Culture
Humans are experiencing a special evolutionary transition in which the importance of culture- such as learned knowledge, practice and skills, are surpassing the value of genes as a primary driver of human evolution. Culture helps humans adapt to their environment and overcome challenges better and faster than genetics.
This research explains why humans are such a unique species. We evolve both genetically and culturally over time but we are slowly becoming ever more cultural and ever less genetic. Culture has influenced how humans survive and evolve from millennia according to Waring and Wood. The combination of both culture and genes has fueled by several key adaptations in humans such as reduced aggression, cooperative inclinations, collaborative abilities, and the capacity for social learning. Increasingly the researchers suggest human adaptations are steered by culture and require genes to accommodate survival. Waring and Wood would say culture is also special in one important way where it is strongly group oriented with factors like conformity, social identity, shared norms and institutions where such factors have no genetic equivalent. These factors make cultural evolution highly group oriented according to researchers therefore competition between culturally organized groups propels adaptations such as new cooperative norms and social systems that helps groups survive better together
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According to researchers, culturally organized groups appear to solve adaptive problems more readily than individuals through the compounding value of social learning and cultural transmission. Moreover, in groups. Cultural adaptations may also occur faster in larger groups than in small ones. with groups primarily driving culture and culture now fueling human evolution more than genetics warring and would found that evolution itself has become more group oriented in the very long term we suggest that humans are evolving from individual genetic organisms to cultural groups which function as super organisms similar to ant colonies and beehives worn says the society as organ is a metaphor is not so metaphorical after all this in so I can help society better understand how individuals can fit into a well organized and mutually beneficial system.
Founders
Dr. Hersha Diaz and Dr. Harrald Magny, both native New Yorkers, have long shared a commitment to their city and its vibrant, diverse population. Their journeys through the educational and professional systems of New York equipped them with a profound understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by those seeking to improve their lives, families, careers and communities.
Clinicians
Kayla Wong, Ph.D.
Dr. Kayla Wong (she, her, hers) is a school and counseling psychologist. She completed her Ph.D. in School Psychology at Fordham University. She has extensive training and experience servicing K-12 and college student populations from diverse backgrounds, providing academic and therapeutic assessments, interventions, and counseling. She recently completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Barnard College’s Furman Counseling Center where she provided individual and group counseling, risk-based assessment, crisis support, and psychoeducational and wellness trainings. Additionally, she completed her M.S. Ed in Therapeutic Interventions at Fordham University and her B.A. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University.
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Dr. Wong is passionate about mental wellness and healing. Her psychotherapy lens incorporates a psychodynamic and social justice framework. Utilizing integrative interventions like CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and psychodynamic therapy, she creates an affirming and authentic therapeutic space for clients. Adapting her clinical approach to meet the needs, strengths, and goals of her clients, she aspires to empower clients and nurture increased self-compassion.
Dr. Wong facilitates therapy for a range of concerns that include adjustments and transitions, academic distress, anxiety, relationship and family distress, body image and eating concerns, grief and loss, depression, and climate and pandemic related distress.
Dr. Wong has special interests in identity development, navigating privilege and systems of oppression, decolonizing psychology, and understanding and healing from racial micro aggressions and oppressive experiences. Her hobbies include nature walks with her daughter, reading, yoga, and spending time with her friends and family.
Jennifer Pereira, Psy.D.
Dr. Jennifer Pereira is a bilingual (Spanish/English) psychologist with over 15 years of experience in working with children, adolescents, and families as a school psychologist with the NYC Department of Education. She earned a master’s degree in School Psychology from Long Island University and went on to receive her doctoral degree from the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University.
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Jennifer takes an integrative and holistic approach, in which she considers each person’s unique history and subjectivity. She sees psychotherapy as a container for genuine connection, vulnerability, and trust that serves as a vehicle for profound growth and healing. As a therapist, she seeks to embark on a collaborative journey to help people understand themselves more fully and create meaning from their experience. Dr. Pereira recognizes every human being’s need to feel truly seen in all of our humanity. She is especially interested in the effects of intergenerational, collective, developmental, relational, and racial trauma.
Jennifer firmly believes that compassion is a powerful force in confronting the shame that trauma creates and that through self-compassion these shamed, disavowed parts of ourselves can become integrated, promoting increased self-acceptance and well-being. She strives to facilitate others to tap into the unique strengths they each bring, with the vision of embodying a felt sense of safety, peace, and vitality, and of giving voice to their most authentic desires.
Julian Matra, Psy.D.
Dr. Julian Matra (he/him) is a postdoctoral clinical psychologist at IPWC providing evidence-based therapy to individuals across all stages of life with a particular focus on adolescents, emerging adults, families, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ clients. His practice encompasses a broad range of concerns including depression, anxiety, trauma, and relationship challenges. Dr. Matra has a strong commitment to working with underserved populations, emphasizing the importance of culturally sensitive care.
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Dr. Matra prioritizes the development of a strong, trusting relationship with his clients. He integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and psychodynamic approaches to help clients navigate their current emotional experiences, challenge unhelpful thought patterns, and build healthier coping mechanisms. He believes in the power of therapy to uncover and heal past wounds that may stem from childhood, allowing for lasting change and personal growth.
Dr. Matra earned his doctorate degree in clinical psychology from the PGSP-Stanford PsyD Consortium. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, where he provided care to a diverse and underserved population, including individuals facing severe mental health challenges and complex trauma. In addition, Dr. Matra has worked in the Sexual and Gender Identities Clinic at the Gronowski Center where he received specialized training in working with LGBTQIA+ clients, addressing the unique struggles faced by this population. His research throughout graduate school focused on suicide prevention, particularly looking at interventions aimed at supporting Black adolescents.
When he’s not seeing clients, Dr. Matra likes to spend time exploring the city, developing photos in the darkroom, or planning for the next D&D session.
Zomorah Kennedy, Ph.D.
Understanding the emotions and actions of ourselves and others is challenging in a complex world. With my experience, I have helped numerous clients recognize and understand their own feelings and behavior, as well as those of others. This has enabled clients to strengthen their relationships with others and live a more fulfilling quality of life.
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My clinical experience includes working with clients from Multicultural and neurodiverse backgrounds. A cornerstone of my practice is an integrative, client-centered approach that empowers individuals to take control of their emotional well-being. This unique approach allows me to utilize various clinical approaches, including Solution-Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), to guide clients toward positive changes and improved emotional health based on their unique needs.