Elevate Point is a premier wellness center in Brooklyn, setting a new standard for addiction treatment and mental health care. Our concierge-level services go beyond expectations, redefining the very ideas of treatment. Whether it’s evidence-based therapy sessions, innovative interventions like TMS, or wellness practices such as yoga and mindfulness, every aspect of care is designed to suit your unique needs and preferences.
We have created a luxurious sanctuary in the heart of the city. Our thoughtfully designed therapy spaces, tranquil communal areas, and bright rooms establish an environment that both soothes and inspires. Comfortable furnishings and high-quality amenities promote relaxation and concentration, providing a peaceful retreat for personal growth.
At Elevate Point, we believe healing is a collaborative journey. Our compassionate staff supports you in making informed choices about your care, empowering you to take an active role in your recovery. Discover a place where urban energy meets tranquility—a space for transformation, resilience, and wholeness.
Empathy is communicating that incredibly healing message: “You’re Not Alone.” − Brene Brown.
We are limitless in our creativity, ideas, and services. We challenge one another to break through our ceilings and limiting beliefs, personally and professionally.
How we do anything is how we do everything. We take pride in creating a culture of excellence in every area of our lives and the lives of our clients.
We value thoughts, ideas, innovations, personalities, and characters. Above all, we value creating a space of acceptance, support, and care.
Our assurance to you is a commitment to building a strong foundation of trust and support. Our environment empowers individuals to feel secure in expressing themselves, seeking help, and embracing personal growth with confidence and clarity.
Everything we do is tailored to creating the optimal experience for the entire organization, including clients, families, and staff.
Simply said: We elevate humanity.
At Elevate Point, our people are at the heart of everything we do. Each member of our team brings a wealth of experience, compassion, and dedication to helping clients achieve lasting transformation. United by a shared commitment to excellence, our clinicians, wellness specialists, and support staff work collaboratively to provide care that is both highly personalized and deeply impactful.
We believe that recovery is not just about treatment—it’s about connection, trust, and guidance from those who truly care. From licensed therapists and medical professionals to mindfulness coaches and client care coordinators, every individual at Elevate Point plays an essential role in creating a sanctuary where healing can flourish. Together, we are here to walk with you on your journey toward resilience, balance, and well-being.
Medical Director
Dr. Joseph Nissenfeld, MD, is a highly regarded psychiatrist with specialized expertise in addiction psychiatry and a distinguished record of helping individuals achieve lasting recovery. He earned his B.A. from Yeshiva University and his M.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, before completing his psychiatry residency at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and a fellowship in addiction psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine.
With over a decade of experience at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, Dr. Nissenfeld provided exemplary direct patient care while taking on key leadership and administrative roles — including Director of the Outpatient Program, Director of Ambulatory and Community Psychiatry, and Acting Director of the Division of Substance Abuse. He was also a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU. In addition, he currently serves as Medical Director and Chief Clinical Officer of Achieve Behavioral Health, overseeing five locations and shaping clinical standards of care.
At Elevate Point, Dr. Nissenfeld oversees the integrity of clinical workflows and protocols, conducts psychiatric assessments, provides ongoing psychiatric care, and ensures that medication-assisted treatment is thoughtfully integrated into each client’s individualized care plan. He is board-certified in both psychiatry and addiction psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Dr. Nissenfeld brings both clinical excellence and visionary leadership to his work, combining evidence-based practice with a deep commitment to patient-centered recovery. His perspective on addiction as a deeply existential and human experience shapes his approach: he believes that working in this field means engaging with the most authentic, raw, and real dimensions of who people are — and that is exactly what drives his passion for this work.
Program Director
Rebecca Silverstein is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 13 years of experience guiding individuals through the challenges of substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health concerns. Driven by empathy and a deep commitment to helping others, she creates a compassionate, nonjudgmental space that fosters healing, self-discovery, and growth.
Rebecca draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and humanistic approaches, tailoring treatment to meet each client’s unique needs and goals. As Program Director at Elevate Point, she oversees the program, working across the clinical, medical, nursing, and administrative departments to ensure a cohesive, holistic approach to care. She is committed to developing innovative, evidence-based programming that supports clients’ recovery while promoting their overall well-being.
As a leader, Rebecca is known for her supportive, collaborative approach and a “cheerleader” mentality that empowers those around her. She fosters a culture of teamwork, accountability, and growth, leading by example and modeling the professionalism, compassion, and dedication she hopes to inspire in her team. Her leadership helps create an environment where staff and clients alike can thrive.
Clinical Director
Kristen Stramka is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor — Master Level (CASAC-M), with over eight years of clinical experience across a range of settings, including outpatient addiction programs, inpatient rehabilitation, and private group practice.
Her clinical foundation is rooted in addiction treatment, and she brings deep expertise in medication-assisted treatment, overdose prevention (including Narcan training and fentanyl test strip education), and the neurobiology of addiction. As Clinical Director at Elevate Point, Kristen oversees all clinical operations, ensures compliance with state and federal regulations, including OASAS guidelines, and provides weekly supervision to the clinical team. She also plays a central role in admissions, working closely with the admissions coordinator to ensure each client is appropriately matched to the level of care they need.
Kristen’s therapeutic approach is integrative and client-centered. She draws on motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and solution-focused therapy, and is actively expanding her training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She believes that each client is unique and tailors her approach to where individuals are in their recovery journey — whether they are exploring change for the first time or navigating life after multiple treatment experiences.
In addition to leading the adult IOP and PHP programs at Elevate Point, Kristen currently oversees the adolescent program’s clinical components as it launches. She is committed to building an alumni program and ensuring that families and support systems are meaningfully integrated into the recovery process.
Primary Clinician
Ella Joffe brings a uniquely creative and evidence-informed approach to addiction treatment, integrating art therapy into her clinical work to help clients access, process, and communicate experiences that are often difficult to put into words. She holds a dual M.S. in Counseling and Art Therapy with an Addictions Specialization from Eastern Virginia Medical School, and completed her undergraduate studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, where she majored in Studio Art and minored in Psychology.
Ella’s clinical training spans a wide range of settings, including a residential program for adolescents with complex trauma, inpatient rehabilitation from detox, and a women’s shelter for survivors of domestic violence. She holds the ATR-P (Registered Art Therapist — Provisional) credential and the CASAC-T (Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor — Trainee) credential, and has presented at conferences on the use of art therapy with adolescents in addiction treatment.
At Elevate Point, Ella serves as a Primary Clinician, managing her own caseload and facilitating groups across the IOP and PHP programs. She integrates art therapy into both individual sessions and group settings, prescribing specific art materials and creative processes based on each client’s clinical presentation and therapeutic goals — much like a doctor prescribing medicine. Her trauma-informed approach is grounded in neuroscience: she understands how different art materials engage the brain and can help lower defenses, reduce shame, and externalize the struggle of addiction from a client’s core identity.
She is deeply versed in adolescent brain and identity development, and brings a strengths-based, empowering approach that gives young clients a sense of voice, agency, and creative ownership in their own recovery. She is also a trauma-informed practitioner with experience working across diverse populations, including adults and youth with complex histories.
Recovery Coach
Charlotte is a Recovery Coach and Yoga Teacher in long-term recovery. She supports clients through lived experience, peer connection, and somatic practices. She believes in meeting people where they are and helping them find their own path forward. Outside of work, she loves thrifting, playing with her cat Miss Fantasy, and exploring creative projects.
Primary Clinician
Samantha Slager is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT-LP) who made a deliberate and meaningful transition from a successful decade-long career as an entrepreneur to pursue her lifelong passion for mental health and human connection. She completed her Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at Northwestern University.
At Elevate Point, Samantha is the team’s Marriage and Family Therapist, a distinction that adds a critical dimension to the program’s holistic approach. In addition to maintaining her own individual caseload and facilitating groups, she works directly with couples and families — helping loved ones understand what is happening neurologically and emotionally for the person in recovery, while also addressing the relational dynamics that both shape and are shaped by addiction. Her work is grounded in systems theory, drawing on the Bowen and Satir models, as well as CBT, DBT, and other evidence-based modalities.
Samantha is particularly passionate about the power of observing relationships in real time. When working with couples or families, she can see the patterns actually playing out in the room rather than relying on a single perspective. She describes her clinical style as that of a detective — curious, attuned, and committed to understanding not just the presenting issue, but the deeper “why” beneath it. Her approach blends empathy with forward momentum, helping clients understand how their past shapes their present so they can make meaningful changes.
Registered Nurse
Alex Ketel is a Registered Nurse with an extensive background in psychiatric and substance use settings. He earned his B.S. in Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University and his M.S. in Nursing from Columbia University School of Nursing.
Alex brings experience across a wide range of behavioral health settings, including work as a crisis counselor for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988) and as a Registered Nurse at Gracie Square Hospital. This combination of crisis intervention and acute psychiatric nursing has given him a strong grasp of the mind-body connection and its central role in the recovery process.
At Elevate Point, Alex combines his clinical knowledge, behavioral health experience, and empathy to support holistic treatment outcomes for every client who walks through the door.
Client Relations
Lily Applbaum received her Master of Theology in Religion and Literature from the University of Edinburgh and holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Pomona College. Her academic research explores the reception of religious texts and their influence on contemporary literature and culture, with her dissertation examining the impact of religion on public health crises, particularly the AIDS epidemic. This work reflects her ongoing passion for health advocacy and for promoting more compassionate, informed attitudes toward care and healing.
At Elevate Point, Lily serves as a primary point of contact, guiding clients and families through intake, communication, and individualized care coordination. She is also a certified yoga instructor, currently pursuing her advanced RYT with a focus on therapeutic and trauma-informed applications of yoga through TYSNY and the Prison Yoga Project.
Together, these experiences allow Lily to integrate embodied practices into her work at Elevate Point, supporting care that is both sensitive and client-centered.
Outreach & Business Development
Anna is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), National Certified Counselor (NCC), and Certified Corporate Wellness Coach with over eight years of experience providing integrative, trauma-focused care for adolescents and adults across private practice, intensive outpatient, inpatient, and nonprofit clinical settings.
Anna’s clinical background is holistic and interdisciplinary. She translates evidence-based treatment insight into program development, multidisciplinary collaboration, and strategic partnerships that drive sustainable outcomes. Her professional philosophy centers on equity, resilience, innovation, and advocacy, and her work is grounded in a personal passion for closing the gap between individuals, organizations, and the quality of care they deserve.
As Elevate Point’s Outreach and Business Development Specialist, Anna works alongside the clinical, admissions, marketing, and PR teams to scale the organization’s care across New York City and beyond. She is committed to expanding access to Elevate Point’s programs while maintaining the same standard of care that defines the organization’s clinical work.
Primary Clinician
Sierra Bickford began her career in public health and social services, working with individuals experiencing homelessness and substance use. This early work shaped her understanding of the systemic and social factors that intersect with addiction, and grounded her clinical perspective in a broader view of client well-being.
While earning her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Columbia University, Sierra interned at a private practice, where she worked with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, substance use, and personality disorders. That experience deepened her clinical foundation across a range of presentations beyond addiction alone.
At Elevate Point, Sierra’s approach centers on honesty, collaboration, and a belief that every client already holds the strength and self-knowledge needed to tackle their challenges and grow. She works to create a space where clients feel met as partners in their own recovery, rather than passive recipients of treatment.
Recovery Coach
Jeanine Ierardi began her career as an Executive Assistant across the tech, legal, and accounting industries, where she built a strong foundation in organization, problem-solving, and interpersonal communication. After facing her own challenges with alcohol use, she made the decision to pursue sobriety, a process that gave her personal clarity, resilience, and a deep sense of purpose.
She returned to school to earn her Certified Recovery Peer Advocate (CRPA) and Certified Addiction Recovery Coach (CARC) certifications, and is currently pursuing her CASAC. This combination of lived experience and professional training gives her a unique and authentic perspective in her work with clients. Jeanine has spent nearly two years coaching adults navigating substance use disorders. Her approach begins with partnership and draws on motivational interviewing to help clients access their internal resources, build a clear recovery path, and disrupt limiting personal narratives.
At Elevate Point, she believes in meeting clients where they are while encouraging the intrinsic motivation that drives lasting change, and she also incorporates family coaching sessions when requested. Grounded in an understanding of the neurobiology of addiction, her mission is to guide clients toward a life rooted in clarity, peace, and fulfillment.
Clinical and Administrative Assistant
Sela Roth is a Clinical and Administrative Assistant at Elevate Point, where she supports both client care and daily operations within the outpatient treatment setting. She brings hands-on experience working with individuals recovering from substance use disorders, including adolescents and adults, providing emotional support, ensuring safety, and collaborating closely with clinical and nursing teams.
With a strong background in behavioral health and college coursework in psychology, addiction counseling, and pharmacology, she is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Hunter College.
Known for her reliability, empathy, and attention to detail, Sela strives to create a supportive and welcoming environment for every individual who walks through Elevate Point’s doors.
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At Elevate Point, we pride ourselves on delivering a personalized, innovative, and supportive approach to mental health and addiction recovery that transcends conventional treatment methods. Our program is specially designed to meet the unique needs of each individual, fostering an environment conducive to healing and growth.
Our facility boasts a serene and inviting atmosphere, thoughtfully crafted to promote relaxation and recovery. With elegant common areas, and state-of-the-art amenities, every aspect of the environment is geared towards comfort and tranquility, allowing clients to focus on their healing journey.
We crafted our space to be a sanctuary in the center of the city, an escape for those seeking a new path. One look at Elevate Point will have you reevaluating what you thought possible from treatment.
At Elevate Point, leading-edge care meets compassionate healing. Our treatment offerings include innovative modalities like TMS and ENG3 technology, seamlessly integrated with evidence-based therapies and holistic practices. We also offer continued care options to ensure sustained success after your time with us. This unique blend allows us to deliver care that is as advanced as it is personalized. Picture yourself stepping into a serene, sunlit treatment space where breakthrough science is matched with empathetic guidance. At Elevate Point, you’ll experience the future of healing, today.
Our team at Elevate Point represents the pinnacle of expertise and approachability. With advanced degrees, extensive certifications, and years of specialized experience, our clinicians, therapists, and medical staff are equipped to guide you through every step of your healing journey. But it’s not just their credentials that set them apart—it’s their unwavering compassion and approachability. In their care, you’ll find a safe and supportive environment where you are genuinely heard and understood. At Elevate Point, we believe exceptional care begins with exceptional people.
Whether you’re seeking mental health support or an Elevate Point addiction treatment program, you’ll find the expert care you’re looking for and respite from the bustling city. Our team of therapists utilizes evidence-based therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and more while delivering the highest standard of client care to both adults and adolescents. We also offer partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient programs.
We want every part of you to feel supported here. As you blossom into your next phase of life, we’re not just looking to treat your addiction, but to serve you on your journey of growth. Our modern treatment center offers art therapy, breathwork, yoga therapy, and an all-around whole-person approach. Let go of any version of therapy and addiction treatment that you imagined, and picture yourself sipping coffee with new friends on our sunlit terrace after a major breakthrough. This is Elevate Point.
Our specialized space for adolescents is designed to offer treatment tailored specifically for adolescents and teenagers, ensuring both safety and appropriateness for their developmental needs.
With a focus on creating a supportive peer environment, our teen program offers engaging activities, therapy sessions, and skill-building exercises aimed at helping young individuals navigate their challenges effectively.
Our center features a dedicated wing for adolescent care, ensuring a safe and comfortable space for treatment.
We recognize that lasting recovery requires addressing more than addiction–it means healing the co-occurring mental health conditions often intertwined with substance use disorders. Our integrated care approach focuses on identifying and treating the root causes of these challenges, empowering clients to heal fully rather than simply managing symptoms.
By combining addiction treatment with mental health care, we provide compassionate, tailored support designed to meet each individual’s unique needs.
