Expanding Access to Mental Health: The Story of Rose Hill Psychological Services
There’s a compelling story behind Rose Hill Psychological Services, and it begins with a question that Dr. Michael A. Civin asked himself early in his career: why should quality mental health care be out of reach for so many people? It was a question born not from idealism alone, but from what he had seen as a practicing clinician — communities where residents struggled to access the help they needed, not because it didn’t exist, but because they couldn’t afford it.
In 2007, he acted on that question by co-founding Rose Hill Psychological Services, establishing it in a location adjacent to Fordham University in the Bronx — a neighborhood that exemplified exactly the kind of underserved community the clinic was designed to serve. From its earliest days, Rose Hill operated with a clear and unwavering mission: to deliver professional, high-quality psychological services at a price that working-class and low-income residents could actually afford.
The response was immediate and enthusiastic. Word spread, referrals multiplied, and it quickly became apparent that Rose Hill was filling a significant gap in the community’s mental health infrastructure. As patient volume grew, so did the practice — today, Rose Hill operates not only from its original Bronx location, but also from an office on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and another in Mohegan Lake, New York.
Dr. Civin continues to serve the practice he built as its senior psychologist, bringing the same energy and dedication to Rose Hill that he brings to his private practice across New York City. In both settings, his approach is grounded in consistency: new patients and long-standing ones are treated with equal care, and the quality of service never varies based on a patient’s financial circumstances. The growth of Rose Hill has done more than expand access to care — it has demonstrated that a community-centered model of psychological services can thrive and scale when driven by genuine mission rather than profit. Michael A. Civin Ph.D. built something lasting, and New York City is better for it.
