Upper Saddle River, NJ
Our practice is located here, on Route 17 in Upper Saddle River. When your child is struggling, you should not have to travel far to get the right help.
Years of Experience
Evidence-Based
Parent Protocol
Telehealth
Years of Experience
Evidence-Based
Parent Protocol
Telehealth
No Waitlist
Years Experience
Your Local Practice
Our Focus
Your child is struggling and you are not sure what you are dealing with or who to call. Maybe you have already tried a few things that have not worked. Maybe you have been watching this get worse and you are done waiting to see if it gets better on its own.
Aspire Psychological Group is a specialty child and family psychology practice based in Bergen County, NJ. Children’s anxiety and the parents working to support them is our focus. Not one of many things we do. It is what we do.
We see families in person in Upper Saddle River and throughout Bergen County, including Woodcliff Lake, Ramsey, Saddle River, Park Ridge, and Mahwah. We offer telehealth for families anywhere in New Jersey and New York.
Our office is here in Upper Saddle River on Route 17
About Upper Saddle River Families
Upper Saddle River sits in the northern part of Bergen County, bordered by Saddle River, Woodcliff Lake, and Ramsey. It is a community where families invest deeply in their children’s futures. And those investments, as meaningful as they are, can create a particular kind of pressure that children carry in ways adults do not always recognize.
What we see most often in kids from this part of Bergen County is anxiety that has been building quietly for a long time before anyone names it. Parents who come to see us often say the same thing: they noticed something was off months or even years ago, but they kept hoping it would resolve on its own. It did not.
We are on Route 17, which means we are accessible from virtually every direction in northern Bergen County and southern Rockland County. Families from Woodcliff Lake, Ramsey, Park Ridge, and Saddle River see us regularly. So do families from across the county who prefer to come in person rather than use telehealth.
If your child’s school is in the picture, or their pediatrician, we make coordinating with them a standard part of how we work. You should not have to manage those conversations alone.
What We Treat
Anxiety in children looks different depending on the child. We specialize in comprehensive, evidence-based treatment for the full range of childhood anxiety disorders.
Persistent, hard-to-control worry that moves across school, health, family, friendships, and more.
Intense fear of judgment, embarrassment, or humiliation in social or performance situations.
A child who speaks normally at home but consistently cannot speak at school or in public settings.
Intrusive thoughts paired with compulsive behaviors or rituals the child feels driven to perform to feel safe.
Extreme fear responses to particular triggers such as vomiting, animals, choking, or medical procedures.
Overwhelming distress when separated from or anticipating separation from caregivers.
Consistent difficulty attending school driven by anxiety rather than defiance.
Sudden, intense episodes of physical fear that feel uncontrollable and come out of nowhere.
Our Services
Kids rarely come out and say they are struggling. They act out, go quiet, develop physical symptoms, or become avoidant. Our child therapists in Upper Saddle River know how to get underneath the surface and understand what is actually driving the behavior. We use evidence-based treatments including CBT and SPACE, including Parent Management Training (PMT) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), take a comprehensive view of what is happening at school, at home, and with any other providers involved, and keep parents closely involved throughout the entire process.
Our ADHD therapist in Upper Saddle River works with children to build focus, manage impulsivity, and develop routines that actually stick. We work with parents and coordinate with schools when appropriate.
Physical injuries from accidents heal. The emotional impact often does not go away on its own. Flashbacks, fear, sleep problems, and behavioral changes are all common responses. Our accident trauma therapists in Upper Saddle River help children process what happened and move forward.
We also work with adults dealing with anxiety disorders and depression. While child and family care is our specialty, we provide individual therapy for adults navigating these challenges, including parents and caregivers managing their own mental health alongside supporting a struggling child.
Our Approach
A lot of practices offer therapy. What we offer is something more specific than that. Every child who comes to Aspire Psychological Group gets a comprehensive, structured approach built around their particular situation, not a generic treatment template.
We start by looking at the full picture. That means understanding what is happening at school, what is happening at home, what the medical history looks like, what other providers are involved, and exactly how anxiety or the presenting challenge is showing up across every part of your child’s life. We do not just treat symptoms in a room once a week. We want to understand the whole child.
From there we build a focused, goal-directed treatment plan using the most effective evidence-based approaches available, primarily Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), including Parent Management Training (PMT) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), along with other methods matched to your child’s specific presentation. Every session has a purpose.
We are also genuinely collaborative. We do not work in isolation. If your child’s school is involved, we talk to them. If there is a pediatrician or prescriber in the picture, we coordinate with them. Everyone who is part of your child’s care is part of the conversation, because that kind of coordinated support produces better outcomes than any one provider working alone.
We talk about what you are seeing and whether we are the right fit for your family.
We look at school, home, medical history, and every provider involved in your child's care.
A goal-directed plan built around your child's specific presentation, with termination in sight from the start.
The goal is getting your child back to being a kid, not indefinite therapy.
Why Families Choose Us
Specialty practice focused on children, adolescents, and their families
Evidence-based treatment including CBT, SPACE, PMT, and PCIT
Comprehensive assessment covering school, home, medical, and all providers involved
Active collaboration with schools, pediatricians, and prescribers
Structured, goal-directed treatment with termination built into the plan from the start
Over two decades of clinical experience in pediatric anxiety and child mental health
Secure telehealth sessions available throughout New Jersey and New York
Serving Upper Saddle River, Woodcliff Lake, Ramsey, Saddle River, Park Ridge, and Mahwah
What Parents Say
"The doctor's happiness and enthusiasm empowered my son to work hard and make real progress. We noticed the difference at home long before we expected to."
N.M. — Bergen County Parent
Common Questions
Yes. Pediatric anxiety in all its forms is our primary focus, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, OCD, selective mutism, specific phobias, separation anxiety, school refusal, and panic disorder. Our child therapists in Upper Saddle River use evidence-based approaches including CBT, SPACE, PMT, and PCIT tailored to each child’s specific presentation.
Absolutely. Acting out, emotional outbursts, and sudden withdrawal are among the most common ways childhood anxiety actually shows up. A child therapist can help identify what is underneath the behavior and build a plan to address it.
Yes. We actively collaborate with schools, pediatricians, and any prescribers involved in your child’s care. Coordinated support across all providers produces better outcomes, and we treat it as a standard part of how we work.
Aspire Psychological Group is a private-pay practice. We do not bill insurance directly. Many families are able to use out-of-network benefits to offset the cost of care, and we are happy to provide documentation to support reimbursement requests.
It is clinical parent training grounded in evidence-based approaches including SPACE, PMT, and PCIT. We help parents understand their child’s anxiety, recognize when they are accommodating it in ways that reinforce it, and learn exactly what to do differently. What you work on is coordinated with your child’s treatment so everything is moving in the same direction.
Yes. We serve families in Woodcliff Lake, Ramsey, Saddle River, Park Ridge, Mahwah, and surrounding Bergen County communities. Telehealth is available for families anywhere in New Jersey and New York.
If the worry, avoidance, or behavioral challenges keep coming back no matter what you try, that is a good sign that something deeper is going on. A consultation is the best way to find out what you are dealing with and whether we are the right fit.
Private-pay practice. Many families offset costs through out-of-network reimbursement. We provide all documentation needed.
