PARTNERS
HILARY RACITI, RD, cdn
Hilary Raciti RDN CDN is a dietitian with a passion to mend your relationship with food. Hilary graduated with a degree in Psychology and Counseling from Lafayette College. During this time, she completed an intensive internship specializing in eating-disorders in which she became enlightened in regard to her passion to help adolescents and adults achieve optimal health and wellbeing using nutrition counseling. Upon graduation, Hilary became certified as a NASM certified personal trainer and decided to continue her studies at Montclair State University to gain a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics followed by the completion of the dietetic internship through Sodexo Philadelphia. Hilary has both clinical and counseling experience as she has worked extensively with advanced dementia and skilled-nursing patients, in addition to working closely with adolescents and adults in an outpatient PHP/IOP eating disorder treatment center. Hilary wants to help her clients gain a better understanding of nutrition while gaining trust in food and their bodies. Hilary is pursuing her Masters at Columbia University in Diabetes Education and Management to provide specialized care to this population. Ultimately, Hilary loves what she does and is passionate to help each individual see food as source of balance, fuel and love.
Daphna Shiffeldrim, MD, MPH
Dr. Shiffeldrim is a board certified Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist working in private practice on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. In addition to treating general psychiatric disorders, she specializes in treating children with chronic medical conditions; particularly type 1 diabetes. Her interests in working with the pediatric population started very early. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 6 years. Living with a chronic medical condition has taught her about the intimate connection between the mind and body and the power of one to influence the other.
Dr. Shiffeldrim has a bachelors degree in computational biology from Cornell University and attended medical school at the Medical School for International Health at Ben Gurion University in Israel. Following completion of her medical studies she received a masters degree in public health from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, with focus on health promotion and disease prevention, particularly in the area of type 1 diabetes. She completed both adult psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine (formerly North Shore- LIJ). In every stage of her training, she has sought to deepen her understanding of the mind-body connection, and develop skills to help children maintain a balance between the two.
Dr. Shiffeldrim’s individualized multifaceted approach to treatment includes a combination of psychopharmacology, various psychotherapy techniques, extensive work with and support for parents, coordination with schools and special education committees, other treating physicians, as well as lifestyle modifications (relaxation techniques, sleep, nutrition, and exercise). She strongly believes that optimal learning must take place in the context of optimal physical and emotional health, and she is happy to provide the support needed to achieve this.
Hedy J. Roth
Hedy J. Roth is an undergraduate of Brooklyn College where she received her Baccalaureate of Arts in Speech & Communication Sciences in 2009, and is a graduate of Kean University, where she received a Master of Arts in Speech Pathology in 2012. Hedy holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and is licensed by the state of New York to practice speech-language pathology. She is a licensed New York State teacher, obtaining her Teacher of Students with Speech and Learning Disabilities (TSSLD) in 2013, and working in the school setting for four years.
Hedy has experience working with both pediatric and adult populations and has worked in a variety of settings including home-based, private & public school, and skilled nursing facilities. She has experience working with Autism Spectrum Disorders, expressive/receptive language disorders, phonological speech disorders, pragmatic language difficulties, dysarthria, and dysphagia. Additionally, Hedy provides home speech and language therapy and evaluations for clients of all ages, and treats a range of needs, including articulation, feeding, language and literacy, and fluency disorders.
Speak to Connect LLC is proudly co-owned by Jessica (Salas) Vario and Sarah Van Auken.
Jessica Vario, MS, CCC-SLP, TSSLD, Bilingual Ext.
Jessica Vario is bilingual speech-language pathologist who provides services in both English and Spanish and has over a decade of experience. Much of her work has focused on the treatment and evaluation of multi-lingual and multi-culturally diverse children and adolescents, and understands the importance in being able to make a differential diagnosis between a disorder and potential delay, due to cultural upbringing.
Sarah Van Auken, MS, CCC-SLP, TSSLD
Sarah Van Auken has experience working with pediatric and adult patients in various clinical settings. Her experience lies in treating voice, speech, language, and cognitive linguistic deficits stemming from a multitude of etiologies across the life span. Given Sarah's background in the performing arts, she also enjoys working with singers, actors, and other professionals to bolster their communication confidence, voice, speech, and public speaking skills. Additionally, she is skilled at providing accent modification services.
Speak to Connect uses an integrated approach combining psychology, neuroscience, and speech-language pathology to provide a comprehensive blueprint for understanding and assisting our clients. Our skilled therapists work with children as young as eighteen months all the way through adulthood, and closely work with families to develop customized treatment plans. At Speak to Connect, we believe that bridging pathways that lead to unlocking one’s ability to think, communicate, and connect are fundamental to holistic treatment and improving quality of life. We offer individual sessions, group sessions, parent-coaching, in-person or virtual therapy models, and in-home therapy. Services are also offered in Spanish, Greek, and Russian.