Interview by Nancy Wachtenheim, LCSW

Avi is building a practice and this year will be in the Fellowship Program with ICP+P. He learned about ICP+P while he was in the Psy.D. program at George Washington University where he graduated in 2017.

While majoring in Psychology as an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, Avi was able to intern at Sheppard Pratt Hospital’s Inpatient Child Psychiatric Unit, which helped him realize he had a keen interest in the field. After graduating, he moved back to New York City, where he had grown up, and was a “community worker” for close to six years in Brooklyn. His work involved taking histories from Holocaust Survivors, an emotional and interpersonal process for him. He identified the importance of being a listener for this population that needed to “have their stories heard.”

Avi then returned to D.C. in 2012 to begin the Psy.D. program at George Washington University. In his second year he worked at the GWU center clinic, a low fee clinic providing psychodynamic therapy in the community. He completed externships at the Washington School of Psychiatry, George Mason University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, and the Lodge Program at the Frost School, formerly part of Chestnut Lodge Hospital. The Lodge Program is a therapeutic day school with a focus on milieu therapy and Avi worked with adolescents with mood disorders and psychosis and ran a group as well.

During the final year of his doctoral program, Avi moved to Philadelphia for one year for an Internship at Pennsylvania Hospital, formerly the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital, which focused on psychoanalytic and psychodynamic treatment. He specifically worked on 2 inpatient units that included a population of homeless and psychotic patients, as well as suicidal and “borderline” patients. He was also able to do a rotation in Psycho Oncology at the Abramson Cancer Center where he worked with individuals and couples with a cancer diagnosis. Avi expanded his training by also working with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, evaluating patients’ readiness for Bariatric Surgery. He enjoyed very much working with medical students and the staff of Psychiatry.

After his year in Pennsylvania, Avi moved back to D.C. and has just finished a Post Doc at Georgetown University’s Counseling and Psychiatric Service where he did individual and group therapy with students as well as outreach to late adolescents and young adults. Avi will soon be fully licensed, and is very excited to begin his practice. He uses a psychodynamic/psychoanalytic and relational approach and enjoys working with patients with trauma, personality disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, identity concerns, and people with severe medical diagnoses. Avi is interested as well in couples and group therapies. He is comfortable with adolescents, adults, and couples.

Avi describes himself as “approachable and open,” and wants to be part of the ICP+P community. He is a member of some of ICP+P’s study groups.

Avi is married, and has a 3-year-old daughter. He played baseball through college, which continues to be of interest to him, and he likes working with student athletes.

You will most likely see Avi at many of ICP+P’s upcoming activities, so please do not hesitate to introduce yourself and say hello.

Avi’s contact information is (202)642-3975, avi@dravimargolies.com, or www.dravimargolies.com.

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