The Team

Leah R. Younger, Psy.D.

Leah R. Younger, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist in New York and New Jersey and the founder and Clinical Director of Younger Psychology, PLLC. She is a longstanding member of the Mental Health Professionals Panel of the First and Second Judicial Departments and has been qualified as an expert witness in Family Court, Kings County. She also holds Chair Membership in the National Association of Divorce Professionals (NADP), NY Union Square/Flatiron Chapter.

Dr. Younger’s clinical work is anchored in child and forensic psychology, with particular expertise in high-conflict family dynamics, court-involved evaluations, and early childhood development. At Younger Psychology, she provides parenting coordination under an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) model, forensic family assessments for Family and Supreme Courts, therapeutic reunification for estranged parent-child relationships, therapeutic visitation targeting parental skill development and child well-being, and comprehensive infant, child, and adult psychological evaluations including substance use assessments. She also facilitates settlement conferences, develops individualized parenting plans, and provides evaluation and treatment services for families navigating a Bais Din process.

Before founding Younger Psychology in 2018, Dr. Younger served as a Licensed Psychologist at Aronson Psychological Services, PLLC from 2015 to 2018, where she guided families through multi-phase access models, conducted infant and child assessments, supervised a postdoctoral fellow, and consulted with attorneys on mental health matters. Prior to that she completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Dr. Marvin Aronson Forensic Psychology Practice, PLLC, gaining specialized training in parenting infants and young children through separation and divorce, forensic psychology, and substance use evaluation.

Her earlier clinical training included a psychology internship at Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center, where she served as primary therapist for adolescent females on inpatient and intensive day treatment units presenting with co-morbid mood, anxiety, behavioral, and thought disorders. She also completed an externship at New York City Children’s Center — Queens Campus utilizing Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and provided long-term outpatient psychotherapy at McShane Center for Psychological Services. Earlier in her training she served as a school psychology extern across elementary and middle schools in the Oceanside Union Free School District, conducting psycho-educational assessments, facilitating CSE meetings, and developing Individualized Education Plans.

Dr. Younger is a prolific presenter and contributor to the field. She has presented at the AFCC’s national and regional conferences on cultural and religious factors in custody evaluations, early childhood assessment, and focused assessments, and has co-presented at the New York County Lawyers’ Association. She has been featured on podcasts including A Better Divorce and Journey Beyond Divorce, contributed to an American Psychological Association publication on parenting during COVID-19, and published in Family News and Views: A Publication of AFCC-New York. She has also served as a guest on 90.3 WHPC radio and as a co-presenter on a Quimbee CLE on racial, cultural, and religious factors in child custody evaluations.

Darrin W. Gerson, Psy.D.

Darrin W. Gerson, Psy.D. is a New York State licensed psychologist with an exceptionally broad and distinguished clinical career spanning more than two decades across inpatient, residential, outpatient, forensic, and administrative settings. He brings deep expertise working with children, adolescents, and adults across a wide spectrum of psychological, developmental, and behavioral needs.

At Younger Psychology, Dr. Gerson conducts diagnostic and forensic evaluations of children, adolescents, and adults; monitors substance use; provides individual, couples, family, and reunification therapy; facilitates parenting skills and behavioral management strategies; offers Parenting Coordination services under an ADR model; and consults with attorneys and educational institutions on mental health matters.

Prior to joining Younger Psychology, Dr. Gerson served as Director of Psychology and Acting Director of Quality Improvement at Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center in Dix Hills, NY — a state-operated psychiatric facility for children and adolescents on Long Island. In this role he held full administrative and supervisory oversight of the psychology department, chaired the Ethics Committee, oversaw all intern and practicum training programs, ensured compliance with Joint Commission and APA ethical standards, and led facility-wide Quality Management initiatives across the EOC, Incident Review, and Utilization Review committees.

He also served as Unit Director at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens Village, NY, overseeing the Admissions and Stabilization Treatment Unit (ASTU) — a complex of seven inpatient wards including admissions wards, a medical stabilization ward, a mindfulness ward, and an intensive treatment ward. He coordinated services across Psychiatry, Nursing, Rehabilitation, Psychology, and Social Work, and represented the unit at the Executive Cabinet and Quality Leadership Team levels.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Gerson served as Consulting Psychologist at Long Island Adolescent and Family Services (LIAFS) in Stony Brook, NY, conducting assessments for Family Court and DSS referrals, supervising staff therapists, and developing specialized behavioral programming for siblings placed out of their homes. As Program Coordinator at Mercy First in Syosset, NY, he led a multidisciplinary treatment team at a 24-hour residential treatment center for adolescent males referred by the courts and social service systems, providing individual, group, and family therapy and testifying at family court hearings for permanency, adoption, and termination of parental rights.

Dr. Gerson’s clinical training began at the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, DC, where he conducted psychological assessments across inpatient, outpatient, and partial-hospitalization settings with a highly diverse clientele including specialized units for LGBTQ+ individuals and trauma/PTSD treatment. He also completed court-ordered psychotherapy with children and adolescents referred through the Child Guidance Center at DC Superior Court, and conducted comprehensive psychological, psychoeducational, and neuropsychological assessments at Washington Assessment and Therapy Services in Silver Spring, MD.

Earlier research work at the University of Maryland included investigating the effects of psychosocial skills training in schizophrenic patients, and neurological research studying echolocation in animals — reflecting a strong foundation in empirical methodology that continues to inform his clinical practice.