Elena Hernandez-Cordova

Elaine “Elena” Hernandez-Cordova, LCSW, is the founder and clinical director of Embrace Psychotherapy & Education in Nyack, New York. Her professional experience includes direct clinical practice, clinical supervision, community collaboration, and professional education. She works with adolescents, adults, couples, and families, with particular interests in trauma, substance use, relational concerns, and the experiences of first responders, veterans, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Her community work has included opioid overdose response and recovery initiatives, connecting individuals and families with services and collaborating with public health, behavioral health, and law enforcement stakeholders. She develops educational programming, including Mind on the Frontline, addressing occupational stress, trauma, substance use, and support for first responders and their families.

Hernandez-Cordova integrates cognitive and behavioral therapies, relational approaches, and mindfulness into her clinical work. Her approach to teaching and supervision emphasizes translating theory into practice, developing clinical judgment, and examining how culture, identity, and systems influence assessment and intervention.

She earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Central Florida in 2003 and is pursuing a PhD in Integrative Social Work at Saybrook University, where she is enrolled in the Specialization in Teaching and Advanced Research. Her research interests include identity development and trauma among adult transracial adoptees, particularly Puerto Rican and Latino adoptees.