves!” 

Dr. Zeckhausen received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Carolina in 1990. She sees clients in Marietta and Buckhead offices.

Dr. Higgins provides individual therapy for adults and adolescents. She specializes in anxiety disorders, women’s issues, depression, relationship issues, difficulties adjusting to major life transitions, cultural and/ or sexual identity development, and mother/ daughter relationships. She also works with those struggling with eating disorders and body image concerns.

Dr. Higgins uses an integrative approach, working from interpersonal and psychodynamic theories while applying a wide range of techniques including interpersonal, cognitive behavioral, family systems, and multicultural modalities. She tailors her approach to best fit with each client’s personality, presenting issue, and time frame. Dr. Higgins believes that a warm and trusting therapeutic relationship plays a key role in the success of therapy. She says, “I think it’s important to create a safe and nurturing environment where clients can feel more comfortable taking risks and doing the sometimes difficult work of therapy. I try to help clients achieve greater awareness of self, of their relationships with others, and of the particular culture and environment in which they live as these things relate to their particular concern. Awareness alone is not enough however. I work with clients to translate new awareness into new experiences.”

Dr. Higgins obtained a B.A. in Psychology at Wake Forest University, an M.A. in General/ Experimental Psychology at College of William & Mary, and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Tennessee. In addition, she completed a pre-doctoral internship at the University of California, Berkeley and a post-doctoral fellowship at Boston College. She is available to see clients in the Marietta and Buckhead offices.

Jack believes there has never been a better time for assisting those seeking help, relief, guidance, and understanding with their pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. Research and therapeutic treatment of the mind-brain-body connection has made tremendous strides in the last decade. Each of us is a product of our own particular genetic makeup, individual and social experiences that are solely unique and specific to us. Since each one of us is so singularly unique, counseling may take various forms of talk therapy using different techniques to help us find our own solutions, happiness, growth, and fulfillment.  First and foremost, there must be a trusting, objective, unbiased, and non-judgmental, relationship between the partners in therapy.  Jack states, “I feel very grateful and privileged with those that have shared their lives with me.  I am positive that there is always hope for a fulfilling, happy, rewarding, and productive life.  Sometimes our worries and stresses can be addressed in as simple as 1 or 2 visits, sometimes more depending on how one feels the need to continue.”

Jack works with adolescents, individuals, and couples using cognitive behavioral, person-centered, Gestalt, and EMDR therapy, as well as applied psychophysiology and biofeedback therapy. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback is a non-invasive procedure used to strengthen the body’s immune system, maintain a healthier mind-body relationship, reduce stress, increase creativity, enhance performance and help with reducing the effects of anxiety, stress, medication, pain, migraines, depression, trauma, grief, anger, post-traumatic stress and other diagnosis.  

Jack received his MS in Counseling from the University of North Texas with honors and his BS in Criminology from Florida State University. He left the Navy as Lieutenant, Naval Aviator followed with a career flying for the airlines. During his tenure with the airlines, he assisted for 17 years with the Employee Assistance Program and the Critical Incident Stress Response Team dealing with grief, trauma, stress, and loss. He retired early to pursue his interest in psychotherapy.   Jack was also an officer of the court representing and guiding juveniles before the court for adjudication and counseling with the Division of Youth Services in Jacksonville, Florida.  Jack is a volunteer with the American Red Cross, Georgia Critical Incident Stress Foundation, and the Civilian Atlanta Police Department.  He is also a member of the American Legion, Veteran of Foreign Wars, and Business Executives for National Security. “My desire is to continue to serve my community and my country.”

Jack is under direction and supervision while maintaining client confidentiality. This provides one with the best use of a skilled team. He sees clients in the Buckhead and Marietta offices.

Dr. Scheinfield is a nationally certified school psychologist who specializes in the treatment and assessment of children and adolescents. She provides individual and group therapy, consultative services, as well as comprehensive psychological evaluations to determine children’s learning strengths and weaknesses, memory and processing skills, visual-motor abilities, attention, executive functioning skills, academic achievement capacity, and social/emotional functioning.

Dr. Scheinfield has extensive experience working with a variety of children and adolescent needs including Asperger’s Syndrome, Autism, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Cognitive Impairments, Developmental Delays, Down Syndrome, and Learning Disabilities. Additionally, she works with a multitude of social/emotional issues such as Anxiety Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Substance Abuse. She also provides individual and group therapy for any learning or emotional challenges that may interfere with school functioning. Dr. Scheinfield works with children and adolescents to address issues related to school avoidance, social skill development, bullying, self-esteem, conflict management, and stress management. Through her approach, Dr. Scheinfield strives to help her clients build and maintain more effective coping strategies, problem solving skills, and self-advocacy skills, while learning to engage in self-monitoring and self-reflection. She also fosters emotional self-regulation, where she helps her clients learn to better manage their emotions and control their behavior. Dr. Scheinfield strongly believes in establishing a trusting therapeutic relationship with her clients, in which they feel accepted, safe, and supported.

On an academic level, Dr. Scheinfield assists her clients in developing more effective study strategies and organizational skills that are best suited to their learning style. Her clients serve as active participants in this process, and it is through their commitment and buy-in that these strategies are deemed appropriate. Dr. Scheinfield works with her clients to establish goals and continually refine strategies that will enable them to improve their work completion and overall academic success. She also assists parents with how to best support their child’s learning and/or emotional needs and how to implement behavior management strategies within the home setting.

Dr. Scheinfield conducts comprehensive psychological evaluations specifically tailored to each individual’s needs, assessing his/her intellectual functioning, memory and processing skills, visual-motor abilities, attention, executive functioning, academic achievement, social/emotional functioning, and adaptive skills. Additionally, she provides psychological assessments for college preparatory exams (e.g. ACT or SAT) and for adolescents transitioning from high school to their post-secondary education. She also offers consultative and advocacy services, where she works with parents and school personnel to help meet students’ needs. She can assist with developing specific academic and social/emotional goals and help create an intervention plan to improve students’ learning.

Prior to living in Atlanta, Dr. Scheinfield worked as a school psychologist at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. She served on numerous child study teams, where she helped develop and implement instructional and behavior management strategies for struggling students. She was a member of the schoolwide Response to Intervention (RtI) committee, in which she worked collaboratively to create interventions for general education students, while monitoring students’ progress and response to academic and behavioral supports.

Dr. Scheinfield has a wealth of knowledge and experience working with students who receive special education services or have Section 504 Plans, and she has participated extensively in the referral and evaluation process for special education eligibility. She is well-versed in special education law and helps consult about Individualized Education Plans (IEP), special education eligibility and services, and educational placement. In addition, she serves as a parent advocate in IEP meetings to ensure that appropriate educational programming, IEP goals, interventions, and accommodations are granted.

Dr. Scheinfield focuses on coordinating services for children and adolescents between their home and school environments. She works collaboratively with parents, classroom teachers, health professionals, and other service providers regarding children’s learning, behavioral, and social/emotional issues. Through her team-oriented approach, she aims to identify underlying factors that contribute to children’s learning and/or behavioral challenges, as well as orchestrate the services that are being provided. Dr. Scheinfield recognizes that a child or adolescent’s educational experience can be compounded by a multitude of factors, and she feels that it is crucial to understand the interplay between these various elements.

Dr. Scheinfield received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan. She obtained her Masters of Education in Educational Psychology and her Ph.D. in School Psychology from Loyola University Chicago. She later completed her postdoctoral fellowship while working at New Trier High School in Illinois. Dr. Scheinfield is certified as a school psychologist in Georgia and Illinois, and she is also a nationally certified school psychologist. She is currently seeking to apply for clinical licensure in the state of Georgia, and in the interim, she is supervised by a licensed psychologist.