TEAM

Psychotherapists

Jessica Baum, LMHC, CAP

Jessica Baum is the owner and founder of Relationship Institute of Palm Beach. She has an undergraduate degree from Fordham University and holds a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from South University. As a certified substance abuse specialist, her focus is chemical abuse, co-dependency, and anxiety. Jessica is also a certified Imago Therapist. Using the Imago approach, Jessica helps treat family systems and couples issues with an extensive knowledge on relationships. Jessica also uses this approach in family programs she runs for treatment centers. She also has extensive training in psychodrama and experiential therapy. She is also skilled in cognitive therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. She is trained in EMDR therapy and Post Induction Therapy and has done a copious amount of work with trauma. Jessica’s own personal core belief is centered around the importance of connection. Connection and understanding of ourselves, as well as how that relates to how we connect in the world. She believes that the crux of most personal struggles can be attributed to a lack of true understanding and personal connection. It is that disconnect in the world which ultimately leads to pain. Jessica founded Relationship Institute of Palm Beach to help heal, foster happiness, and restore hope in the individuals and families she works with. 

Julia Newlin Smith, LMFT

Julia Newlin Smith is the Executive Director of the Relationship Institute of Palm Beach and a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in individual, dyadic, family, and group therapy with children and adolescents.

Her practice focuses on assisting her clients in learning how to achieve emotional regulation through skill building, relational psychology, and therapeutic techniques grounded in neurodevelopmental and physiological perspectives in order to uncover the origins of challenging behaviors. This includes providing strategies and tools rooted in the latest developments in Interpersonal Neurobiology and mindfulness.

Julia also specializes in assisting clients in enhancing their relationships through improved communication skills and development of increased social competency.

Julia earned her MMFT at the University of Southern California and has a specialty in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, which emphasizes skill building, mindfulness and behavioral change.

Esin Pinarli, LCSW, MCAP

Esin is a licensed clinical social worker who holds a Master's degree in Social Work from SUNY Stonybrook. In addition to being a Florida Board Certified Addictions Professional (CAP), she is also certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Imago. She brings with her over 12 years of industry experience spanning from clinical work to building relationships with outside community resources. She specializes in chemical abuse and dependency, codependency, couples and relationship issues, family of origin issues and anxiety and depression.

Esin is trained in Psychodrama and experiential therapy. She is also skilled in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and trauma informed. She specializes in innovation, crisis management and clinical development. She has conducted groups in attachment, codependency, negative self talk, boundaries, CBT, DBT, anxiety, depression, couples and assertive skills. She has also facilitated didactic, psychoeducational, psychodrama, Imago, process groups, trauma informed work and substance abuse and dependency groups throughout the course of her career.

Alexandra Foglia, DMFT

Alexandra holds her Doctorate in Marriage & Family Therapy and specializes in empowering adults through life transitions, anxiety, depression, and personal development. Her commitment to transforming traditional therapy practices is evident in her holistic, personalized approach to each individual's journey.

Central to Alexandra's philosophy is the profound impact of relationships on our lives. She strongly believes that the quality of our connections significantly shapes our well-being. Her ultimate goal is to cultivate balance and well-being in the lives of her clients as she brings an energy and tangible passion for relational health, enhancing intimacy, and rebuilding trust.

With couples work and family dynamics as her passion, Alexandra incorporates a deeper understanding of our innate need to be seen, validated, challenged, and supported. In her work, Alexandra tends to uncover the unspoken, often conveying inner states that clients can’t yet articulate to further unearth the complicated needs that relationships and commitment require today.

Alan I. Stevens, MSW, LSW, ACSW

Verified by Psychology Today 

Alan has been working in mental health and substance abuse for over 40 years and he is highly skilled in identifying obstacles that hold people back and how best to overcome them. Trauma, stress, self-medication, anxiety and depression are all topics that Alan can assist with and is often able to assess a client’s situation within the first session or two to provide a clear indication of what direction therapy will go and where best to start for a lasting impact. His specialty is working with people who sincerely want to understand themselves better and what they need to work on in their life.

Because Alan believes that compassion is key in building relationships and is able to understand his clients’ struggles and empathize with them, many of his clients stay in touch with him years after therapy to let him know their progress. He has innate ability to help individuals come to a new understanding of themselves and to sort out where changes need to be made.

Licette Sangiovanni, LMHC

Licette Sangiovanni earned her Masters of Science in Counseling Psychology from the Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL and has extensive experience in the substance abuse field. She has worked with clients at all levels of care presenting with co-morbid disorders and has co-facilitated family education programs to support the healing process of the family members and her clients. Her knowledge has helped families develop the tools needed to foster healthy communication, boundaries, and coping skills. 

In her work, Licette utilizes traditional psychotherapies and experiential therapies. Her treatment approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing, and insight-oriented therapy. She has helped clients explore and process through grief and loss, relationship difficulties, and traumatic life experiences, and works with both individuals and couples. She is a certified Prepare and Enrich Facilitator. In this capacity, she provides assessments to help couples gain insight into the facts and feelings that may be affecting their communication. 

Antonella Calderon, B.A. in Psychology

Antonella Calderon is the team’s newest member of the Relationship Institute of Palm Beach. She recently graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Social Work at the Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School. 

Initially, Antonella joined Relationship Institute of Palm Beach as an Intern, and is quickly evolving responsibilities around case management. Antonella supports the clinical team with various organizational tasks, and is rapidly learning the best methods and therapeutic approaches for treating clients in diverse settings.

Her clinical interests revolve around depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, specifically the impact it creates for women of all ages. Her area of academic interests include research methods and statistics of vulnerable populations.