We post reviews for MSK healthcare providers who have at least 30 patient experience surveys completed. If you do not see reviews for a provider, it may be because they do not yet have enough survey responses, or the provider may not be part of the group of healthcare providers included in the survey.
Only outpatient providers are included in the survey. Healthcare providers who only work in the hospital or in urgent care are not included in the survey. Pathologists or researchers who do not provide direct care to patients do not have reviews.
Patients and caregivers come to me for help with a range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, and existential distress. We address them together in our sessions, during which I actively listen, ask clarifying questions, and provide my understanding of the stressor(s) at hand. It is my hope that patients and their support system feel understood after meeting with me and walk away with a sense of hope regarding their psychological and health concerns.
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I was first introduced to the world of psycho-oncology when I got involved in oncology research as an undergraduate student. I was deeply impacted by this work and became a Research Study Assistant at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) to directly support people with cancer. Having this hands-on experience allowed me to appreciate the uniqueness of each patient’s and caregiver’s situation. Years later, I am honored to be a psychologist at MSK and continue to find myself amazed by the beauty and strength of this community.
Outside of the clinic, I am an avid book-reader and traveler, and I am particularly fond of the arts. I also enjoy spending time with family and friends and often escape to Central Park to enjoy nature.
My Role at MSK
A psychologist has special training in therapy to help people with mental and behavioral health issues.
Areas of Expertise
Conditions I Treat
Anxiety
Depression
Existential distress
Adjustment disorders
Coping difficulties
Coping with cancer
Coping with cancer treatment
Coping with pain
Fear
Mood changes
Mood disorders
Worry
My Specialties
Psychotherapy
Bereavement counseling
Caregiver counseling
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Meaning-centered psychotherapy (MCP)
Supportive psychotherapy
Couples Therapy
Education & Honors
Education
PsyD, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University
Residencies
Health Psychology, New Jersey Veteran’s Affairs
Fellowships
Health Psychology, New Jersey Veteran’s Affairs
Insurance Information
Understanding your insurance options is an important part of managing your cancer care. We have relationships with many common healthcare providers and plans.
Aetna
In Network Coverage Type HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant
Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.
Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.
You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Balakirsky’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
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Disclosures
Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.
MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.
Amanda Balakirsky discloses the following relationships and financial interests:
No disclosures meeting criteria for time period
If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.
The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.
This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.
Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].
