Promise Pathways
Counseling - RECOVERY - MENTAL HEALTH
Promise Pathways is located on Long Island, just a couple of minutes outside the beautiful town of Huntington, NY. We are a private practice serving the broader community with a focus on anxiety, depression, substance abuse, AD/HD, self-esteem, and trauma-related issues via evidenced-based practices including, but not limited to Motivational Interviewing, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and MCBT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy). Using a solution-focused holistic approach, we take the whole person into consideration before determining an ideal therapeutic path. Read more about our services, and view a detailed list of treatment areas /methods and insurance plans.
Promise Pathways founder, Stephanie Colace is a Mental Health Clinician licensed in the state of NY and GA. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, a National Certified Interventionist Professional and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor with expertise covering a versatile spectrum of therapeutic approaches tailored to the needs of each client.
Stephanie's clinical focus is primarily with adolescents and adults healing from trauma and trauma related disorders. She also has expanded coursework studies in food addictions. Her vast experience also includes clientele with disabilities, and clients within the forensic population, which has enabled her to grow her knowledge of disability related services, law enforcement / legal issues, vocational counseling, and substance abuse treatment. She has added experience working with Suffolk County Law Enforcement and Parole, as well as the Nassau County Department of Mental Health, and is an OASAS approved provider for Clinical Screening and Assessment Services for Impaired Drivers.
Stephanie's broad experience in the business world prior to entering the Mental Health field has given her other expertise including Human Resources, Workers Compensation, Quality Assurance, and Training and Development. She has been a member of the National Career Development Association since 2016. Just as she advises others, she is always expanding her career knowledge and experience, most recently by completing EMDRIA training to better service her clients.
Mary DeGiovine, LP-MHC
Mental Health Counselor at Promise Pathways
Mary DeGiovine-Robins is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor who utilizes many different theories in treatment to meet the unique and diverse needs of each individual. Some of Mary's methods include Person-Centered Therapy (unconditional positive regard, genuineness, and empathy), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Gestalt Therapy (becoming more aware of how negative thought patterns and behaviors can block accurate self-awareness, making an individual unhappy), and Motivational Interviewing. In addition, she utilizes Humanistic Counseling Theories emphasizing that a person has, within oneself, all the resources needed to live a healthy and functional life. Problems instead are attributed to limited or unavailable problem-solving resources.
Mary graduated with an MSED, and an Advanced Certificate in Rehabilitation Counseling in Mental Health from Hofstra University. Her extensive background includes Offenders Workforce Development Specialist (OWDS), Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF), and Director of Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Training Services at NADAP. Relevant experience includes consulting with treatment program professionals on Delivering Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Support Services, NYS OASAS vocational requirements and reporting, and problem-solving on vocational service issues. Mary is also an instructor for the Outreach Training Institute Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor training program (OTI CASAC-T). There, she provides career development, resume writing, and a class on the Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling. Mary has worked with substance use, physical disabilities, justice-involved and severely mentally ill individuals at various agencies, including EAC Network, Department of Veteran's Affairs, Department of Labor, Suffolk County Department of Health Services and Mental Hygiene, East End Methadone Clinic, Pederson-Krag Center and Horizons Counseling and Education Center.
Christine Bentley, LP-MHC
Mental Health Counselor, Promise Pathways
As a Mental Health Counselor, Christine employs a holistic approach utilizing various therapeutic approaches aimed at healing the whole person. She has a warm personality making clients feel at ease. Her approach is kind & compassionate, helping clients to focus on self-compassion, self-awareness, & overall wellness.
Christine began her journey in counseling as a NYS Licensed School Counselor, working in Long Island schools for ten years. Her work included counseling teens experiencing trauma, grief, low self-esteem, body image issues, self-harm, depression, addiction, family and relationship issues, and more. She has worked in mainstream and alternative high school settings, providing individual and group counseling.
Christine is a lifelong learner in constant pursuit of education, most recently studying yoga & meditation. Christine has a Master's Degree from LIU C.W. Post with a Post-Master's Advanced Certificate in Mental Health Counseling from Medaille University and a Bachelor of Science in Management from SUNY Geneseo.
Paul serves the general population and is particularly interested in counseling people with mood disorders, those who have experienced trauma, and people experiencing or recovering from communal abuse. Paul uses a client-centered humanistic approach with CBT and REBT tools where the client sets objective, measurable goals with a timeline and checkpoints. The sessions include talk therapy to explore the client’s experience while using evidence-based techniques to resolve issues and blocks.
In addition to being a mental health counselor, Paul runs an organization that provides social opportunities and resources to people who have left cults, systems of authoritarian control, communal abuse, or fundamentalist religions. He also writes and performs stand-up comedy.
Paul Weinberg, LP-MHC
Mental Health Counselor, Promise Pathways
Paul’s background includes working as a Community Organizer and Rabbi, providing pastoral counseling in both group and individual settings. This experience enabled him to develop effective listening and communication skills and expression of empathy and offered him exposure to various issues. Additionally, he worked as a teacher for 12 years, gaining further experience in communication and group dynamics among children, adolescents, and adults. One of his teaching positions included adult ESL education in Israel, where he instructed not only Israelis but also Palestinian and East African migrants. This experience gave him further insight into resolving conflicts and engaging multicultural clients in a group setting. Paul has a B.A. in psychology from York University in Toronto, Ontario, and an M.A. in Mental Health Counseling from Medaille University in Buffalo, NY.
Stephanie Zeidner, M.Ed.
Mental Health Counseling Intern, Promise Pathways
Certified School Counselor
Stephanie Zeidner is a certified and practicing school counselor working towards her Mental Health Counseling Advanced Degree at SUNY Buffalo. Although she works in a school setting, Stephanie hopes to gain more experience working in a clinical environment.
Stephanie received her school counseling master's from CUNY Hunter in 2012 and has since been a full-time school counselor. Prior to becoming a school counselor, Stephanie was an elementary classroom teacher. She decided to shift into counseling as she truly believes in teaching the whole child. When students struggle with their social or emotional state, it is hard for them to show and be their best selves. As a school counselor, she can work with all the students to build their social and emotional well-being. Stephanie worked with students of all ages with various counseling needs. Although she enjoys working with children in the school setting, Stephanie hopes to gain more experience working with adults in a clinical setting.
During her counseling sessions, Stephanie utilizes many theories and styles of counseling depending on the client's needs. She often uses a Mindfulness & Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approach.
Vivien Hao
Mental Health Counseling Intern, Promise Pathways
Vivien Hao gained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from NYU Shanghai. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness from New York University. She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults. Vivien was raised in the United States and studied abroad in mainland China for her undergraduate studies. Therefore, she has years of experience interacting with international students and new immigrant families in the
United States. Vivien also has strong knowledge about the Asian American Pacific Islander populations. With a diverse background, Vivien is aware of building cultural competency and sensitivity.
Growing up in the United States and having spent four years of undergraduate studies on the NYU Shanghai campus, Vivien has been exposed to cultural learnings and interacted with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Outside school, she has also participated in several internship and volunteer programs. Each program targeted individuals from different age groups. Several years of experience in those programs have taught Vivien how to understand the situations, struggles, or concerns that individuals from diverse age groups might be facing.
Vivien is passionate about the Mental Health Counseling profession. She wishes to help clients with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, Eating and Sleep Disorder, adjustment issues, Career Coaching, and General Mental Health Therapy. Vivien also strives to create a safe and welcoming environment for her clients to explore themselves in sessions. In addition, she is capable of providing English/Chinese counseling sessions.
在中国和美国都有多年的生活经验，本科就读于上海纽约大学并且获得心理学学士学位。
她目前正在纽约大学攻读心理健康咨询硕士学位。她的咨询对象包括儿童、青少
年和成年人。Vivien在与中美两国生活的华裔交流方面有丰富的经验，同时对亚裔美国太平
洋岛民(AAPI) 文化也有很深的了解。
在美国的成长经历和本科四年在上海纽约大学的学习生涯给Vivien提供了和来自世界各地
的人们交流和学习的经验。在校外，Vivien也一直积极参与多个实习和志愿者服务，每段经
历都是服务于不同年龄段的人群。几年的实习和志愿者经验也教会了Vivien更全面的了解
每个年龄段人群所可能面对的环境和困扰。
因为有着这样拥有多元化的背景，Vivien知道该如何建立文化尊重和敏锐度。她也同样清楚
该如何更好地为不同年龄段的来访者提供合适的心理咨询服务。
Vivien热衷于心理咨询行业，并希望帮助有焦虑，抑郁，创伤，饮食、睡眠、和适应障碍的来访者。
她还希望为她的客户创造一个安全和温馨的环境，让他/她们在咨询的过程中探索自
己。此外，她还能提供中英文双语的心理咨询服务。
