Meet Our Current Students
Vorinica Surujbhan
Vorinica Surujbhan (she/her) is a registered nurse and current Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) student at Hunter Bellevue School of Nursing. She began her nursing career in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Bellevue Hospital, where she witnessed firsthand the emotional and psychological challenges faced by parents with critically ill newborns. This experience underscored the vital need for comprehensive mental health support in perinatal care. Vorinica later transitioned to her current role as a nurse home visitor with the Nurse-Family Partnership program, serving first-time birthing people in low-income communities. In this capacity, she provides education, advocacy, and support, while recognizing the significant mental health needs that often go unmet during the perinatal period—especially in underserved and immigrant populations. Motivated by these experiences, Vorinica is pursuing advanced psychiatric training to bridge the gap in access to quality mental health services for birthing people and families across the lifespan. As a student at Brooklyn Parent Support, she looks forward to utilizing her experience and psychiatric educational training to offer support to persons in their perinatal journey. Vorinica is passionate about providing culturally responsive, trauma-informed care and is committed to improving access to perinatal mental health support in marginalized communities.
Emily, RN, PMHNP-Student
Emily Sabia (she/her) is a registered nurse and PMHNP student at NYU. Her interest in perinatal support began as a volunteer birth doula and Gender & Health student at the University of Michigan. After starting her nursing career in the NICU at NYU Langone Health, she noticed a need for emotional support of NICU parents and found meaning in providing presence and reassurance during challenging moments. This led her to pursue a deeper focus on mental health. Emily currently works as a behavioral health nurse on NYU's inpatient psychiatry unit and as a member of the Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT), responding to psychiatric emergencies throughout the hospital. As a student at Brooklyn Parent Support, she is excited to combine her perinatal experience with psychiatric training to offer integrated support for individuals during reproductive transitions. Emily is passionate about improving mental health outcomes for childbearing people through compassionate, specialized care.
Mark, MFT Student
Mark Friedman is currently pursuing a masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT). After a successful career in the corporate world, he is now following his passion for helping those in need of mental health care. As a father of three, with two daughters in college and a 9 year old son, he is well versed in family dynamics throughout the life cycle and brings a unique voice from a neo-paternal perspective-- one with an understanding of how to apply classic family values in today's modern world.
Mark takes an existential humanistic approach to therapy, rooted in family systems theory, which is guided by the exploration of each individual’s own personal experience.