Elena Cucco, PhD

Elena Cucco, PhD, earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2018 after completing an APA-accredited internship at the Veterans Affairs New Jersey Healthcare System. Subsequently, she completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Princeton University's Counseling and Psychological Services and served as group coordinator at Lehigh University’s Counseling and Psychological Services.

Elena has been working with college students for over ten years and much of her therapeutic style is informed by the honesty, vulnerability, bravery, and hope she sees in her clients. Talking with young folks has taught her to work slowly, care generously, and say what she means. She believes that anyone seeking therapy has come by their pain honestly and that much of what folks find distressing in themselves is a reasonable response to what has happened to them. Thus, she is unlikely to give rote advice and more likely to partner with students in unpacking their histories (personal and generational), learning to trust their feelings, and deciding what wellness would entail for them. While Elena believes in students’ inherent capacity for healing, she holds space in therapy for the very real harm done by forces outside their control and consent like racism, queer phobia, interpersonal violence, and all forms of hate and domination. She thinks that for therapy to be a liberating space, students need the freedom to talk about how their lives are shaped by their identities as well as corresponding experiences of bigotry, marginalization, and erasure. Elena’s interests include trauma and recovery, sexual and interpersonal violence, difficult family relationships, identity development, queer affirming care, Veterans’ concerns, and managing intense emotions.

Outside of work, Elena spends her time listening to mid '00s emo, exploring the wide world of carbohydrates, lovingly caving to the many demands of her rescue dog, and bookmarking Instagram workouts she will likely never complete.