I’m Dr. Nina Bakoyiannis, a licensed clinical psychologist, adjunct assistant professor, and disability rights activist. As a first generation American and native New Yorker, I am grateful that the vibrant and diverse boroughs of the city have provided the backdrop for my work as a psychologist.

Living with a physical disability and navigating the world as a wheelchair user has brought me into direct contact with some of the more complicated aspects of being human — vulnerability, dependence, strength, stigma, and adaptation. Confronting what it means to move through a world not designed for your body has shaped how I understand suffering, dignity, and agency.

It inspires my work as a psychologist, where I approach therapy with humility and curiosity, attuned to the ways our environments, relationships, and histories shape our inner lives. It inspires my work as an educator, where I invite students to think beyond individual pathology and consider how culture, systems, and power influence psychological experience. And it grounds my work as a disability rights activist, rooted in the belief that psychological well-being is inseparable from access, equity, and structural change.

Outside of professional roles, I find meaning in literature and time spent with pets + loved ones. I enjoy reading, writing, and performing poetry, and have grown to appreciate the healing power of using language to make sense of and share our own stories.

Training & Education

Throughout my career, I’ve worked in a variety of clinical settings including a group practice, Veteran’s Hospitals, college counseling centers, rehabilitation units, and nursing homes.

• PhD in Clinical Psychology from LIU Brooklyn
• MA in Clinical Psychology from LIU Brooklyn
• BA in Psychology & English Literature from CUNY Queens College