About
Alexis Conason PSY.D.
Dr. Alexis Conason (she/her/hers) is a licensed psychologist in private practice in New York City. Her office is conveniently located on the border between the Upper East Side and Midtown East neighborhoods of Manhattan. She specializes in the treatment of overeating disorders, body image, and psychological issues related to bariatric surgery. She also treats people struggling with sexual functioning, depression, anxiety, adjustment problems, relationship issues, and other psychological issues. Please contact her to see if she can help you with what you are struggling with.
Dr. Conason is the author of The Diet-Free Revolution: 10 Steps to Free Yourself from the Diet Cycle with Mindful Eating and Radical Self-Acceptance (published in 2021 by North Atlantic Books and distributed by Penguin Random House). Forward Reviews called the book “packed with keen psychological and scientific insights” and Christy Harrison, author of Anti-Diet, said “Alexis Conason offers a truly weight inclusive approach to mindful eating that will help you develop self-compassion, practice self-care, and find pleasure in food and your body.”
In addition to her book, Dr. Conason’s essays on diet culture have been published in Elle Magazine, Scary Mommy, and Darling Magazine. She writes the “Eating Mindfully” blog for Psychology Today and contributes to her personal blog on this website.
From 2007-2018, Dr. Conason maintained a research position at the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital (formerly St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital), in affiliation with Columbia University. Her research focused on psychological outcomes following bariatric weight loss surgery (WLS). Her groundbreaking dissertation research on substance use following WLS was one of the first studies to document an increased risk of alcohol use following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery; now a widely-recognized phenomenon. Her research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Surgery and has been cited hundreds of times in peer reviewed articles. She has also published on sexual functioning following bariatric surgery and the increased risk of suicide and self-injury following WLS.
While she no longer maintains an institutional research affiliation, Dr. Conason stays current with new research findings in the fields of bariatric surgery and eating disorders. She regularly attends and presents at research conferences and serves as a peer reviewer for bariatric surgery medical journals. She serves as the Research Liaison for the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals New York Chapter (IAEDPNY) and is a board member of The Center for Mindful Eating (TCME).
After earning her doctoral degree from Long Island University’s Post Campus and completing internship at The Karen Horney Clinic, Dr. Conason completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in affiliation with Columbia University. Part of this training included working closely with the Center for Bariatric Surgery at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital as part of the treatment team conducting pre-operative psychological evaluations, treatment plans, and leading their support groups.
Dr. Conason did additional post-doctoral training to earn a certificate in eating disorders, addictions, and compulsions from the William Alanson White Institute and a certificate in psychodynamic psychotherapy from the American Institute of Psychoanalysis. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) and certified eating disorder specialist supervisor (CEDS-S). Dr. Conason is trained in Mindfulness Based Eating Awareness Therapy (MB-EAT), an empirically validated treatment for binge-eating and other overeating disorders and has participated in other mindfulness workshops and trainings. She is currently undertaking training to specialize in sex therapy. Dr. Conason is licensed to practice psychology by New York State.
Dr. Elizabeth Gordon, PsyD
Dr. Elizabeth Gordon, PsyD (she/her/hers) is a clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, disordered eating, body image dissatisfaction, and mood and anxiety disorders. Elizabeth believes firmly in each person’s potential to achieve full recovery. Her therapeutic approach is integrative, drawing from behavioral, relational, and psychodynamic modalities, and is ultimately tailored to fit every client’s unique needs and circumstances. Elizabeth’s work is guided by the belief that in the context of a supportive therapeutic relationship, healing can occur. In addition, Elizabeth subscribes to a weight-inclusive intuitive eating model in which all foods fit, and health is not dependent on body size.
In addition to her work at Dr. Conason’s practice, Elizabeth is currently completing her postdoctoral fellowship at Monte Nido Manhattan, a Partial Hospitalization Program and Intensive Outpatient Program for individuals with eating disorders. Elizabeth obtained her doctoral degree from Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, and she also holds a master’s degree from Harvard University in Human Development and Psychology as well as a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University. Elizabeth has experience providing individual and group therapy for children, adolescents, and adults across a variety of settings, including outpatient, day treatment, inpatient, and school-based settings.
Fatema Jivanjee-Shakir, LMSW
Fatema Jivanjee-Shakir, LMSW. She is a social worker specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image concerns, as well as mood, anxiety, trauma, and relationship problems. She has extensive experience working with adults and adolescents in individual, group, and family therapy at the residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), intensive outpatient (IOP), and outpatient levels of care. Her work is strongly informed by the Health at Every Size perspective. Fatema has a special interest in working with BIPOC clients, especially those of South Asian and Muslim backgrounds.
Fatema utilizes a warm, collaborative, trauma-informed, and culturally-aware approach to therapy that blends cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and psychodynamic approaches. Fatema’s goal is to build a supportive therapeutic relationship with clients to help them explore what keeps them stuck in their unhelpful patterns, while also supporting them to grow and live more fulfilling lives.
In addition to her work at Conason Psychological Services, Fatema is currently working at The Renfrew Center for the treatment of eating disorders. Fatema obtained her Masters in Social Work from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Educational Studies from Swarthmore CollegeS
Sheba Antony
Sheba Antony, MA, MHC-LP, NCC (she/her) is a mental health counselor with a background in treatment of eating disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders. She has experience in working with interdisciplinary teams in intensive outpatient (IOP), partial hospitalization (PHP), and other higher levels of care treating children, adolescents, and adults. Sheba has experience providing individual, group, and family therapy. She has an interest in working with BIPOC individuals.
Sheba obtained her Masters in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine from Boston University School of Medicine. Her therapy approach is informed by cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), person-centered therapy, and Health at Every Size (HAES) perspective while also connecting to clients’ intersectionality and individualized health needs. Sheba’s goal is empowering clients to utilize their strengths, skills, and supports to achieve their own goals and fulfillment.