Meet Our Clinical Team
Joel Gunzburg LCSW‑C
Joel earned his Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland in 2003 with a specialization in working with children and families. Since 2003, Joel has been working extensively with children, adolescents, and their families in both the public and independent school sectors. In his role as a school social worker and school counselor, Mr. Gunzburg has provided clinical interventions on both the individual and group level focused on social skills development, peer relationships, self regulation, stress management, family relationships, grief and loss, divorce, oppositional behavior, anxiety, ADHD support, and anger management. In addition to his clinical work in schools, he continues to develop and present social emotional learning, prevention education and professional development workshops for elementary, middle and high school students and faculty on topics including friendship and belonging, mindfulness, self regulation, substance abuse, life skills, and identity and human development. He also served as an adjunct professor at Catholic University where he taught a clinical treatment of adolescent and young adults course. In 2006, Mr. Gunzburg opened his private practice providing a wide scope of individual and group clinical services to children, adolescents, adults, and families. He continues to meet with individuals, groups, and families virtually and in-person at our Bethesda office.
In addition to his time spent in private practice, Joel also serves as the Lower School counselor at Sandy Spring Friends School and provides clinical supervision to other mental health professionals. Joel is a Mindful Schools Certified Mindfulness Instructor and has been awarded as a “Self Reg Champion” by Stuart Shanker and Susan Hopkins of The Mehrit Centre.
Jennifer Flajser LCPC
Jennifer Flajser brings over a decade of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families in the greater Washington area. She earned a bachelor’s degree in child development from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in counseling from George Washington University and is a licensed clinical therapist in the state of Maryland.
Jennifer has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including public schools, independent schools, and outpatient counseling agencies. She also has experience facilitating numerous therapeutic groups for children and adolescents, including a social skills program at The McLean School in Maryland.
Jennifer provides individual and family therapy and treats a range of clinical issues, including anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD, OCD, and adjustment/ relationship issues. She also specializes in using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat children, teenagers, and adults struggling with Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, including hair-pulling (Trichotillomania), skin-picking, nail-biting, and thumb-sucking.
Jennifer offers a multitude of experiences working with children and families struggling with adjustment issues related to separation and divorce. She is especially passionate about working with adolescents to help provide support from the tumultuous teen years through the transitions and challenges of early adulthood.
Jonnel H. Hector LCMFT
Jonnel Hector graduated from the University of Maryland with a Master’s of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2004. Since then, Mr. Hector has worked primarily with adolescents and their families in school and private settings. Mr. Hector has worked at the Frost School in Rockville, Maryland, for 8 years. For the last 3 years, Mr. Hector has served as the clinical director of the Therapeutic Community program of the School. There, he facilitates group and family therapy and liaisons with multiple programs throughout the day, supporting them with the multi-faceted therapeutic aspects of their individual programs. He also assists in the admission process of new students and staff. Mr. Hector also places, trains, and supervises masters/doctoral interns from various colleges and universities in the greater Washington area.
In 2013, Mr. Hector opened his own private practice in Virginia, and in 2014 joined Gunzburg and Associates. Mr. Hector specializes in working with adolescents and their families as well as with couples. Mr. Hector focuses on realigning the hierarchy of the family system to provide new alternative ways of solving problems and interactions. Mr. Hector is also passionate about teaching parenting skills and supporting families in periods of transition.
Stefani Klinedinst, LCSW‑C
Stefani is a licensed clinical social worker, providing psychotherapy services to adolescents and adults in Maryland. Since 2005, Stefani has served in a variety of clinical settings in the greater Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area, including independent schools, public schools, private practice, and child welfare agencies. With a Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Development from the University of Georgia, and a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Stefani is passionate about working with young people and their families through life’s challenges. Special areas of focus include working with people experiencing difficulties with:
Stefani enjoys engaging clients in therapeutic goal‑setting, working carefully with each individual to create an environment of trust and facilitate positive personal growth. She facilitates both individual and group therapy, in‑person as well as teletherapy.
Abe Sterne PhD
Abe has a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in the field of literacy and language development and a second doctorate in clinical psychology from University College, London. He is licensed to practice clinical psychology in Maryland, Virginia, and New York and is also certified by the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology. Abe has worked with children, adolescents, and their families since becoming a clinical psychologist in 2002. In addition to providing consultation and therapy to parents and children with different mental health issues, Abe also administers neuropsychological evaluations to identify emotional, social, and academic learning challenges. These include ADHD, Autism Spectrum/Social Communication Disorders, Emotional Disorders like anxiety and depression, and Learning Difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia.
In addition to neuropsychological evaluations, Abe provides ongoing support to families to help them make the best decisions to help their child, especially with regard to education. He often does school observations and provides consultation to school professionals to help with planning appropriate interventions, typically for IEPs and 504 Accommodations planning.
Abe and his family live in Silver Spring.