A place to begin.
Begin Behavioral Health was founded by Dr. DiGiovanni to provide specialized mental health therapy in Bergen County and throughout New Jersey and New York, rooted in years of clinical and research experience.
ABOUT DR. DIGIOVANNI
Hello!
I am a clinical psychologist with 10 years of experience across hospitals and academic research settings. Before starting Begin Behavioral Health, I spent many years at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai engaged in research, training, supervising, and clinical work. My research has focused on improving the identification and treatment of serious mental illness. I developed the Brief Educational Guide for Individuals in Need (BEGIN), an intervention that provides psychoeducation on psychosis risk. I remain on the clinical faculty at Mount Sinai but have shifted my focus to full-time clinical work with clients, something I have found consistently rewarding. My therapeutic style is warm, accepting, and validating, with enough structure to work on clear goals. If you’re looking for an experienced psychologist who is invested in your progress, I’d love to hear from you!
Additional profiles
Dr. Shaynna DiGiovanni
PHD · LICENSED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
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Virtual Care
Telehealth-Focused Practice
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Licensed
NJ, NY & PSYPACT States
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Based in
Glen Rock, NJ & New York, NY
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10+ Years
in Clinical Practice & Academic Research
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Specializes in
Psychosis, Depression, Anxiety, & OCD
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Developer of
the BEGIN Psychoeducation Intervention
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Assistant Clinical Professor
Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai -
25+
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Meet our new therapist:
Talin M. Araian
Talin M. Araian is a Licensed Associate Counselor in New Jersey and a fifth-year doctoral candidate in the Psy.D. Counseling Psychology program at Felician University. She is scheduled to earn her doctoral degree in May 2027. She provides psychotherapy to adults under the supervision of Dr. DiGiovanni.
Talin focuses on helping adults navigate life's challenges with greater confidence and self-understanding. She integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic principles to help clients gain insight, develop effective coping strategies, and build resilience. She works with individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, psychosis, relationship concerns, life transitions, divorce or separation, work-related stress, and other life stressors that can impact emotional well-being.
Talin previously worked in the pharmaceutical sales industry and at a major hospital, where she developed a strong appreciation for the integration of medical and behavioral health care, and gained firsthand insight into the unique occupational stressors experienced by healthcare professionals and those working in high-demand sales environments. These experiences continue to inform her compassionate, practical, and evidence-based approach to treatment.
Talin's scholarly interests include post-separation abuse and coercive control, psychosis, and cognitive decline. She has published scientific papers and presented at professional conferences. She serves on the Committee on Legislative Affairs (COLA) for the New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA). She has been recognized for her leadership and service, receiving multiple Executive Women of New Jersey (EWNJ) President's Scholarships and the Beacon of Social Justice Appreciation Award at Felician University.
TREATMENT SPECIALTIES
Therapy for adults and adolescents facing a range of concerns
The practice is especially well suited to clients seeking experienced therapists who can pair compassion with a high level of clinical and diagnostic expertise.
Psychosis and Schizophrenia
Specialized care, psychoeducation, diagnostic support, and CBT for psychosis.
Anxiety and OCD
Evidence-based treatment including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Inference-based CBT
Depression and bipolar disorder
Collaborative care focused on understanding symptoms, patterns, and treatment options.
Diagnostic assessment
Clear, individualized evaluation and recommendations when the diagnosis or next step is uncertain.
Adolescents and Young Adults
Navigating identity, relationships, and self-discovery during the transition to adulthood.
THE THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
Warm, structured, and collaborative.
Understanding
first
If you're unsure of what to expect from therapy, I will be there to guide you. In our initial sessions, we'll work toward gaining a good understanding of your difficulties and goals, and may even complete a clinical and diagnostic evaluation.
Clear
information
I'll provide you with clear information related to symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options. We'll review evaluation results together and I'll share treatment recommendations so that we can collaboratively agree on the best approach to therapy.
Evidence-based
tools
I have expertise in evidence-based treatments, and often work from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) perspective. I'll offer tools and strategies for you to try, and may bring worksheets and treatment manuals into the session. My goal is to help you develop new insights and strategies so that you develop confidence to better manage difficulties in your life.
FAQs
Get Your Questions Answered
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We accept several major insurance plans. The plans we accept change over time, so please reach out to find out whether we are in-network and currently accepting your plan. If we don’t accept your plan, sessions are self-pay and we can provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement.
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Sessions usually last around 50–55 minutes. How often we meet depends on what we are working on and what we decide together. For most clients, it’s once per week. Sometimes we’ll start off meeting twice per week, especially when it’s helpful for clients who need to learn and practice new skills quickly, and then adjust to once per week. After we’ve done a lot of the main work and things are going well, sessions can occur less often, like every other week. We’ll discuss this together on an ongoing basis.
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This depends and will be based on the treatment plan that we establish together and ongoing conversations about how therapy is progressing. We’ve worked with clients for several months to address specific problems using a specialized intervention and conclude therapy after that because clients feel much better and symptoms have improved. We’ve also worked with clients for years who have ongoing stressors or more chronic difficulties. We’ll discuss this together, and ultimately it is your decision.
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A good therapeutic alliance is the strongest predictor of positive outcomes in therapy, so it is very important that you feel comfortable with your therapist and confident that you’ll work well together. That’s why we offer a consultation first, where we can learn about each other and get an initial sense of what it might be like if we worked together. Even after we decide to work together, we’ll check in on an ongoing basis to discuss how things are going. If we’re not a good fit, that’s perfectly fine and you can seek care elsewhere or we can offer recommendations.
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Yes. We offer formal diagnostic evaluations, which are separate from therapy. We are trained, certified, and experienced in many gold-standard clinical interviews. We select interviews and questionnaires based on your specific experiences and the reasons you are seeking an evaluation. Common assessments we use are the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Diagnoses (SCID-5) and the Structured Interview for Psychosis Risk Syndromes (SIPS). All formal diagnostic evaluations will be followed by a feedback session where we share results and recommendations.
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Yes, we work with many clients who need documentation of their care for various reasons and are happy to assist with this.
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Yes, it’s important for many clients that we include family members who can help support treatment. Sometimes that means providing updates on treatment progress, and other times it means having some joint sessions with family members. For adults, we will only work with family members if you give your explicit permission, as our work together is confidential.
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No, but we can recommend medication providers and offer guidance on how to find a prescriber who is a good fit for you.
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Yes. Dr. DiGiovanni is licensed to see clients in NJ and NY, and can see clients virtually in most states that are part of PSYPACT. Check here to see if your state is included: PSYPACT map.
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We currently offer virtual sessions only. Many clients find it more convenient, and research shows telehealth is just as effective as in-person therapy.
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BEGIN is a 5-session educational therapy developed and researched by Dr. DiGiovanni specifically for adolescents and young adults at risk for psychosis. If you are a good fit for BEGIN, we’ll let you know and you can decide to integrate this into your treatment if you’d like.
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We offer online therapy throughout Bergen County, including Glen Rock, Ridgewood, Paramus, Fair Lawn, and surrounding communities as well as throughout New Jersey and New York, with additional availability in eligible PSYPACT states.
GETTING STARTED
Still have questions? Not sure where to start? Let's meet!
If you’re unsure of what to expect from therapy, I will be there to guide you. I offer free 15-minute consultations if you’d like to meet first to see if we’d be a good fit.
PSYCHOEDUCATION FOR PSYCHOSIS-RISK
Understanding can be a therapeutic act.
Dr. DiGiovanni developed the Brief Educational Guide for Individuals in Need (BEGIN) to support individuals at risk for psychosis.
Designed as an engaging and accessible therapeutic intervention, BEGIN meets clients where they are, providing clear, evidence-based education about their symptoms and treatment options. It is grounded in the idea that understanding one’s mental health experiences is itself a therapeutic act that fosters hope for recovery, reduces fear and stigma, and opens the door to meaningful engagement with care.
The intervention has been supported by research and implemented in clinical settings nationally. Reach out if you'd like to join the growing number of clinicians who offer BEGIN.
Also available for research consulting, clinical supervision, and consultation
ACADEMIC & RESEARCH BACKGROUND
Clinical care shaped by research, training, and practice.
Researcher dedicated to providing care based in science
Assistant Clinical Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Mentor to emerging clinicians and researchers
Educated at Boston University (BA) and Yeshiva University (PhD)
Trained at UCLA Semel Institute and James J. Peters VA Medical Center
Awards & funding from the NIH, American Psychological Foundation, American Psychological Association, and Mount Sinai Faculty Council
Note: My publications appear under my previous name, Shaynna Herrera.
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