Staff
ISABELLA POLITANO, PSYD - clinical psychologist
Isabella Politano, Psy.D. is a NYS licensed clinical psychologist with a focus on children and adolescents. Before joining Envisage Neuropsychology PC, she was employed at the Lang School where she worked with twice exceptional (2e) students in 1st-12th grades and provided weekly individual counseling, as well as weekly psychoeducational group counseling to seven cohorts based on either the Zones of Regulation curriculum (elementary grades) or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills in Schools (DBT STEPS-A; middle- and high school). Prior to this, she completed her doctoral internship at Maimonides Medical Center where she worked with the lifespan providing both individual and group therapy and psychological evaluations within various hospital settings.
Isabella completed her third-year externship with Dr. Auciello at Envisage, which prompted her penchant for assessments, and has since gained extensive experience conducting psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations for individuals with various learning disabilities and psychological disorders. She also has experience working with children, adolescents and adults of multicultural backgrounds and utilizes an integrated approach to treatment, including psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, attachment, family systems and play therapy.
Isabella earned her Doctorate in School-Clinical Child Psychology from Yeshiva University, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology in 2020. She is bilingual and is fluent in Spanish. In her free time, Isabella enjoys spending time with her puppy, traveling the world with her husband, and taste-testing new recipes—especially for baked goods!
alicia Ramirez, PhD - Post-doctoral fellow
Dr. Alicia Ramirez is a post-doctoral fellow at Envisage Neuropsychology PC. She is committed to offering warm, compassionate and culturally sensitive assessment services to children, adolescents, and adults from all backgrounds. Fluent in Spanish, Alicia is passionate about serving diverse communities and has conducted therapy, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological assessments in Spanish throughout her graduate career and at Envisage.
Dr. Ramirez earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University-Brooklyn, where she also earned her Master of Arts in clinical psychology. She completed her internship at the New York City Children’s Center (NYCCC) Queens campus, where she provided short-term individual, group, and family therapies, as
well as psychological assessments, for young adolescents in various hospital settings. Alicia began her journey at Envisage in the fall of 2018 as an extern, and she has since continued to work under the supervision of Dr. Auciello throughout her graduate career. She has gained extensive experience conducting neuropsychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults with a range of learning disabilities, developmental challenges, and psychological disorders.
Her clinical experience is diverse, encompassing roles in clinical and school-based settings such as co-facilitating groups for at-risk students at the High School of Fashion Industries, providing psychodynamic psychotherapy and psychological assessments for young adults at L.I.U.-Brooklyn's Psychological Services Center, conducting short-term individual and family therapy with young adolescent patients at NYCCC-Bronx, and providing individual, family, and group psychotherapy with clients across the lifespan at the Metropolitan Center for Mental Health. In all her work, Dr. Ramirez aims to create an affirming space where clients feel understood, supported, and respected. She is passionate about helping individuals and families gain clarity, confidence, and actionable insight through comprehensive assessment.
MICHELLE RUSSO, psy.m, MA - post-doctoral fellow
Michelle is a second-year post-doctoral fellow, having been with Envisage since 2022. Regarding education, Michelle received her PsyD in School Psychology from Rutgers University in 2026. She previously received her MA in Clinical Psychology (child/adolescent concentration) from Montclair University in 2019 and her PsyM in School Psychology from Rutgers University in 2023. Michelle has extensive experience and passion for working with school-aged children and adolescents beyond her graduate education experiences, having previously served as a paraprofessional, substitute teacher, and marching band instructor in the Township of Union Public Schools District in Union, New Jersey. It was her experiences
working in public schools that motivated her to pursue a career in working with children and adolescents. She has always placed self-regulation and connection in the forefront of her work across settings, aiming to provide a safe and comfortable space for clients to learn, grow, and unapologetically be themselves.
Through her graduate studies, Michelle frequently provided individual, group, and family therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and their families in clinics and school-based settings. She has several years of experience conducting psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations with children, adolescents, and young adults. In 2024, she completed her doctoral internship at The Quad Preparatory School, where she worked with twice exceptional middle-school students and regularly consulted with parents, teachers, and outside providers to develop and implement school supports. Through her doctoral program, Michelle engaged in research on how self-regulated learning (SRL) assessments can be used to develop tailored interventions for academically struggling students. Outside of her studies, Michelle enjoys reading, writing, playing softball, watching baseball (go Yankees!), and traveling. She is a dog mom to a rambunctious corgi who keeps her on her toes. Michelle also has a passionate, lifelong love for weather, the marching arts, and Pokémon.
Samantha Zakrzewski, MA - extern
Samantha is a second-year Clinical Psychology PhD student at Montclair State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Psychological Sciences.
Prior to joining Envisage, Samantha worked with a range of populations, including typically developing children, youth and adults with Down syndrome, and adults with acquired brain injury, across academic and rehabilitation settings. Through these experiences, she has developed skills in neurocognitive assessment, particularly in the areas of intelligence, executive functioning, mental status, and visuospatial skills. Samantha is excited to bring these skills to her work at Envisage in comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations that support children and their families.
Samantha’s clinical and research interests include intellectual and developmental disabilities, neurodevelopmental conditions, spatial cognition, cognitive decline, developmental psychopathology, and cognitive assessment. She is currently preparing her dissertation, which will examine ADHD symptoms and executive functioning in youth with Down syndrome.
Xiaoyu (Irene) Zhang - extern
Irene is a second-year PhD candidate in the School Psychology program at Fordham University with a specialization in the Psychology of Bilingual Students. She received her B.F.A. in Fashion Design with a minor in Psychology from SUNY, Fashion Institute of Technology. Prior to her enrollment in the doctoral program, she studied in the school psychology bilingual advanced certificate program at Fordham.
Before working at Envisage, she worked at both graduate and elementary schools, as well as a neuropsychological and educational evaluation center with diverse student populations. Under supervision, she has conducted evaluations and counseling services for students with ADHD, anxiety, depression, specific learning disabilities, and ASD. In school settings, she has provided consultations for families, teachers, and school administrators and created intervention plans for students.
Additionally, she has supervised peers during neuropsychological testing and served as a teaching assistant for the cognitive assessment course. At Envisage, she aims to further foster her skills in neuropsychological evaluations, bring positive and meaningful assessment experiences to children and adolescents, and collaborate with families to better support their children’s development.
At Fordham University, Irene is working on her research apprenticeship project to study the experiences of diverse school psychology graduate students and identify areas of strength and improvement within the programs. Additionally, she is passionate about research related to children's language and executive function skills development.
YAEL Turk - extern
Yael is a second-year Psy.D. doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program at William Paterson University. She received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Public Health from Muhlenberg College. Her clinical and research experiences have focused on children, adolescents, and adults with a range of psychological and neurodevelopmental concerns, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), anxiety, and depression.
Prior to joining Envisage, Yael worked as a clinical researcher at Brown University, where she studied how social media use impacts anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescents and young adults. She also previously worked as a psychosocial intern with The Quad Manhattan’s summer program for twice-exceptional children, where she provided psychoeducation on executive functioning and social-emotional skills and tracked children’s progress toward individualized behavioral and psychosocial goals.
As part of her doctoral training at William Paterson University, Yael also works at the VA Medical Center in Lyons, New Jersey, where she administers cognitive and psychological assessments and provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to Veterans with Parkinson’s disease and depression. Yael’s clinical interests include psychological and neuropsychological assessment, particularly with children, adolescents, and young adults. She is also passionate about research examining how social media and technology influence adolescents’ and young adults’ mental health, particularly anxiety and depression.
JOYA KELLY, M.Ed. - extern
Joya is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the School Psychology program at Fordham University. She earned her M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from Florida Atlantic University and her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from Florida A&M University.
Prior to working at Envisage, Joya gained experience in both school and clinical settings. She worked in a District 75 school serving students ages 11–21 with diverse learning, developmental, emotional, and behavioral needs, including ASD, ADHD, and specific learning disabilities. In this setting, she provided counseling focused primarily on social and adaptive skills, as well as emotional and behavioral support, and collaborated with teachers, speech-language pathologists, and other school professionals to support students. She has also worked in an assessment clinic serving children and young adults, where she conducted neuropsychological and psychoeducational evaluations under supervision and gained experience evaluating and diagnosing ASD, ADHD, specific learning disabilities, and emotional concerns. Additionally, she has supervised peers during the assessment process. Joya has also served as a teaching assistant for both cognitive and personality assessment courses.
At Envisage, Joya hopes to further develop her skills in neuropsychological and psychoeducational assessment while providing children and families with strengths-based assessment experiences. Her research interests center broadly on educational equity, with a particular interest in understanding and addressing factors that shape students’ educational experiences and opportunities. Through her research and clinical training, Joya hopes to contribute to more equitable and culturally responsive practices in schools and psychological assessment.