Dr. Casey Buonocore (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist who provides therapy to adults, children, adolescents, couples, and families. She has expertise in post-traumatic stress disorder (particularly relationship and sexual trauma) obsessive-compulsive disorder, mood disorders, and disordered eating. She primarily practices from a feminist relational perspective, often employing behavioral techniques and interventions when indicated. As an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, Dr. Buonocore also utilizes gender-affirming practices.
Dr. Buonocore has experience working with teens and adults of all ages, especially during times of transition (e.g., high school or graduate studies). Much of her recent work took place in university counseling centers, where she had the opportunity to work with students in vastly different life stages and in varying degree programs. This exposed Dr. Buonocore to diverse mental health concerns and their expressions, including acute trauma, grief and traumatic loss, and suicidal ideation as well as non-suicidal self-injury. Dr. Buonocore also particularly enjoys exploring clients’ formative past and current relationships in addition to the therapeutic relationship. She believes that the therapeutic relationship alone has healing powers, and a strong bond serves as a critical framework for therapeutic change. Dr. Buonocore works toward this through authenticity, open-mindedness, cooperation, and the appropriate use of humor.
Initially, Dr. Buonocore began her career in forensic psychology before earning her doctorate from Antioch University New England in clinical psychology. Through her forensic psychology training, she had the opportunity to work with teenagers navigating the legal system. She often employed motivational interviewing techniques to assist these clients in identifying what they wanted to change and how they could enact this change. This is also where Dr. Buonocore began to embody her social justice perspectives, acknowledging the complexity of caring for individuals in the context of challenging and inflexible systems.
Dr. Buonocore then completed her formative training through a predoctoral internship at University at Albany’s Counseling & Psychological Services and a postdoctoral fellowship at New York University’s Counseling & Wellness Services. At New York University, Dr. Buonocore received specialized training and experience with eating disorder treatment. She worked with a multi-disciplinary team to provide holistic care to folx diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. In addition, she has extensive experience treating a range of body image and disordered eating concerns and behaviors. Dr. Buonocore approaches this work by encouraging clients to explore their relationship with concepts like body image and size, exercise, etc. and dismantle the beliefs that maintain disordered eating behaviors. With this experience and interest, Dr. Buonocore plans to facilitate a process group at UDP for folx to connect and support one another in understanding their relationship with eating.
Since obtaining her doctorate, Dr. Buonocore has been co-collaborating on a book about the intersection of psychotherapy and creativity in healing. She believes that creative and artistic outlets allow us to access thoughts or emotions that we may not be ready to process verbally or intellectually. As a lifelong music and theatre fan, Dr. Buonocore enjoys bringing creative techniques to her clinical work whenever indicated, and she always encourages her clients to employ their own creative outlets.
Dr. Casey Buonocore’s specialties include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), mood disorders, and disordered eating. She works with adults, children, adolescents, couples, and families.