Speaking & Media
Expert commentary on the psychology behind today’s biggest health and technology stories.
Dr. Sera Lavelle is a clinical psychologist, founder, and nationally featured media expert helping journalists, producers, and event organizers understand behavior change, AI in mental health, GLP-1 psychology, emotional eating, trauma, self-trust, and the future of care.
Featured
Featured interviews & articles
The Cut / New York MagazineNovember 13, 2025
Life in Beige: Are GLP-1s worth a life devoid of pleasure?
National culture and health feature quoting Dr. Lavelle on emotional flatness and anticipatory pleasure.
Read articleNew York PostAugust 6, 2026
On a GLP-1? There’s a vacation for that
GLP-1 wellness retreats, habit change and whole-person health
Read articleVoxFebruary 16, 2026
The mysterious symptom popping up in some GLP-1 users
GLP-1s, apathy, dopamine and motivation
Read articleWebMD
Tips for How to Build a Healthy Body Image
Body image, shame, self-support and sustainable health behavior
Read articleAPA Monitor on PsychologyJuly 1, 2025
A new era of weight loss: Mental health effects of GLP-1 drugs
GLP-1s, emotional flatness, eating disorders and relationships
Read article
Press & Interviews
For journalists, producers, and editors
Dr. Lavelle is available for select media interviews, expert commentary, podcast appearances, quoted analysis, panels, and editorial features.
She offers a clinical perspective on the psychological forces shaping modern life, including the rapid growth of mental health technology, the rise of AI-supported care, the cultural impact of weight-loss medications, and why people often struggle to change even when they understand what they want to do differently.
Areas of expertise
Topics Dr. Lavelle speaks on
AI Therapy & Mental Health Risk
The promise and danger of AI tools that offer therapy-like support; especially when they deliver clinical language without clinical judgment, safeguards, or accountability.
Mental Health Technology That Works in Real Life
Why many behavior-change tools break down exactly when people need them most; under stress, shame, urgency, craving, or emotional activation.
GLP-1s & the Psychology of Weight Loss
How medications that quiet appetite may also change reward, identity, pleasure, motivation, relationships, body image, and emotional life.
The Knowing-Doing Gap
Why people can understand their patterns completely and still struggle to change — and what stress, shame, self-trust, and environment reveal about lasting change.
Emotional Eating Is Not a Willpower Problem
Complex trauma, emotional regulation, avoidance, self-trust, and how protective patterns persist after danger has passed.
The Future of Mental Health Care
How therapy, coaching, apps, AI, and digital health can evolve without flattening human complexity or sacrificing clinical safety, judgment, and humanity.
Conversations
Clinical psychology for the conversations shaping health, technology, leadership, and change.
Dr. Lavelle has spoken across psychology, technology, entrepreneurship, and mental health innovation, with appearances such as a Tech Week moderator, university panelist on women in entrepreneurship, a featured speaker for the New York State Psychological Association and a frequent podcast gues. Her work brings a clinical psychologist’s perspective to some of today’s most urgent conversations: how people change, how technology is reshaping care, why shame and stress disrupt behavior, and what ethical innovation requires when human vulnerability is involved. She has engaged audiences of founders, clinicians, students, operators, and mental health leaders through panels, podcasts, professional associations, and live events.
Speaking Engagements
Available for select events, interviews, panels, and conversations across psychology, technology, health, and behavior change.
Keynotes
Podcast interviews
Moderated panels
Fireside chats
Founder and operator events
Healthcare and mental health conferences
Digital health and AI ethics conversations
Archive
The full record
Every verified appearance, filterable by topic. Items marked “Cited” reference commentary Dr. Lavelle gave elsewhere rather than a direct interview.
- AllureAugust 14, 2026
Instagram and Social Media Are Making Us Forget What We Look Like
Expert commentary on how the sheer volume of filtered faces online rewires what the brain treats as the normal way to look.
- New York PostAugust 6, 2026
On a GLP-1? There’s a vacation for that
Exclusive feature with expert commentary throughout — on retreats marketing to a vulnerable population, and on treating the medication as one part of whole-person health.
- VoxFebruary 16, 2026
The mysterious symptom popping up in some GLP-1 users
Primary interview. Dr. Lavelle is the central expert in an edited conversation from Vox’s Today, Explained.
- The Cut / New York MagazineNovember 13, 2025
Life in Beige: Are GLP-1s worth a life devoid of pleasure?
National culture and health feature quoting Dr. Lavelle on emotional flatness and anticipatory pleasure.
- Association of Health Care JournalistsOctober 8, 2025
What eating disorder experts want journalists to know about GLP-1s
Professional journalism education and expert-panel coverage featuring Dr. Lavelle.
- The Economic TimesAugust 27, 2025Cited
Is AI therapy safe? Hidden risks you must know before using chatbots for mental health
International coverage citing Dr. Lavelle’s commentary via Psychology Today, rather than a direct interview.
- Psychology TodayAugust 22, 2025
The Reality of Instant AI Therapy
Primary quoted source on the risks of overreliance on AI-generated mental health guidance.
- APA Monitor on PsychologyJuly 1, 2025
A new era of weight loss: Mental health effects of GLP-1 drugs
Major professional feature with extensive expert commentary on mood, reward, eating disorders, body image and relationships.
- Oprah DailySeptember 20, 2023
Pharma with a Side of Therapy
Featured expert in the hypnotherapy section.
- Psych CentralMay 5, 2023
Can Hypnotherapy Reduce Symptoms of Depression?
Featured clinical expert quoted throughout the article.
- ForbesDecember 21, 2020
Winter Blues: Seven Tools to Foster Mental Wellness in the Workplace
Featured expert on mental wellness and workplace behavior.
- ELLEJanuary 7, 2009
Out of Body
Long-form first-person feature describing hypnosis sessions with Dr. Lavelle.
- WebMD
Tips for How to Build a Healthy Body Image
Featured clinical expert quoted throughout on weight stigma and the difference between shame and sustainable change.
- Forbes Health
Complex PTSD: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
Featured clinical expert quoted on the differences between PTSD and complex PTSD.
Media bio
Approved bios
Use either version as written. Both are current and cleared for publication.
Short bio
64 words
Dr. Sera Lavelle is a licensed clinical psychologist, founder, and media expert whose work focuses on the psychology of behavior, health, and lasting change. She founded NY Health Hypnosis & Integrative Therapy, Soho Integrative EMDR, and the emotional-eating app Bea, advises mental health technology companies on ethical AI, and is frequently interviewed about GLP-1 medications, emotional eating, body image, hypnosis, trauma, and behavior change.
Long bio
186 words
Dr. Sera Lavelle is a licensed clinical psychologist, founder, and nationally featured media expert working at the intersection of psychology, health, technology, and behavior change. She founded NY Health Hypnosis & Integrative Therapy and Soho Integrative EMDR, where she has developed and led integrative models of psychological care grounded in clinical expertise, ethical systems, and sustainable change. She also founded Bea, an AI-guided app for emotional eating, and selectively advises mental health technology companies on operations and the ethics of AI-delivered therapy.
Dr. Lavelle’s public work explores the psychological effects of emerging health and technology trends, including GLP-1 medications, food noise, reward and motivation, emotional eating, body image, artificial intelligence in mental health, hypnosis, trauma, and self-trust. Her commentary has appeared in outlets including Vox, APA Monitor on Psychology, WebMD, The Cut / New York Magazine, Forbes, ELLE, Oprah Daily, Psych Central, Psychology Today, and The Economic Times.
Known for translating complex psychological ideas into clear and nuanced guidance, Dr. Lavelle helps audiences understand not only what people do, but why change can remain difficult even when they know exactly what they want to do differently.
Press kit
Approved information for Dr. Sera Lavelle
Available on this page
Short bio
50–70 words, approved wording
Long bio
150–180 words, approved wording
One-line descriptor
Clinical Psychologist, Founder & Media Expert
Approved topics
Six speaking areas with framing notes
Featured In list
Verified publications with source links
Supplied on request
Headshots
Horizontal, vertical and square crops at print resolution
Interview clips
Representative video and audio appearances
Speaking & Press inquiries
Request an interview or engagment
For interviews, expert commentary, podcasts, panels, and speaking requests, please include the outlet or event, topic, format, deadline, and preferred interview window.
Deadline-sensitive requests should include a phone number and your filing deadline.