Hilary Cooper, Ph.D.

Dr. Cooper is a child, adolescent, and family psychologist and the founder of Clear Mind Psychology in Rye, New York. For over 30 years, she has worked closely with children, teens, parents, and families—helping them navigate emotional challenges, developmental transitions, and complicated family dynamics with compassion, clarity, and practical tools that truly make a difference.

Dr. Cooper brings a strong foundation in child development and special education, having studied at Tufts Universityand Bank Street College of Education, and earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). Her clinical experience spans hospitals, clinics, and schools throughout the tri-state area, including Bellevue Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

In her work with children and adolescents, Dr. Cooper specializes in supporting kids who are struggling with anxiety, ADHD, depression, self-harm behaviors, emotional regulation difficulties, and stressful family transitions, including divorce. She is especially focused on helping children understand their own strengths, feel less alone in their struggles, and develop a sense of confidence in their growing minds and bodies. Destigmatizing mental health challenges is central to her approach—children are never defined by a diagnosis, but supported in understanding how their brains work and how to use that knowledge to thrive.

Dr. Cooper works closely with parents, recognizing that parenting is both deeply meaningful and incredibly hard, especially when children are struggling. She helps parents reduce overwhelm and guilt by focusing on what research shows truly supports healthy emotional development. She is passionate about helping families cut through the noise and misinformation surrounding parenting today. Alongside Allison Stahl, LCSW, Dr. Cooper co-developed a parenting curriculum for families of children with big emotions, emphasizing parental emotional regulation, clearer understanding of children’s needs, and practical, realistic skills that can be used at home.

Her clinical approach integrates evidence-based treatments tailored to each child and family, including CBT for anxiety, DBT for adolescents, ACT for parents, SPACE training for parents of anxious children, DIR/Floortime for children on the autism spectrum, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and trauma-focused psychotherapy.

In addition to her work with children, Dr. Cooper has a strong focus on maternal mental health, including birth trauma and infertility, and on supporting families through the emotional impact of divorce. She is currently developing a weekend divorce treatment program for children and adults.

Dr. Cooper is also a parent herself. She and her husband have raised three adult children, giving her firsthand understanding of the vulnerability, intensity, and resilience involved in parenting through life’s many stages. This personal experience deeply informs her clinical work and her respect for the emotional labor parents carry.

When families visit Clear Mind Psychology, they often comment on the warmth of the space—and on Dr. Cooper herself, who is frequently found replenishing snack jars and occasionally accompanied by her beloved mini-goldendoodle, Eli.