Anthony Freire, LMHC, NCC, CCMHC

Anthony Freire, LMHC, NCC, CCMHC is a New York State Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Clinical Supervisor, a National Certified Counselor, a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, an organizational consultant in New York City, and has been an adjunct professor at New York University teaching graduate courses in Steinhardt's Applied Psychology Department since 2018.  He teaches the following courses:

• Professional Orientation and Ethics in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness
• Sexual Decision-Making and Risk Taking in Adolescents
• Group Dynamics: Theory and Practice
• Practicum in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness
• Internship I for Mental Health and Wellness
• Internship II for Mental Health and Wellness
• Internship III for Mental Health and Wellness
• Advanced Lab in Counseling Skills: Mental Health

He received his B.A. in Psychology and his M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and Wellness from New York University.  Mr. Freire did his initial training in both inpatient and outpatient treatment at Christ Hospital in Jersey City, NJ, followed by clinical training and residency at The Institute for Community living where he worked with a diverse population with severe and persistent mental health issues (psychosis, schizophrenia) co-morbid with substance abuse disorders within the context of poverty, racism, oppression, and social and criminal injustices.   He received the Certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice from NYU's School of Social Work, was trained and certified as an EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) through EMDRIA,  and completed training in CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) through the Beck Institute.  Additionally he trained as a group-relations consultant under the mentorship of Mary McRae, PhD and Flora Taylor, PhD who are both Fellows of the A.K. Rice Institute for the study of social systems.   He is a member of the New York Center for the Study of Groups as well as a member of the American Counseling Association.  

His main interests are:

• Using relational therapy and choice theory (reality therapy) to help people better understand how they see and understand themselves in the world versus how the world sees and understands them in an attempt to help clients improve interpersonal relationships.
• EMDR and it's efficacy on Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia, as well as treating complex PTSD.
• Diversity and inclusion training/cultural competency interventions within organizational contexts
• Using Mental Freedom techniques to help people get rid of the "stuff" that no longer works for them and to make room for the things that do.

Mr. Freire is currently the Founder and Clinical Director of The Soho Center for Mental Health and Wellness (www.thesohocenter.com).  He is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, Nytimes, and NyPost on issues related to mental health and currently co-stars as a mental health expert on Season 2 of Bad Bad Thing (The Blackstone Sisters).

Anthony is the co-author of “Sexual Non-Minority & Sexual Minority Youth: Identity Development, Mental Health, and Risky Recreational Sex Behaviors” in Annals of Leisure & Recreation 2010.

Fun Fact: Between 1992-2002, Mr. Freire was an Emmy-nominated daytime television producer having produced  "The Maury Povich Show," "The Sally Jessy Raphael Show," and "The Queen Latifah Show."   You can currently catch him on Season 2 of "Bad Bad Things; The Blackstone Sisters," as the expert who helps understand the psychological underpinnings of a murder-suicide gone wrong.