Dr. Urbano is a founding partner and the Clinical Director for Aviva Psychology Services. She is a dedicated clinician and supervisor, and she helps to build our team and bring our clinical vision to life. She supports our growing team with organizational development, clinical support, and training.

As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Urbano provides individual, couples, family, and group therapy to adults of all identities. She utilizes structured therapy models (CBT, ACT, IFS, and Bader's Developmental Model of Couples Therapy) and psychodynamic processes. She specializes in helping individuals who feel anxious or emotionally overwhelmed to improve coping and increase comfort with themselves, their feelings and thoughts, and others. She also specializes in helping individuals, couples, and families to improve communication, develop healthier attachments, and better understand and change hurtful relational patterns.

Dr. Urbano has an additional area of expertise in perinatal mental health and is dedicated to working with both aspiring and current parents throughout the complex family planning and adjustment process, including grief and traumatic loss, coping with uncertainty, and adjustment to parenthood.

As an integrated psychodynamic and behavioral psychologist, Dr. Urbano believes that a combination of self-awareness building and skill-building tailored to the unique needs of each client provides a strong foundation for effective therapy. Her basic approach to therapy helps clients to recognize their role in making desired changes, build strategies for healthier coping and relational functioning, and translate their values into action to live more secure, satisfying, and connected lives.  

During your therapy process with Dr. Urbano, you will find that she is active and provides feedback, is compassionate and honest, and values your feelings. You will also find that she regularly discusses your therapy process, goals, and our relationship in addition to inviting your feedback.

Dr. Karthaus is a founding partner and the Business Manager for Aviva Psychology Services. Dr. Karthaus is a visionary and a phenomenal systems thinker. She is gifted at translating ideas into action, and at implementing efficient systems to optimize organizational functioning.

In her clinical role as a licensed psychologist, she provides individual therapy and career counseling. She focuses on working with diverse populations and has an expertise in working with individuals who struggle with anxiety, career challenges, and adjustment to parenting.

In practice, Dr. Karthaus works from a mindfulness-based perspective, integrating evidence-based interventions from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). She is a registered yoga teacher, which informs her work in helping clients to cultivate intuitive strategies for managing the stress of daily life. Finally, as a counseling psychologist, Dr. Karthaus has a great deal of experience in helping clients find value and meaning in their careers. She offers both formal career-counseling sessions as well as integrates career counseling into individual psychotherapy sessions as it is relevant to clients’ needs.

As a behavioral therapist, Dr. Karthaus aims to help clients identify patterns of behavior and make active choices to move towards their values. She believes that much of the pain in life stems from avoidance. While avoidance of pain is a universal human experience, it often leads to moving away from values in an effort to feel less intensity. With this in mind, her approach to therapy involves (a) working with clients to understand the function of their behaviors (b) increase mindfulness skills and expand emotional awareness and (c) increase willingness to make the changes that would help them move towards a more valued life.

Dr. De Sedas is a bilingual (English/Spanish) and bicultural psychologist who is dedicated to fostering resilience, connection, and positive growth in her work with clients.  Dr. De Sedas’ training has focused largely on relational and multicultural approaches to psychotherapy, and she has received specialty training in the treatment of grief/loss and trauma. Her experience working with college students has also helped Dr. De Sedas to develop a deep understanding of the transitional issues that young adults face.

Dr. De Sedas provides individual therapy in both English and Spanish, and she treats a range of issues such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, academic/career challenges, grief, adjustment challenges, and identity development.  She utilizes a compassionate and strengths-based approach to help clients develop healthy, meaningful relationships and explore how major life events such as trauma and loss may impact their attachments and relational patterns. She helps clients develop a renewed sense of trust, resiliency, and empowerment in their relational lives.

Dr. De Sedas utilizes an integrative approach to psychotherapy that is informed by relational-cultural theory (RCT), humanistic, CBT, and cross-cultural perspectives. She values and considers the therapeutic relationship a central vehicle for positive change and growth. In addition, she tailors treatment plans to specific clients’ needs and integrates evidence-based techniques, including CBT, mindfulness, IFS, and DBT skills. Dr. De Sedas approaches psychotherapy with flexibility, collaboration, warmth, and compassion. Her primary goal is to provide a safe space that facilitates self-exploration, healing, and growth.

Dr. Thrower is a licensed psychologist who is passionate about supporting growth through learning, courage, connection, and trust. Her clinical training has focused on improving overall functioning and health across the contexts of relationships, work, and education, while her research has focused on racial identity development in mental health providers. She has also received specialized training in treatment and recovery from trauma and anxiety, substance abuse and dependence, and coping with oppressive systems.

Dr. Thrower provides individual and couples therapy as well as vocational counseling to adults of diverse social identities. She has a wealth of experience in community settings, which fosters a unique perspective on the social and emotional stressors that affect functioning and contribute to anxiety. She additionally is dedicated to supporting maternal mental health and adjustment, and she is a certified yoga teacher.

Dr. Thrower draws from psychodynamic, behavioral (CBT, DBT ACT, and Integrated Couples Behavioral Therapy), and multicultural training to support clients to meet their goals, such as increasing clarity and self-confidence, reducing anxiety/increasing freedom, improving relationship satisfaction, and coping with grief and loss. She attends to clients’ unique identities and world views, and she supports clients in accessing and maximizing both internal and external resources. Dr. Thrower approaches therapy flexibly, aiming to provide a safe and supportive relationship to promote healing and growth.