Shoshanna Must, PhD is a clinical psychologist licensed in the state of New York. She received her doctorate from Columbia University in 2007, and since then has been specializing in the evaluation and treatment of persons with sexual behavioral problems, as well as providing support and therapy for family members and loved ones impacted. She also is a consultant for the judicial branch of Connecticut, where she conducts quality improvement audits for psychosexual risk evaluations, as well as provides trainings to court clinicians. Dr. Must also treats adults for more general challenges.
Dr. Must is the clinical director and consultant of the NYC office of Empire State Forensics, where she works together with clinicians to provide the most holistic and humanistic care to persons struggling with their sexual behavior. Group, individual, and family therapy are offered for both mandated and self-referred clients. Recognizing that the healthiest person is one who is stable, supported, and busy, she works closely with community reentry programs around the city, to help provide wrap-around services related to education, professional, and housing.
Dr. Must also serves as evaluation coordinator; conducting and supervising psychosexual risk assessments, SORA determination evaluations, as well as general psychological evaluations for the local and federal court system, as well as defense attorneys. Empire State evaluations are comprehensive and include the most current research related to both risk and protective factors, as well as provide thoughtful recommendations to help the referring sources provide the best plan for the individual and community. The team currently contracts with NYS Office of Mental Health as well as the Southern District of New York Federal Probation Department, to provide evaluation and treatment to persons who may require intensive sex-offense-specific treatment. Local probation departments, county departments of social services, attorneys, mitigation specialists, and the general public also seek our services on a regular basis for both evaluation and treatment of adults and juveniles with sexual behavior problems.
Since 2013, Dr. Must has served as an elected board member to the New York State Chapter of The Association of the Treatment for Sexual Abusers (NYS ATSA), and is a member of the national chapter of ATSA. In these capacities she has presented on best-practice measures of risk for adolescents and adults with sexually offending behavior at both the state and national chapter conferences.
Dr. Must is also a member of SORA Working Group, a part of the New York City Bar Association. This group is related to SORA reform and presents recommendations on best practices for sex offense reform legislation.
Dr. Must is certified as a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist through the International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals.
An area of specific clinical intrigue is understanding the implications, strengths, and challenges of being a female professional and working primarily with males with sexual challenges. She is available to train, and consult formally, but also loves processing specific experiences with females who are looking for a safe space to share and grow. A resource that is a wonderful place to start is: Women Working in Criminal Justice: A Guidebook for Navigating Professional Challenges, by Laura Jakul and Bobbi Walling and published by Safer Society.
Dr. Must can be contacted at SMust@EmpireStateForensics.com.