About Dr. Klein

Dr. Cara Klein is a licensed psychologist whose private practice, located in Manhasset, NY, provides psychological expertise to those involved with the legal arena.  Serving families, attorneys, and the Courts, Dr. Klein focuses on interpersonal violence and high-conflict divorce. 

Dr. Klein was born and raised in New York.  She received her B.A. in English from Northwestern University in Illinois and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the City University of New York. During and after college, Dr. Klein spent two years studying in Spain, and, prior to studying psychology, she completed an M.A. in Spanish Literature from New York University’s NYU in Spain program.  Dr. Klein regularly conducts bilingual forensic evaluations and psychotherapy in Spanish.  She has presented on the topic of cross-cultural factors in clinical processes. 

Dr. Klein’s doctoral research focused on an exploration of the mechanisms of change in psychotherapy, asking: what makes psychotherapy work?  Dr. Klein was fortunate to receive a research grant from the Fund for Psychoanalytic Research of the American Psychoanalytic Association for her doctoral dissertation research project, entitled "Clinical Process Related to Outcome in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for Panic Disorder."  Dr. Klein has published and presented on how psychotherapy works for patients with panic disorder. 

An important additional scholarly and clinical focus for Dr. Klein is the assessment and treatment of trauma survivors.  She completed externships at Cornell University’s Weill Medical Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she worked with survivors of interpersonal violence, including sexual abuse, assault and domestic violence.  During her clinical internship year at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northport, NY, Dr. Klein worked with veterans of war with posttraumatic stress disorder. 

After receiving her Ph.D., Dr. Klein completed a two-year fellowship in Forensic Psychology at North Shore University Hospital’s Forensic Psychiatry Program. At North Shore in Manhasset, NY, she received specialized training in conducting forensic evaluations pertaining to family law.  Her work at North Shore included counseling children and families in the process of adjusting to divorce, as well as families coping with trauma. She remains affiliated with North Shore University Hospital as a member of the Allied Health Professionals Adjunct Staff, for which she might serve as a clinical supervisor to psychology trainees or present lectures to training staff.  Arising from her fellowship in family law forensics, Dr. Klein was tapped  by the Nassau County Supreme Court Matrimonial Center to participate in a then-groundbreaking training program as a Parenting Coordinator, learning how to assist parents in implementing their court-ordered parenting plans. Dr. Klein went on to be a Founding and Executive Board Member of the Parenting Coordinators Association of New York (PCANY), an organization, though no longer in existence, that made great strides in insisting on adequate training for professionals wishing to serve in the role of parent coordinator.

When she is not working, Dr. Klein enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.