Support for growing minds at any age.

Over the years, I have connected with youth in classrooms, summer camps, research labs, residential facilities, hospitals, and clinics, and have worked with hundreds of families. I have never met a “bad kid,” and I firmly believe there is no such thing. Kids overwhelmingly want to be good, even the ones who challenge us as adults. They have simply developed a bad habit or two, and need some specialized guidance to learn their way out of it. With your help as the parent, I can act as your co-pilot to bring peace back into your home.

Who I help

I have the most experience with youth ages 2 to 21, but I have experience with young adults as well. I am comfortable treating many different areas of concern, including:

  
      Oppositional Defiant Disorder
      Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
      Intermittent Explosive Disorder
    
      Conduct Disorder
      Depression
      Generalized Anxiety Disorder
    
      Social Anxiety
      Separation Anxiety
      Selective Mutism
    
      Panic Disorder
      Specific Phobias
      Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
    
      Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
      School Avoidance
      Tourette Syndrome and Tics
    
      Skin-Picking
      Hair-Pulling
      Toileting Issues
    
      Picky Eating
      Bedwetting
      Bedtime Issues
    
      Sibling Conflict
      Electronics Management

How I help

This part gets a bit technical, but you deserve to know how I think! I practice with a primarily cognitive behavioral approach. More specifically, I analyze concerns using a third-wave cognitive behavioral framework, and flexibly apply techniques from second- and third-wave approaches during treatment. I choose these methods because I believe they have the best scientific support. I am familiar with the following treatment modalities, and use my knowledge of all of them to inform your care:

  
      Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
      Behavioral Parent Training
    
      Parent Management Training
      Brief Strategic Family Therapy
    
      Functional Family Therapy
      Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
    
      Trauma-Focused CBT
      Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
    
      Habit Reversal Training
      Exposure and Response Prevention
    
      Behavior Activation

If you want to know about a type of therapy you do not see here, feel free to ask me about it when we talk! I can also get more specific about exactly how treatment will proceed.

Training and Certifications

I have a B.A. in psychology from Duke University and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Central Michigan University. This is how I can call myself “Dr.” I completed my internship and postdoctoral residency training at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center. I have additional certifications in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT). For PCIT, I am a Within-Agency Trainer, which means I know it well enough to certify other therapists in the approach. I have also published research about PCIT, including a PCIT handbook chapter on how well it works around the world with other cultures and in other languages. I am very proud of the research I have done to expand mental health interventions; feel free to ask me how it can help with your care. I believe it is important to understand the research available in this area so you can be an informed consumer of our science.

Teletherapy for Children?

I offer Teletherapy for children, teens, and families. What that means is that I will meet with you over a secure video call, from the comfort of your home, and your child will be included in the call. Some families think that Teletherapy is not possible with young children (see my FAQ), but this is simply untrue. Very young children (under age 10) can benefit from therapy as long as there is significant parent involvement. It might be easier to think of therapy for young children as being for parents in some ways, since I will be teaching you how to be a skilled “co-therapist.” Methods like play therapy are certainly not possible over video calls, but I also tend not to recommend play therapy anyway. If this is surprising, or you’re still unsure, please call me and I’d be happy to explain.

My Roots

I was raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and was raised to love Carolina Blue and the Tar Heels even though I later went to Duke. I can’t decide who to root for now! North Carolina was a wonderful and family-friendly place to grow up, and I have moved back home after spending years in other states gathering education and experience. I like to joke that I drew a circle around the country (North Carolina, then Pennsylvania, then Michigan, then Oklahoma, then Florida, and now back to Durham). The Triangle area has a unique population of people, being a convergence of rural and urban lifestyles and values. I have learned that there’s something to like in everyone, regardless of background, whether I’m talking to an HIV patient, a veteran, or a hurricane survivor. Living in many places can make you feel small, in a good way.

Join me on social media!

I share free parenting resources and evidence-based mental health information on TikTok, Instagram/Facebook, and YouTube.