Meet Judith
About Me
I am the owner, Clinical Director, and a practicing clinician at Steady Compass Counseling Services, founded in 2021 with the intention of offering thoughtful, individualized care rooted in compassion, connection, and respect for each person’s lived experience. My work is deeply informed by the healing power of the human–animal bond and by supporting areas of grief and loss that are often overlooked, including pet loss.
I bring over 20 years of experience supporting individuals, families, and communities through complex emotional and life challenges. I also serve as a clinical supervisor, providing supervision and mentorship to graduate-level students and provisionally licensed clinicians, supporting their development into ethical and confident practitioners. Earlier in my career, I worked in corporate and nonprofit leadership roles focused on financial education and housing support, which allows me to help clients navigate financial stress, major life decisions, and the emotional impact of money with real-world understanding.
I also offer specialized services focused on the human–animal bond, where I work more directly with clients seeking support around pet loss, animal-assisted work, and the emotional connection between people and animals. To learn more about this area of my work, please visit www.thegentlepaw.com.
Why Work With Me
My clinical work centers on helping people move through anxiety, grief, burnout, life transitions, and relational challenges with greater clarity and self-trust. I have experience working with adults, children, teens, caregivers, military families, and individuals in high-stress or caregiving roles.
A meaningful part of my practice includes grief and loss counseling—particularly pet loss. I understand how profound the human–animal bond can be and how isolating this type of grief can feel when it is not fully recognized or supported.
I believe you are the expert in your own life. My role is to walk alongside you—offering guidance, insight, and steady support—while creating a safe, nonjudgmental space to explore challenges and strengths. My own lived experiences with adversity shape my empathy and reinforce my belief in our capacity to heal, grow, and move forward, even during uncertain or painful chapters.
The Things I Enjoy
Animals have always been central to my life and values. I am deeply involved in animal welfare and therapy-animal work, with years of experience volunteering in rescue, fostering, transport, crisis support, and community education.
At home, I share life with two Boston Terriers, Ruby and Kai Xin, and a Sphynx cat, Grogu. They are a daily reminder of the comfort, connection, and resilience animals bring, and they continue to inspire both my personal life and professional work.
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Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Owner
Director of Clinical Services
Clinical Supervisor
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Areas of Focus
Compassion fatigue and burnout support for caregivers and helping professionals
Grief and bereavement across the lifespan, including pet loss
Nature-based and animal-assisted therapy to support grounding and mindfulness
Military mental health, with a focus on women veterans
Therapeutic play with children and families
Financial stress and the emotional impact of money
Adult ADHD, including executive functioning, identity, and self-worth
My Approach
Trauma-informed care
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Feminist and narrative-informed perspectives
Psychodynamic insight when helpful
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48 Burd Street, Nyack, NY
1200 High Ridge Road, Stamford, CT
Virtual sessions offered.
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New York
Connecticut
Florida
Virginia
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Why I Work With Animals?
Therapy animals bring a calming, grounding presence that can help reduce stress, ease anxiety, and foster emotional connection. Their nonjudgmental companionship can make it easier to open up, especially when words are hard to find. Whether you're navigating trauma or life changes or just need a safe space to heal, therapy animals can be powerful partners in the process.
In my practice, animals are co-facilitators—never the focus, always the support. Clients are welcome to choose whether or not they’d like to work with a therapy animal. Depending on comfort and preference, they may request to work specifically with either my therapy dog, Ruby, or my therapy cat, Grogu. Your emotional safety and sense of control is central to our work together.