About Dr. Blake Zakarin

Dr. Zakarin is a licensed clinical psychologist and expert in anxiety, panic, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), sleep problems and related treatment in children, teens, and adults. Before going into private practice, Dr. Zakarin was the longstanding clinical director of the Columbia University Clinic for Anxiety & Related Disorders (CUCARD) at Columbia University Medical Center/NY Presbyterian, where she worked with patients, supervised a team of clinical faculty and provided training to psychologists, psychiatrists, doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows.

Dr. Zakarin specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). She has advanced training and expertise in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), Exposure and Response Prevention (EXRP) for Anxiety and OCD, the Launching Emerging Adults Program (LEAP) for young adults with anxiety, and regularly integrates mindfulness and acceptance techniques into her practice. Through her extensive training in multidisciplinary medical settings, Dr. Zakarin has also developed expertise and interest in evidence-based interventions for anxiety management and improved functioning in the context of sleep difficulties and somatic symptoms.

Dr. Zakarin’s approach to therapy is collaborative, supportive, action-oriented, and focused on helping children, adolescents, adults, and families reach their short- and long-term goals. Within therapy sessions, she will help patients identify problematic thoughts, behavior patterns, and emotions that are keeping them stuck and learn strategies to manage these symptoms, cope with challenging situations, and build skills to improve daily functioning and overall quality of life.

Dr. Zakarin has provided clinical services in a number of treatment facilities, including Columbia University Medical Center’s CUCARD, Insomnia Consultation Service and Eating Disorders Research Unit, the Child Anxiety Program and Sleep Medicine Clinic at Children's National Medical Center, the Kellar Center's Attention and Learning Disorders Service within the Inova Health System of Virginia, and the Psychiatric Institute of Washington.

Dr. Zakarin's research has focused on understanding and treating factors that contribute to anxiety and mood symptoms from a developmental psychopathology perspective, including examining the role of parenting, sleep-wake processes, eating behaviors, and chronic pain. She has given presentations related to this research at professional conferences, including the Association for Behavioral & Cognitive Therapy, The American Academy of Psychiatry, the Society for Research on Child Development and the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. She also offers training within the the community, providing workshops and lectures to schools, parents, and organizations. Dr. Zakarin is a member of several professional societies, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

  • American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM)

  • American Psychological Association (APA)

  • Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)

  • Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine (SBSM)

Professional Affiliations

  • B.A. in Psychology with honors, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

  • Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

  • Predoctoral Internship, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC

Education

Select Publications & Presentations for Professional Community

  • Zakarin, E. B. & Albano, A.M. (2020, July). Parenting Teen and Young Adults During COVID-19. Invited Webinar for Faculty Members, Columbia University office of Work/Life, New York, NY.

  • Zakarin, E. B. & Pelcovitz, M. (2020, May). Coping and Keeping Busy. Invited Webinar for the Youth Anxiety Center series on coping during COVID-19, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY.

  • Zakarin, E. B. (2019, April). Expanding on the S in PLEASE: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). Invited presenter for Updates in Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.

  • Zakarin, E. B. (2019, July). Introduction to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). Invited presenter for Mental Health Services, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY.

  • Glasofer, D. R., Steinglass, J., Zakarin, E. B., & Mattu, A. (2016, October). Creative behavioral approaches for treating feeding and eating disorders. Mini-Workshop presented at the 50th Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Convention, New York, NY.

  • Zakarin, E. B. & Albano, A. (2016, October). The Launching Emerging Adults Program (LEAP): Overview of the cognitive behavioral and developmental LEAP model and implementation in a faculty practice. Clinical Perspectives presented at the 63rd American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) Annual Meeting, New York, NY.

  • Freidl, E. & Zakarin, E.B. (2016). Phobias. BMJ Best Practices. Retrieved from http://bestpractice.bmj.com/best-practice/monograph/693.html 

  • Zakarin, E. B., Salamon, K. S., Smith, V. C., Davis, M., & Fletcher, A. A. (2014, April). Anxiety, acceptance, and pain-related functional impairment in youth with chronic pain. Poster presented at the 35th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions of the Society for Behavioral Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.

  • Zakarin, E. B. (2013, April). Sleep Disturbances & Parenting Correlates in Children with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Invited presentation, Grand Rounds for the Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC.

  • Zakarin, E. B., Kim, K. L., Reynolds, K., Mellman, T. A., & Alfano, C. A. (2011, June). Objective sleep abnormalities as a potential pathway from childhood Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) to depression in adulthood. Poster presented at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies conference, Minneapolis, MN.

  • Sysko, R., Zakarin, E. B., Devlin, M. J., Bush, J., & Walsh, B. T. (2011). A latent class analysis of psychiatric symptoms among 125 adolescents in a bariatric surgery program. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 6, 289-297.

  • Zakarin, E. B., & Goeke-Morey, M. C. (2011, March). Developmental trajectories of depressive symptoms and mother-adolescent relationship quality in urban adolescents. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development, Montreal, Quebec

  • Zakarin, E. B., & Walsh, B. T. (2009). She just won't eat a thing: Anorexia nervosa. In P. Jensen & C. Galanter (Eds.), DSM-IV-TR casebook and treatment guide for child mental health (pp. 143-147). New York, NY: American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.

Select Media Interviews with Dr. Zakarin

Relationship Between Sleep, Mental Health, and Suicide in Teens

Is Everyday Anxiety Becoming a Bigger Problem?

Sleep Habits: Post-Pandemic Challenges and Successes

How Sleep Deprivation Impacts Mental Health