Rachel Cortese, MS Ed, MS CCC-SLP, BCBA, is the Speech and Language Consultant to Kurtz Psychology. She is a speech language pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst in Manhattan, East Hampton, NY and Summit, NJ. Rachel’s holistic methodology is a unique combination of research-based interventions, positive psychology practices and a deep consideration of environmental variables. Through a distinctive framework based on the scientific study of optimal human functioning, Rachel effectively designs her evaluation and intervention sessions to enable children to flourish and thrive.
In her 15 years of experience, she has worked with hundreds of children and parents from all walks of life across a variety of educational and clinical settings. This has provided Rachel with a deep insight and practical view of the impact that speech, language or behavior challenges can have on a child and their families. Rachel’s expertise is in the evaluation and treatment of toddlers with delayed language development, children with stuttering disorders and speech sound disorders, and communication impairments associated with autism. She also has extensive clinical experience with behavioral difficulties and school aged children with language-based learning and reading disorders.
Furthermore, Rachel has advanced trainings in applied behavior analysis (ABA), and PROMPT, a specialized technique used to facilitate oral motor skills and to remediate speech production disorders. She is certified to lead It Takes Two to Talk-The Hanen Program® for parents of children ages five and under with language delays and More Than Words- The Hanen Program® for parents of children with Autism. She has additional training in The Lidcombe program, an early intervention behavior based treatment program designed for preschool children who stutter, and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2), a standardized observation designed to assess behaviors related to autism spectrum disorders.
Rachel creates a therapeutic program to help clients communicate effectively and discover new coping strategies when they experience frustration and communication breakdowns. Using an approach firmly grounded in the principles of positive psychology, a combination of individualized, research-based interventions, and parent trainings Rachel effectively facilitates speech, language and behavior changes in a positive, naturalistic and well coordinated manner.
Before private practice Rachel was the founding Speech Language Pathologist at the Child Mind Institute in Manhattan, and worked in both private and public schools throughout New York City. During her graduate studies she was selected to participate in The Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) fellowship program, an interdisciplinary fellowship training program dedicated to improving the systems of care for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and chronic health conditions.
Prior to her work as a Speech Language Pathologist, she taught Middle School Mathematics for two years in Philadelphia as a Teach for America corps member. She taught adaptive skiing to people with disabilities at The Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center in Colorado, and worked as a field guide at wilderness therapy programs helping teenagers who struggled with a variety of behavioral and emotional issues.
Rachel maintains certification in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is licensed to practice in New York State and New Jersey. She maintains certification as a behavior analyst through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). She is a member of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts.
