Internship Directors

Chief of Psychology

Scott Wetzler, PhD, is Vice Chairman and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He also serves as Chief Operating Officer of University Behavioral Associates, and Executive Director of several substance abuse case management programs, a marriage education program, a family treatment and rehabilitation program, and a home health aide employment and training program.

Dr. Wetzler has published more than 100 articles and book chapters, and is the author of five books. His areas of research have focused on aggression dysregulation, anxiety and mood disorders, personality disorders, substance abuse, and the economics of behavioral care.

In addition to his scholarly activities, Dr. Wetzler has written two books for the general public on relationship topics: Living With the Passive-Aggressive Man (1992), published by Simon & Schuster and translated into German, Russian, Czech, Greek, Chinese and Japanese, and Is It You or Is It Me? How We Turn Our Feelings Inside Out and Blame Each Other (1998), with Diane Cole, published by HarperCollins and, translated into Norwegian.
Dr. Wetzler has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows, including 20/20 and a recurring role on The View. He recently testified at Congress on the topic of substance abuse.

Director of Psychology Training

Simon A. Rego, PsyD, ABPP, ACT, is a Supervising Psychologist in the Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Department at Montefiore Medical Center and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

He also serves as Director of the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Training Program at Montefiore, and is a consultant to both the Institutional Review Board of the Biomedical Research Alliance of New York and the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore.

Dr. Rego completed his first two postdoctoral years at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, directed by Dr. Edna Foa, an internationally renowned expert in the treatment of anxiety disorders and creator of Prolonged Exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and exposure and ritual prevention therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

His clinical expertise is in the cognitive-behavioral assessment and treatment of anxiety, mood, sleep and body focused repetitive disorders, and his research interests include effectiveness and dissemination of cognitive behavioral treatments, utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy for diverse populations and the design and implementation of cognitive behavioral training programs.

Dr. Rego is board certified in cognitive behavioral psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and certified as a qualified cognitive behavior therapist by the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology and a both a Diplomate and Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

Dr. Rego has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters on topics including panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, hoarding, insomnia, depression, trichotillomania, stress management, and the use of evidence-based psychotherapies in training and practice. He is currently completing a books on the treatment of OCD and Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia.

Dr. Rego is Editor of the Trauma Psychology News, a former section editor for The Clinical Psychologist, and a former Editorial Advisory Board member of Moodletter.com. He is ad hoc reviewer for several journals, including American Journal of Psychotherapy, Cognitive & Behavioral Practice, Current Psychiatry, Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.

Dr. Rego is listed in the Who's Who in America, the Who's Who in Medical Sciences Education and the Who's Who Among Executives, Professionals and Entrepreneurs. He was the recipient of the 2008 Virginia Staudt Sexton Award for Distinguished Early Career Psychologists by the New York State Psychological Association.

Dr. Rego is a founding member of the New York City Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Association (NYC-CBT), a member of the Board of Directors of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and holds leadership positions in the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.

He has made television appearances on MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan Show, CNN's American Morning, ABC's Good Morning America, CBS's Eye on New York, ABC's Eyewitness News and Animal Planet's Confessions: Animal Hoarding. He has also been quoted as an expert in many national media outlets including, The New York Times, USA Today, Forbes, The Financial Times of London, The Toronto Star, CNN.com, ABC News.com, MSNBC.com, WebMD.com, WeightWatchers.com, HealthDay.com, Smart Money Magazine, Woman's Day, Woman's World, Family Circle Magazine.

Alec L. Miller, PsyD, is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine . He also serves as Director of the Adolescent Depression and Suicide Program and Director of Mental Health Services at PS 8 School-Based Health Program.

Dr. Miller has become internationally known in the areas of adolescent suicidology, non-suicidal self-injury, borderline personality disorder and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Since 1995, he has headed a clinical research team adapting DBT for outpatient suicidal multi-problem adolescents, as well as contributing to the adaptation of DBT for other populations and settings.

He has received federal, state and private funding for his research and has been an invited member of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) consensus meetings regarding adolescent suicide. Dr. Miller has authored or co-authored more than 60 journal articles and book chapters, and is first author of a book, titled Dialectical Behavior Therapy with Suicidal Adolescents (2007), published by Guilford Press.

Upon invitation by the American Psychological Association (APA), Dr. Miller developed a psychotherapy training video titled, DBT for Multi-Problem Adolescents (2007). In addition, he co-authored a book titled Childhood Maltreatment, Advances in Psychotherapy-Evidence- Based Practice (2006). He is in the process of co-authoring two books involving DBT skills training with adolescents in various settings including schools.

Among his numerous awards and honors, Dr. Miller was nominated to be a Fellow of the APA , in both Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) and Division 53 (Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology). He has served on the Board of Directors of APA, Division 12, and is P ast P resident of the Clinical Emergencies and Crises section.

Dr. Miller also served as the 2007 Division 12 Program Chair of the APA Convention. In 2002, he received the Service Award from the International Society for the Improvement and Training of DBT (ISITDBT), served as the ISITDBT Conference Chair in 2005 and 2006, and currently serves on its Executive Board.

In 2008, Dr. Miller received the Lauretta Bender Honored Lecturer Award. He is an invited member of the International Academy for Suicide Research, a past consultant on the FDA's Suicide Classification Project and past Associate Editor of the journal, Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. He is also a founding member of the New York City Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Association (NYC-CBT).

Dr. Miller became a DBT trainer in 1997 and has conducted over 300 lectures and workshops around the world to both lay and professional audiences. He is currently the lead trainer, supervisor and co-investigator of the first randomized trial of adolescent DBT which is being conducted in Oslo, Norway. He is a consultant to numerous DBT research studies internationally as well as to four school districts in Westchester County that have begun implementing DBT in their schools. In addition, Dr. Miller is a School Board Trustee of the IDEAL School in New York City.

As a clinician, Dr. Miller is a practitioner of CBT and DBT and treats adults, adolescents, couples and families at Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants of Westchester, LLP, a private group practice in White Plains, New York. His clinical expertise has been highlighted by various media outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, ABC News, CBS TV, MSNBC, PBS TV, Teen People Magazine, Redbook, WebMD, The Associated Press.