Meet Our Team



Therapy with Dr. Kerner also includes pet therapy. Research continues to support animal-assisted therapy and the use of animals to reduce stress, anxiety and depression in a variety of professional settings.

Dr. Kerner's work with dogs began with Magic, who was a standard poodle and a graduate of the Good Dog Foundation. For years she was well-known to staff and patients at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center as a therapy dog volunteer. Magic also served as the hospital team's mascot in the annual National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Walk and was consistently the team's top fundraiser!

Today, Dr. Kerner welcomes Cooper, a golden doodle who is also a certified therapy dog. Cooper is a rescue from the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation and is living proof that even in the face of early childhood trauma, you can heal and develop healthy attachment bonds as an adult.

While most of Dr. Kerner's sessions are held virtually, there can be opportunity to meet in person and work with Cooper. He also has been know to interrupt a virtual session now and then too!