Our Staff
Our Therapists have Master's degrees in Speech-Language
Pathology by ASHA-Accredited Graduate University Programs
Katerina Melitsopoulou
MA CCC-SLP, TSHH, Bilingual Extension Founder/Director
Katerina Melitsopoulou, MA CCC-SLP, TSHH, Bilingual Extension is a New York State Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist, the Founder and Director of Premium Therapy. She earned her Master of Arts Degree in Speech-Language Pathology at Lehman College, CUNY. She has extensive experience working with children of all ages. Katerina has been a Speech Department Supervisor in preschool settings for seven years. She is Trilingual and provides therapy and evaluations in English, Spanish and Greek. Katerina is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), an affiliate of ASHA's Special Interest Group 14 (Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations), a member of ASHA's Hispanic Caucus, and a member of the American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology and Audiology.
Joan Fleischer
MS CCC-SLP, TSSLD
Speech Supervisor
Joan Fleischer, MS CCC-SLP, TSSLD earned her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from New York University. Joan earned her Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University, where she majored in Psychology and minored in Linguistics. She has provided speech therapy services in school, clinic, and hospital settings. Joan has experience working with the evaluation and treatment of language delays, articulation and phonological disorders, autism spectrum disorders, aphasia, apraxia, fluency, cleft plate, swallowing disorders and accent reduction. Joan supervises graduate students and Clinical Fellows in schools and our clinic. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
Nadia Ansari
MS CCC-SLP, TSSLD, Bilingual Extension
Bilingual Speech Supervisor
Nadia Ansari, MS CCC-SLP, TSSLD is a NY State Licensed Speech Language Pathologist who earned her Master of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Nadia obtains a bilingual extension in Spanish and is also a native speaker of Urdu. Her focus in the realm of speech-language pathology is servicing bilingual and multicultural populations. She has provided therapy in school, clinic, and rehabilitation settings. Nadia has evaluated and treated clients with receptive and expressive language disorders, articulation disorders, as well as aphasia, dysarthria, and cognitive-linguistic deficits. Her goal is to empower families through enhanced communication skills, all while celebrating cultural and linguistic diversity.
Rebecca McKeown
Ph.D. MS CCC-SLP, TSSLD,
Speech Supervisor
Rebecca McKeown, MS CCC-SLP, TSSLD received a Master of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from New York University. She also holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Maryland, College Park and a B.A. in linguistics from Harvard University. Rebecca has clinical experience treating children ages 2-14 as well as adults with developmental disabilities, aphasia, and Huntington’s Disease. She has provided treatment in expressive and receptive language, pragmatics, fluency, literacy skills, articulation, and low-tech and high-tech augmentative and assistive communication (AAC). Rebecca has worked in school, preschool, office, and tele-practice settings. As a graduate student in linguistics, Rebecca researched pronoun acquisition in children and in individuals with Williams Syndrome.
Karen Steinberger-Berenson
MS CCC-SLP, TSSLD,
Speech Supervisor
Karen Steinberger-Berenson, MS CCC-SLP, TSSLD earned her Masters’ from Touro College. She is licensed in the states of New York and Maryland. She is excited to be back working with Katerina and the rest of the staff as a tele-therapist for Premium Therapy! She has worked with pediatric and adult populations. She has provided services in schools, rehabilitation facilities, and clinical settings. She has experience providing evaluation and therapy services for a variety of pathologies including, receptive- and expressive-delays, developmental delays, articulation and phonological disorders, and autism-spectrum disorders. She has also evaluated and provided services for clients who have had strokes resulting in aphasia. Karen is fluent in both English and Hebrew.
Michelle Kim
MA CF-SLP, TSSLD
Michelle Kim, MA CF-SLP, is a clinical fellow who earned her Master of Arts degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Louisiana State University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Sciences and minor in Psychology from Portland State University. She has provided clinical services in multiple clinical settings, including preschools, private practices, and acute care hospitals, treating but not limited to phonological disorders, receptive/expressive languages, aphasia, and dysphagia. She is fluent in both English and Korean. Her goal is to create a welcoming environment for all families.
Pauline Drummond
MA CF-SLP, TSSLD
Pauline Drummond, MA CF-SLP, TSSLD, is a clinical fellow who earned her master's degree at the University of Delaware. She earned her bachelor's degree from Penn State. Pauline has worked with early and school-aged children with expressive and receptive language disorders, articulation phonological disorders, and autism spectrum disorders. Pauline also has experience in working with older adults with dementia, dysphagia, and Parkinson's Disease. Her clinical interests include articulation and motor speech disorders.
Anna Bloom
MS CF-SLP, TSSLD
Anna Bloom, MS SLP-CF, TSSLD, is a clinical fellow who earned her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Tulane University. Anna has experience in working with different populations varying in age, skill level, and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Anna has treated expressive and receptive language disorders, articulation and phonological disorders, executive functioning disorders, motor speech disorders, pragmatic delays, and other developmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Anna has treated adults with aphasia, dysphagia, dysarthria, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and other neurodegenerative diseases and neurocognitive disorders. She has worked in private practices and school settings both via teletherapy and in-person. Anna's goal is to provide individualized care to those in need.
Liz Mateo
MS CF-SLP, TSSLD, Bilingual Extension
Liz Mateo, MS CF-SLP, TSSLD-BE is a clinical fellow who is bilingual in English and Spanish. Liz holds her Masters of science in Speech-Language Pathology with bilingual extension from Adelphi University. Liz earned her BA from Lehman College, CUNY, where she majored in Speech-Language Pathology and minored in Early Childhood Education. Liz has experience with the evaluation and treatment of language and communication disorders throughout early childhood, schools aged children and adult populations. She has treated disorders related to receptive and expressive language disorders, articulation disorders, phonological disorders, apraxia and autism spectrum disorders. She has provided therapy in schools, clinics and via-tele-therapy. Her clinical interests include working with multicultural and linguistically diverse clients in treatment and evaluations.
Remya Thomas
MS CF-SLP, TSSLD
Remya Thomas, MS CF-SLP, TSSLD is a clinical fellow who earned her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Teachers College, Columbia University. She received two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Houston, in Psychology and Communication Disorders, with a minor in Education. She has a wide range of pediatric experience, from early intervention to secondary school to autism spectrum disorders. Remya has provided treatment for expressive and receptive language disorders, articulation and phonological disorders, literacy disorders, and feeding therapy. She also has experience evaluating and treating adults with aphasia, dysphagia, dysarthria, fluency, cognitive-linguistic impairments and is familiar with AAC. Remya enjoys collaborating with families and other professionals to deliver a team-based intervention approach.
Melissa Avila
MA CF-SLP, TSSLD
Melissa Avila, MA-CF SLP, TSSLD, is a clinical fellow who earned her Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology from CUNY Lehman College. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology from Saint John’s University with a minor in Sociology. Melissa is bilingual in English and Spanish and plans to earn her bilingual extension soon. She is passionate about providing services to clients from lower income communities, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and framing these differences as strengths to provide individualized intervention tailored to fit their needs. Melissa has worked in early intervention centers, clinics, and schools. She is especially interested in pediatric dysphagia, aphasia, pragmatic disorders and delays, language disorders, augmentative and alternative communication devices, dyslexia, and apraxia.
Emilee Dobroff
MS CF-SLP, TSSLD
Emilee Dobroff, MS CF-SLP, TSSLD is a clinical fellow who earned her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Yeshiva University. Emilee received her BA in Psychology and BS in Human Development from Binghamton University. She has provided speech and language services for clients ages 3-21. Also treated in school and clinical settings, as well as virtually via tele-therapy. Emilee has provided therapy for speech and language disorders related to autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, receptive and expressive language, articulation and phonology, literacy development, and multiple disabilities. She has experience with a variety of low-tech and high-tech augmentative and assistive (AAC) devices. Emilee is passionate about fostering independence and self-advocacy skills.
Caroline Ponce
OFFICE MANAGER
Caroline Ponce has a B.A. in Psychology from the City University of New York Hunter College, a B.S. in Criminal in Justice and a Master's in Healthcare Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She has extensive experience in Medical and Rehabilitation Billing and has been a Staffing Coordinator in large Healthcare facilities. Caroline manages the day to day operations of our two clinics from scheduling to insurance and client billing and everything in between!
