BOSTON CHILD STUDY CENTER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Job Titles:
- Fellow in Mental Health Counseling
- Mental Health Counseling Fellow
- Mental Health Counselor Fellow
Ashley Farrar is a Fellow in Mental Health Counseling at Boston Child Study Center, where she provides supervised Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for children, adolescents, and their families. Ashley graduated with a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in children and teens from Lesley University. Prior to receiving her degree, she completed a practicum in Boston supporting an adult population of both men and women in an outpatient setting. During this time, she supported clients in combating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Collaboratively with her clients, she explored effective communication styles, life skills, and healthy relationships. In addition, she worked with adolescents, providing individual and group therapy in a school setting.
At her core, Ashley embodies a person-centered theoretical approach. She believes people do not contemplate change until they feel safe, supported, and understood. She has utilized Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Internal Family Systems, and Motivational Interviewing. Despite the theoretical approach being utilized, Ashley places an emphasis on providing trauma-informed and culturally competent care to each individual. She believes that exploring the impact of one's values, belief systems, roles, and identities is influenced by one's family system and how it operates is crucial in the therapeutic relationship. At BCSC, she anticipates an opportunity to take her social and academic experience and assist individuals and families through the development of open and honest communication, self-reflection, and genuine support.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Director
- Clinical Director at BCSC
Ashley Flynn is the Clinical Director at BCSC and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts. Ashley is intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy Prolonged Exposure for PTSD, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and Exposure Therapy for youth, young adults and families. She specializes in treatment for pediatric and adolescent anxiety, behavior, and emotion disorders.
She earned her Master's degree at Yeshiva University in New York City and completed her pre-graduate training through the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, and Saint Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital. She completed her pre-licensure training at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT where she served as the head clinician for the pediatric and adolescent psychiatric inpatient units. Prior to her time at BCSC, Ashley was the behavioral health consultant in various primary care practices associated with the Pediatric Physician's Organization at Children's (PPOC) in Boston. While there she integrated care within a multidisciplinary model of medicine, school, and community providers. She continues to work closely with the professional organization MaMHCA as part of their mentoring program for new clinicians in behavioral health.
Job Titles:
- Psychiatrist
- Child Psychiatrist
Caitlin Wilds is a double board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist specializing in evidence-based treatment for ADHD, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, trauma-related disorders, OCD, bipolar disorders, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, psychiatric symptoms resulting from a medical condition, and children with behavioral and emotional dysregulation through medication evaluation and management along with parent coaching and mentoring.
Dr. Wilds earned her B.S. in Neurobiology from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned her medical degree from Texas A&M University College of Medicine prior to moving to Massachusetts. She completed her Psychiatry Residency and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at The University of Massachusetts Medical School where she served as the Chief Resident for the Psychiatric Consultation & Liaison Service and the Chief Fellow for Recruitment & Program Development. Dr. Wilds is double board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. She is also a professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at UMass Medical School.
Prior to joining the Boston Child Study Center, Dr. Wilds worked in Emergency Mental Health, Adult, Child & Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry and as a Psychiatric Consultant to Medical Teams and Primary Care Physicians. Dr. Wilds provides evidence-based outpatient psychopharmacological consultations and treatment to BCSC families at our Natick, MA center and via Telehealth. To learn more about Dr. Wilds or to schedule a consultation please call (617) 800-9610.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Job Titles:
- Client Liaison & Director of Academic Services
- Director of the Academic Services at BCSC
Chris Gathman is the Client Liaison and the Director of the Academic Services at BCSC. Since 2021, Chris has worked with BCSC's clients to help guide them along their academic journey. Subject tutoring, executive function skills coaching and academic planning are done in our academic centers or virtually. He works closely with the academic center staff and our students to help them achieve their academic goals.
Chris is very passionate about education. He completed his undergraduate degree at University of Vermont, where he was a Division I tennis player. He also holds a Master's in Educational Leadership from Florida State University and a Master's in Business Administration from Boston College.
Prior to his work at BCSC, Chris was the Associate Director of Academic Partnerships at Signet Education. In that role, he managed school relationships in Boston and the surrounding areas. He also created a network of professional support providers and assisted with the day to day client referral process.
Chris works in collaboration with BCSC's other program directors and clinicians to advance BCSC's mission to improve the lives of children, adolescents, young adults, and families, regardless of income, through innovative evidence-based treatment, training, and research in cognitive behavioral interventions.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Deanndra "Dee" Howard is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and DBT/CBT therapist at the Boston Child Study Center where she provides individual therapy, phone coaching, skills training and exposure coaching as well as family and parent coaching. Dee was intensively trained in DBT through a Behavioral Teach foundational training in 2010.
She is also the Residential Director of the McLean Hospital, 3East DBT Continuum where she has worked for more than 10 years providing program consultation across the 5 treatment programs of the 3East Continuum and is responsible for hiring, supporting and supervising clinical residence counselors and milieu staff.
She has also served as a member of Mclean Hospital's Multicultural Psychology Consultation Team (MPACT) since 2018. Dee earned her Bachelor of Science in Counseling Psychology from Lesley College before earning her Master of Social Work degree from Simmons College. She later completed her Social Work Fellowship at the McLean Hospital, 3 East Partial Hospital Program.
Job Titles:
- Postdoctoral Fellow
- Psychology
Dr. Alex ("Allie") Keller, Ph.D. is a Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology Fellow at Boston Child Study Center. She conducts comprehensive neuropsychological assessments with children, adolescents and young adults referred for a variety of cognitive and socioemotional concerns. She also provides acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and other evidence-based interventions for children, adolescents, young adults, and their families.
Dr. Keller received her B.S. in Biology from Cornell University before earning her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Boston University. At Boston University, she received extensive training in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety for children, adolescents and young adults through The Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD). She also trained as a pre-doctoral extern at Hasbro Hospital's Pediatric Neuropsychology Program, where she provided neuropsychological assessment to youth with developmental disorders and primary medical conditions. She additionally trained at Beth Israel's Center for Early Detection, Assessment and Response to Risk (CEDAR), where she gained experience in the evidence-based assessment and treatment of youth at risk for schizophrenia and related conditions. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School, where she worked on the hospital's integrated care teams to provide psychological treatment to youth within pediatric primary care and within the Cambridge Public School system.
Dr. Keller's research focuses on how information about a child's cognitive functioning can better inform the ways in which they are treated for psychological conditions. She is passionate about tailoring psychosocial treatments to best fit individual children and their unique learning profiles, and in using neuropsychological assessment to better understand the mechanisms underlying mental illness in a child's development.
Job Titles:
- Director of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy ( ACT ) Services
- DIRECTOR of ACT PROGRAM
- Director of the ACT Program
Dr. Alison Sagon is the Director of the ACT Program at Boston Child Study Center where she specializes in evidence-based treatments including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT). She is experienced in treating emotion dysregulation and a range of anxiety, mood, and behavioral disorders among children, adolescents, young adults, parents, and families.
Dr. Sagon received her B.A. in Psychology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor before completing her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Suffolk University. She completed her predoctoral internship at Texas Children's Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine where she specialized in the treatment of OCD, selective mutism, and anxiety-related disorders as well as brief behavioral interventions for disruptive behavior disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In addition, she received training in trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) aimed at addressing trauma in children, adolescents, and family systems. Prior to internship, she completed externships and clinical training at the McLean Hospital Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Institute (OCDI) for children and adolescents, the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD) at Boston University, Neuropsychology and Education Services for Children and Adolescents (NESCA),New England Center for OCD and Anxiety, and Boston Child Study Center. She also conducted research on emotion regulation within the department of developmental medicine at Boston Children's Hospital.
Dr. Sagon prioritizes an approach that is collaborative and rooted in an appreciation for individual and cultural differences. Her interventions aim to reduce distress through increased awareness and enhanced connection to values and meaning.
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR of NEUROPSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM
- Associate Director of the Neuropsychology Program
- Psy.D.Associate Director of Neuropsychological Assessment
Dr. Amelia Rowley is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Associate Director of the Neuropsychology Program at the Boston Child Study Center. As a neuropsychologist, Dr. Rowley conducts assessments of children, adolescents, and young adults with a variety of presenting problems, including executive functioning deficits, social and emotional challenges, learning difficulties, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As a clinical psychologist at BCSC, she provides a variety of evidence-based treatments including Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to children with behavior difficulties and their families, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to children and adolescents with anxiety and mood disorders, and family-based behavioral interventions for selective mutism (SM) and anxiety. Dr. Rowley is also trained in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and leads an adolescent DBT skills group at BCSC.
Dr. Rowley graduated with departmental honors from the University of Miami where she received a Bachelor of Science in psychology. She went on to complete her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL where she trained at the University of Miami Center for Autism and Related Disabilities and the University of Miami Child and Adolescent Mood and Anxiety Treatment Program. Here, she received extensive training in providing evidence-based transdiagnostic treatment to children and adolescents with anxiety and depression. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the May Institute in Randolph, MA where she provided evidence-based assessment and treatment to children and adolescents with ASD and a variety of social and emotional difficulties. Dr. Rowley completed a postdoctoral neuropsychology fellowship at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital's Lurie Center for Autism, where she conducted neuropsychological assessments of individuals with ASD and other social and emotional challenges across the lifespan. Throughout her training, Dr. Rowley has focused her research and clinical work on adapting evidence-based assessment and intervention to children with social and emotional challenges and their families. She has also authored many papers and presentations on anxiety disorders, PCIT, and ASD.
One of Dr. Rowley's primary clinical interests is conducting neuropsychological assessment with children, adolescents, and young adults with co-occurring social and emotional difficulties and executive functioning challenges. Through this, she works to understand and explain how an individual's neurocognitive profile contributes to their symptoms of emotion dysregulation and learning challenges.
Job Titles:
- Director of Couples Therapy Services
Job Titles:
- Director of Autism Spectrum Disorder Services
- Director of Autism Spectrum Disorder Services, Clinical Training & Research and Professional Development
Dr. Jerskey is a Licensed Psychologist in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She is the Director of Clinical Training and the Director of Research and Professional Development at the Boston Child Study Center. Dr. Jerskey has co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and has published in a variety of neurology and neuropsychological journals including JAMA Neurology, Neuropsychology, and Brain and Behavior. In addition to her work at BCSC, Dr. Jerskey is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She has been awarded funding supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Epilepsy Foundation.
Trained in both pediatric and adult neuropsychology, Dr. Jerskey graduated from Boston University with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She completed her clinical internship in neuropsychology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and a T32 postdoctoral fellowship through the Alpert Medical School of Brown University's Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Clinical Psychology Training Consortium. In 2012, Dr. Jerskey received advanced clinical/research training in the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Second Edition (ADOS-2) and is research reliable on this gold standard measure for autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Currently, Dr. Jerskey has clinical interest primarily with children ages 2-14.
Dr. Jerskey's research centers around ethical considerations in the field of psychology and currently she sits on the Massachusetts Autism Commission's subcommittee for children Birth - 14 years old, is the APA Federal Advocacy Coordinator for the state of Massachusetts, is a member and past Chair of the Massachusetts Psychological Association's Ethics Committee, and is Chair of the Rhode Island Psychological Association's Ethics Committee. She also is a standing member in Butler Hospital's Institutional Review Board. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association Division 40 (Neuropsychology), and The International Neuropsychological Society in addition to her membership to the Rhode Island Psychological Association and Massachusetts Psychological Association.
Job Titles:
- Director of Trauma Informed Cognitive Behavioral Services
- Psy.D.Director of Trauma - Informed Cognitive Behavioral Services
Dr. Brian Denietolis is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Trauma Informed Cognitive Behavioral Services. Prior to joining the BostonChild Study Center, Dr. Denietolis served severely traumatized and psychologically suffering adolescents and families at the UMass Adolescent Continuing Care Unit, a longer-term inpatient psychiatric facility that is the highest level of care in the state of Massachusetts. While at UMass, Dr. Denietolis functioned as staff psychologist, Clinical Director, and Senior Program Director for over a decade. It was there that he developed an unwavering commitment to joining children, adolescents, and families in their efforts to capitalize upon their skills and strengths while also cultivating a life worth living.
Dr. Denietolis's primary specialization is in the diagnosis and treatment of both acute and complex developmental trauma. He is extensively trained in multiple trauma-focused interventions, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Attachment, Regulation and Competence (ARC), Cognitive Restructuring for PTSD (CR-PTSD), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and the Integrated Treatment for Complex Trauma in Adolescents (ITCT-A).
In addition, Dr. Denietolis has a broad range of experience using evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents with behavioral disorders, disruptive mood disorders, and anxiety disorders. He is extensively trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Depression, Anxiety, and Disordered Eating; Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD (ERP); Motivational Interviewing; Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for Children with Disruptive Behaviors (PCIT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents. He also has extensive experience utilizing family therapy modalities to cultivate lasting change (i.e., structural family therapy; functional family therapy).
Dr. Denietolis earned his master's degree and doctorate in clinical psychology from Antioch University New England. He completed his pre and postdoctoral training at the Dartmouth Psychology Internship Program through Dartmouth Medical School. Dr. Denietolis maintains a voluntary faculty appointment at UMass Medical School, where he has served as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics since 2012 and 2014 respectively. He has previously held teaching positions at Dartmouth Medical School and Antioch University New England. Dr. Denietolis has been an invited guest lecturer at multiple colleges and universities in New England, and he has co-authored book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles on trauma, psychosis, and evidence-based treatments for traumatized adolescents in residential care.
In addition to his work at BCSC, Dr. Kavanaugh is a pediatric neuropsychologist at E. P. Bradley Hospital and an Assistant Professor in the Deparment of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He is board certified in clinical neuropsychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology.
He completed his doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Antioch University New England, a pediatric neuropsychology internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and a pediatric neuropsychology fellowship at E. P. Bradley Hospital/Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
His research utilized electroencephalography, non-invasive brain stimulation, and behavioral tools to measure and modulate the mechanisms underlying neurocognitive deficits in children and adolescents. He has published 37 peer-reviewed papers and his research has been funded by the American Psychological Association, Thrasher Research Fund, Rhode Island Foundation, and the Advance Clinical Translational Research Program.
Job Titles:
- PEDIATRIC & CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Job Titles:
- Director of Innovation & Program Development
Dr. Christopher Rutt is the Director of Innovation and Program Development at the Boston Child Study Center (BCSC). He specializes in providing evidence-based treatment, including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and DBT PTSD, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). He has expertise treating a range of behavioral and emotional disorders, including anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and Borderline Personality Disorder. At BCSC, Dr. Rutt works with individual clients, conducts family therapy, serves as a caregiver coach/liaison for parents and caregivers, and leads weekly group therapy for parents and caregivers. Dr. Rutt has over 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families in multiple settings including outpatient, residential, wilderness, and inpatient treatment centers.
As a licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Rutt completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame, holds master's degrees in psychology from Harvard University and Boston University, and received his PhD in clinical psychology from Harvard University. He completed his predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology with Geisinger Health System in central and northeastern Pennsylvania.
Dr. Rutt has additional expertise in health and sleep related problems. As a postdoctoral fellow, he was a member of Geisinger's Pediatric Multidisciplinary Sleep Clinic where he provided assessment and intervention for sleep problems in collaboration with pediatric pulmonology, neurology, and nutrition/weight-management. Dr. Rutt currently provides individualized assessment, consultation, and treatment for sleep-related problems at BCSC. Additionally, Dr. Rutt was part of the pediatric integrated behavioral health care team at Geisinger Health System. In this role, he was embedded in primary care physicians' offices, and worked collaboratively with pediatricians, specialty medical providers, and nurses to address behavioral and mental health needs of children and families. During this time, he received comprehensive training with various pediatric problems including toilet training, selective eating, pain management, medication adherence, pill-swallowing, and sleep difficulties. Dr. Rutt was a guest on the James Beard Award-winning podcast, The Sporkful, for his insight and expertise into picky eating in children.
Dr. Rutt continually works towards expanding on his experience working with LGBTQ+ individuals. He has participated in multiple trainings following the curriculum of the Safe Zone Project and served as a train-the-trainer for Geisinger Health System's department of Diversity and Inclusion. In this role, Dr. Rutt co-facilitated multiple Safe Zone/LGBTQ+ trainings at community-based outpatient primary care clinics throughout central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Dr. Rutt helped to develop and co-lead a monthly LGBTQ+ support group for adolescents and their caregivers during his time as a postdoctoral fellow. In addition, he has extensive experience providing outpatient psychotherapy to LGBTQ+ youths to assist with questions related to gender and sexuality as well as comorbid psychiatric difficulties.
In addition to clinical responsibilities, Dr. Rutt teaches at the Harvard University Extension School, and has previously held teaching positions at Harvard College where he received the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning Certificate of Distinction in Teaching award. Dr. Rutt has been a guest lecturer at multiple colleges and universities, and he has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on mental health and evidence-based psychotherapy.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist
- Member of the PCIT / Young Child
Dr. Ellyn Schmidt is a Licensed Psychologist at Boston Child Study Center. She is also a Licensed and Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). Dr. Schmidt specializes in working with preschool and elementary age children, their families, and their teachers to address a wide variety of challenges including disruptive behaviors, attention problems, anxiety, selective mutism, and emotion regulation difficulties, as well as social and behavioral challenges related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She also has a background in early childhood assessment, including assessment for ASD.
Dr. Schmidt completed her undergraduate education at Wellesley College where she graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in psychology. She then worked for 3 years as a research assistant and lab manager at the Lab for Developmental Studies at Harvard University. Dr. Schmidt then completed her M.A and PhD. in School Psychology at Northeastern University. During this time, she completed clinical training within elementary and preschools in the Newton Public School system as well as at the Center for Children with Special Needs at Tufts Children's Hospital. Dr. Schmidt's predoctoral training concluded with an APA accredited internship in Clinical Child and Pediatric Psychology at the Mailman Center for Child Development within the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine. Her primary placement was in the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) clinic, and she also completed rotations in early childhood ASD assessment, the Project ImPACT intervention for young children with ASD and related social communication delays, developmental assessment of children birth to 3 years, and Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT). Dr. Schmidt continued at the University of Miami for a clinical and research postdoctoral fellowship focused on continuing to develop expertise in PCIT along with implementing and evaluating TCIT in early childhood special education preschools with educators and allied health professionals.
Dr. Schmidt's research broadly focuses on developing, implementing, and evaluating interventions that aim to improve the behavioral and physical health of young children. She is currently involved in further expanding and evaluating a preschool-based program to promote physical activity among children with ASD that she developed with her doctoral advisor, Dr. Jessica Hoffman. She also continues to collaborate with colleagues at the University of Miami on developing and evaluating a social emotional and behavioral multitiered system of support within early childhood special education centers. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed papers and conference presentations focused on these topics.
At BCSC, Dr. Schmidt is a member of the PCIT/Young Child, Selective Mutism, and Early ASD Assessment teams, providing clinical services to young children and their families. She is certified as both a PCIT therapist and a within-agency PCIT trainer through PCIT International, and is clinically trained in treatment adaptations of PCIT for anxiety (PCIT-CALM) and ASD. With children over 8 years, she provides cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and behavioral interventions. She also has extensive experience consulting to classroom teachers and school staff regarding the implementation of TCIT and other evidence-based behavioral strategies to address disruptive behavior and emotion regulation challenges. In her clinical work, Dr. Schmidt values providing evidence-based treatment, developing authentic connections, engaging in collaborative decision making, and building upon client strengths to support them in reaching their goals.
Job Titles:
- Director of Clinical Outreach
- Director of Community Outreach
Dr. Eric R. Benson is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and the Director of Clinical Outreach at the Boston Child Study Center. Prior to coming to the Boston Child Study Center, Dr. Benson had worked in a variety of school and hospital settings. These positions have included working as the Staff Psychologist for the McLean/Franciscan Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, and as the Clinical Director for the UMass Adolescent Continuing Care Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, an extended-stay inpatient unit that is the highest level of care offered by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.
In his role as the Director of Community Outreach, Dr. Benson develops collaborative relationships with schools, hospitals, and other community agencies to reach youth and families in need across the state.
As a clinician, Dr. Benson offers an attachment-based, developmentally sensitive approach that integrates evidenced-based treatments and maximizes therapeutic outcomes. He effectively uses humor and strength-based techniques to establish trusting relationships with youth and provides Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy to support them in overcoming a variety of challenges. Dr. Benson has specialized training in the areas of trauma and mood disorders as well as suicidal and non-suicidal self-injury. Additionally, Dr. Benson has extensive training in using Applied Behavior Analysis and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy to help caregivers support young children with disruptive behavior disorders.
Dr. Benson received his B.S. in Psychology with Neuroscience Track from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst before earning his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Kansas. Additionally, Dr. Benson has a M.S.Ed. in Intensive Special Needs Education from Simmons College and is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). He has presented at national conferences and co-authored several publications on school-based mental health interventions, pediatric obesity, and positive psychology. Dr. Benson has given invited conference presentations on the topic of restraint reduction, and has worked as a consultant on this initiative in school and inpatient settings.
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Clinical Director
- Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Jill Bloom is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Boston Child Study Center where she provides evidence-based treatment to adolescents, young adults, and parents. She specializes in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders and emotion dysregulation using cognitive behavior therapy and dialectical behavior therapy.
Dr. Bloom earned her B.S. in psychology and child development from Tufts University before earning her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Suffolk University. She completed her predoctoral internship at Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance where she treated patients in the child and adolescent outpatient clinic. She completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital's Adolescent Acute Residential Treatment (ART) program, where she provided treatment to adolescents within an acute treatment setting.
Following her fellowship, Dr. Bloom served as a staff psychologist at McLean's ART and Partial Hospital Program (PHP). Dr. Bloom has extensive experience treating adolescents struggling with mood disorders, anxiety, and emotion dysregulation using CBT and DBT. She also has a special expertise in parent coaching to support children and adolescents' gains in treatment.
Job Titles:
- Director of Early Childhood Services
- Director of Parent - Child Interaction Therapy
- DIRECTOR of PARENT - CHILD INTERACTION THERAPY & YOUNG CHILD SERVICES
Dr. Joshua Masse is the Director of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Young Child Services at the Boston Child Study Center. He is one of twenty global trainers certified by PCIT International and served as the Chair of the Policy and Advocacy Task Force for PCIT-I. He is licensed as a clinical psychologist in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island and is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
He received his Ph.D. in clinical child psychology from West Virginia University where he worked under the mentorship of Dr. Cheryl McNeil, the co-author of the PCIT book series. Dr. Masse completed his pre-doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, the pediatric teaching hospital of Northwestern University.
Dr. Masse's clinical and research interests lie broadly in examining the effectiveness of evidence-based treatments for young children with a wide range of challenging behaviors. In addition, his work focuses on the effectiveness of dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices in community-based settings.
Dr. Masse has extensive experience with the consultation and training of evidence-based treatments and has trained over 200 licensed clinicians and clinical trainees in PCIT. He provides consultation to clinicians at medical centers and mental health agencies across the country. He presents research and invited talks at conferences and workshops locally and nationally.
Dr. Masse also has experience with Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT) and oversaw the development, training, and implementation of a state-wide TCIT dissemination project. He is part of the International Child Adult Relationship Enhancement Collaborative (iCARE) focusing on the development and proliferation of the CARE model to a wide of range of professionals.
Job Titles:
- CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Julie L. Ryan is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at BCSC specializing in evidence-based treatment for anxiety, behavioral, and mood disorders in children and adolescents. She also specializes in DBT parent coaching and family therapy. She has received extensive training and experience practicing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Parent Management Training (PMT).
In addition to her position at BCSC, Dr. Ryan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at William James College and a core faculty member in the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience concentration at WJC. She received her Ph.D. from the State University of New York, at Albany. She completed her predoctoral internship at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in Bronx, NY. She was a postdoctoral Clinical Research Fellow at New York University Medical Center, Child Study Center, the Anita Saltz Institute for Anxiety and Mood Disorders. She has been on the faculty of New York University (adjunct) and Fairleigh Dickinson University, and served as FDU's Associate Director of Clinical Training in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral program.
Job Titles:
- Director of Radically Open - Dialectical Behavioral Therapy ( RO - DBT ) Services
- Director of Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- DIRECTOR of RO DBT SERVICES
Dr. Kathryn Roeder is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Director of Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT) Services at the Boston Child Study Center. She specializes in treating adolescents and adults with mood disorders, PTSD, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, perfectionism, and excessive self-control. Dr. Roeder is intensively trained in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO DBT), prolonged exposure for PTSD (DBT-PE), and cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT).
Dr. Roeder graduated with honors from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in psychology. Following graduation, she worked as a research assistant at the University of Michigan Depression Center and the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center, where she contributed to research projects to reduce suicide risk among veterans and develop adjunctive treatments for individuals with chronic depression. She completed her graduate studies at Vanderbilt University, earning a Doctorate of Psychology with a specialization in child and adolescent psychology. Throughout graduate school, Dr. Roeder's research and clinical training focused on the development of depression and suicide risk in children and adolescents.
Dr. Roeder completed her predoctoral internship at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University in Chicago, IL and her postdoctoral fellowship at BCSC, where she received intensive clinical training and supervision in DBT, CBT, RO DBT, and exposure-based therapies.
One of Dr. Roeder's clinical interests is treating adolescents and young adults with emotional overcontrol. Self-control is typically viewed as a positive trait; however, when it comes to self-control, sometimes we can have too much of a good thing! Excessive self-control, or overcontrol, can lead to emotional suffering and social disconnection, and it is associated with chronic depression, anorexia nervosa, chronic anxiety, certain types of personality disorders, and perfectionism. Dr. Roeder is the first psychologist in Massachusetts to be intensively trained in radically open dialectical behavior therapy (RO DBT), an evidence-based treatment specifically developed for individuals with emotional overcontrol. Dr. Roeder leads the RO DBT skills group at BCSC and is involved with ongoing efforts to adapt RO DBT for younger populations.
Dr. Lianna Wilson is a licensed clinical psychologist at Boston Child Study Center. She provides evidence-based treatments for a wide range of anxiety, mood, and disruptive behavior disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults, as well as provides support and skills to their families. Dr. Wilson completed her undergraduate degree at Wellesley College with her B.A. in psychology and Latin. After completing her M.A. in psychology at Boston University, Dr. Wilson received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Judge Baker Children's Center in the Center for Effective Child Therapy.
Dr. Wilson has gained significant clinical experience in treating a variety of mental health challenges and has worked extensively with children and their families, adolescents, and adults using a range of evidence-based treatments, including behavioral parent training, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), child-parent psychotherapy (CPP), and comprehensive behavioral therapy for tics (CBIT).
She is an active member of the ACT, PCIT, and Selective Mutism (SM) teams and is a Certified Therapist in both MATCH-ADTC (modular approach to therapy for children with anxiety, depression, trauma, conduct problems) as well as PCIT through PCIT International. She is clinically trained in treatment adaptations of PCIT for anxiety (PCIT-CALM) and Selective Mutism (PCIT-SM) as well as experience with PCIT for emotion coaching and emotional development (PCIT-ED). Dr. Wilson also works with older children with SM using cognitive behavioral therapy, exposures, and parent coaching. In addition, Dr. Wilson has substantial experience consulting with schools and teachers regarding internalizing and externalizing concerns, with training in Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT). During her doctoral internship at Community Healthlink - Youth and Family Services, she provided behavioral health consultation and training for families and educators around Central Massachusetts as part of the Together For Kids (TFK) Program, funded by the Department of Early Education and Care's (EEC) Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Grant.
Dr. Wilson's research has focused on the structure and implementation of treatments for externalizing behaviors, including investigating symptom changes related to participation in a modified multi-family DBT group for children ages 8-11 with emotion dysregulation. In addition, Dr. Wilson assisted in research on the implementation of school-based group behavioral activation therapy (GBAT) for children with mood and anxiety disorders. Her research interests currently center on improving interventions in schools and working with teachers to increase self-efficacy around managing and addressing externalizing behaviors as well as outcomes related to participation in PCIT. Dr. Wilson has presented her work at annual conferences and is a member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT).
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR of DBT PROGRAM
- Associate Director of Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Director of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy ( DBT ) Services
- Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School
Dr. Moran is the Associate Director of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) at the Boston Child Study Center. She specializes in evidence-based cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and dialectical behavior therapy prolonged exposure (DBT PE) for adolescents and young adults with difficulties in emotion regulation, mood and anxiety disorders, PTSD, complex trauma, and co-occurring suicidal behaviors and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI).
Dr. Moran received her B.A. in Psychology and Neuroscience at Dartmouth College before earning her Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology at the University of Washington. At the University of Washington, she completed a three-year advanced clinical practicum in DBT under the supervision of DBT's creator, Dr. Marsha Linehan. She has also completed Behavioral Tech's advanced training in DBT + Prolonged Exposure for PTSD with co-occurring life-threatening behaviors. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
In addition to her work at the Boston Child Study Center, Dr. Moran is an instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School and is a research consultant and clinical supervisor at McLean Hospital. Dr. Moran's research, which has been published and presented at numerous national conferences, focuses on developmental processes connecting emotion reactivity and regulation to risk and resilience across child development, as well as clinical evaluations of the effectiveness of DBT.
Job Titles:
- CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
- Co - Leader
Dr. André is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Boston Child Study Center, where she provides evidence-based cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for youth and families with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, selective mutism, mood, and attention disorders. In addition, Dr. André is fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Haitian Creole and has experience in providing culturally-sensitive interventions for individuals and their families.
Dr. André graduated with honors from Williams College where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish. After two years of doing research with children and young adults with neurodevelopmental disorders at Boston University, she remained in Boston to pursue her graduate training at Suffolk University where she earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Throughout graduate school, Dr. André received extensive clinical training at McLean Hospital Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute, Boston University Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD), Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, ABCD Head Start, and Neuropsychology and Education Services for Children and Adolescents (NESCA). She also conducted clinical work at a community health center in Quito, Ecuador through the Ecuador Professional Preparation Program.
Dr. André completed her predoctoral internship at Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, where she rotated in the emergency department, the psychiatry outpatient clinic, the neuropsychology department, the atopic dermatitis center, and the psychiatry consultation service. Her primary placements were in the outpatient clinic, where she provided individual therapy to children and adolescents in English and Spanish, and in the psychiatry consultation service where she conducted psychiatric evaluations and brief interventions for children, adolescents, and young adults with a range of medical and psychiatric conditions. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at BCSC, where she received intensive training in CBT, DBT, PCIT as well as evidence-based interventions for selective mutism.
Dr. André is co-leader for the socio-emotional learning group for young children and the DBT skills training group for middle-schoolers. She is also an active member of BCSC's selective mutism team and she attends the SMA and PCIT conferences regularly.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Psychologist
- DBT Therapist
- Director of Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, & Inclusion
Pamela Buck, PhD is a clinical psychologist at the Boston Child Study Center - Boston. Studied at Georgetown University - School of Foreign Service (BS), University at Albany (BA), Duke University (MA/PhD), Durham VA Medical Center (predoctoral internship), Portland DBT Institute (postdoctoral residency). Grew up in Vermont, graduated from Northfield-Mt. Hermon School, studied abroad in Egypt and Israel during college. Lived, worked and visited 29 countries.
Expertise providing cognitive behavioral therapies in English and Spanish to individuals, groups and families, focusing on treatment of multi-diagnostic, high-risk and suicidal individuals. Additional clinical areas of expertise include mood, anxiety, personality, substance use and eating disorders. Expertise in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and evidence-based treatments for PTSD, including Prolonged Exposure (PE), DBT-PE and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). Former Manager of the DBT-PTSD Treatment Team at the Portland DBT Institute, Portland, OR. Facilitated CBT and intensive DBT workshops for mental health professionals in the US, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. Language proficiency in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and Arabic.
Research interests include mindfulness-based treatments, recovery from trauma, and global mental health treatment dissemination and implementation aimed at expanding the delivery of evidence-based treatments to underserved populations. For her dissertation, Dr. Buck developed a paraprofessional training program to train religious and community leaders to support individuals with depression, including participants from Thailand, Burma, Nepal and Bhutan.
Dr. Kaplan-Levy is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Boston Child Study Center, where she provides evidence-based cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for youth and families with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, mood, disruptive behavior, and attention disorders.
Dr. Kaplan-Levy graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Math. She received a Master of Arts in Psychology in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and then stayed in New York City to work as a research coordinator in the New York University Child Study Center's Institute for Prevention Science. Dr. Kaplan-Levy assisted with a federally- and state-funded study of a family-centered, school-based preventive intervention focused on fostering healthy development among young children living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Dr. Kaplan-Levy earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. During this time, Dr. Kaplan-Levy received specialized training in psychological assessment at the Cambridge Health Alliance Child Assessment Unit; exposure and response prevention (ExRP) at the McLean Anxiety Mastery Intensive Outpatient Program (MAMP); and comprehensive cognitive behavioral therapy for youth with anxiety and depressive disorders at the Center for Effective Child Therapy at the Judge Baker Children's Center.
Dr. Kaplan-Levy completed her pre-doctoral internship at Andrus Children's Center in Yonkers, New York. During internship, Dr. Kaplan-Levy provided individual, group, and family therapy and conducted neuropsychological assessments in a community mental health setting. Dr. Kaplan-Levy completed her post-doctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital's Adolescent Acute Residential Treatment (ART) program, where she provided treatment to adolescents within an acute treatment setting.
Dr. Sue Woodward is a licensed psychologist and certified health service provider as well as the Director of Operations at the Boston Child Study Center. She is intensively trained in parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), dialectical behavior therapy prolonged exposure (DBT PE), and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). She is also an Instructor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Until July 2018, she held an appointment at Judge Baker Children's Center at Harvard Medical School where she was the Director of Clinical Services, including Director of the Center for Effective Child Therapy and Co-Director of Next Step: College Success & Independent Living, and she also provided oversight for the Summer Enrichment Institute. In addition, she taught and supervised trainees and community clinicians in the Modular Approach to Therapy for Children with Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, or Conduct Problems (MATCH-ADTC) and other empirically-based interventions.
Dr. Woodward received her bachelor's degree in human biology at Stanford University where she earned the Firestone Medal for Excellence in Research. Dr. Woodward earned her master's degree and doctorate in psychology from Harvard University. She has authored and co-authored several scientific articles on the biological bases of temperament in children and has presented research findings at national conferences.
Dr. Woodward specializes in evidence-based assessment and treatment of anxiety and disruptive behavior disorders and has also received extensive training in cognitive-behavioral approaches for the treatment of youth depression and trauma. Dr. Woodward has developed group-based social skills interventions for youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and has been the project director for numerous grants aimed at improving the quality of care for youth with ASD. Additionally, she lectures to parent groups, schools, and colleagues. Dr. Woodward is an active member of the Association for Behavioral & Cognitive Therapies and the American Psychological Association.
Job Titles:
- LCSW CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK FELLOW
Job Titles:
- Practice Manager - Natick & West Boylston
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Consultant
- SENIOR DBT CONSULTANT & PARENT COACH
Janna Hobbs is Senior DBT Consultant and Parent Coach at the Boston Child Study Center where she provides direct care to families, supervision of clinical trainees in DBT, and expert consultation to the DBT program. A Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, she is trained in and has extensive experience in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and family work. Janna graduated from the University of New Hampshire and worked in higher education prior to getting her graduate degree from Simmons College in 1985. She worked at the Hall Mercer Center for Children and Adolescents at McLean Hospital, doing individual and family work, inpatient and outpatient. She gained further experience on an inpatient unit that treated young adults with bi-polar and other major mental illnesses. She then worked in McLean's residential programs, helping patients transition out of hospital settings. Janna moved into leadership roles, becoming Program Director of an adult residence and then Center Director of a combined residence and partial hospital program. She was first introduced to DBT and trauma work when she joined the staff of the Women's Treatment Program at McLean. She left the hospital in 1997 to be the Director of Clinical Services at Germaine Lawrence in Arlington, a non-profit residential treatment center for adolescents and young women.
Janna returned to McLean Hospital in 2007 to co-found 3East, the first residential intensive DBT unit for suicidal and self-injuring adolescents. She acted as Program Director of the premier unit and Director of Clinical Services of the Continuum, and was part of the leadership team that developed, implemented and supervised a partial hospital program, several step down units, a residence in the community and outpatient DBT. Her clinical work in this setting was primarily with parents, including individual parent guidance, coaching, and running parent skills groups. She currently serves as Senior Consultant for the Continuum.
Janna values training and developing new clinicians. Throughout her career she has supervised interns, post-docs and mental health workers. Janna has also maintained a private practice with a focus on individual psychotherapy and parent guidance. Her broad experience working with different diagnoses, treatments, and directing different levels of care informs her assessments and treatment planning.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Job Titles:
- Psy.D.Director of Selective Mutism Services
Job Titles:
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Job Titles:
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Job Titles:
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Medina Ejaz is a DBT/CBT Therapist at the Boston Child Study Center where she specializes in providing individual therapy, group therapy, parent coaching, and family therapy to youth and young adults within BCSC's DBT, CBT, Trauma, and PCIT services. Medina is formally trained and certified in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and carries her Level I and Level II certification in Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. In addition to her certifications, she utilizes CBT, DBT, DBT-PTSD and TF-CBT interventions to support her practice. Medina maintains her licensure as a Master Social Worker (LMSW) in the state of New York and is an independently licensed Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in Massachusetts.
Medina attended The State University at Buffalo where she received her Bachelor of Science in Sociology in 2015 and Master of Social Work in 2017. During her collegiate career, Medina fulfilled her role as a Graduate Student Intern at Women and Children's Hospital, now John R. Oishei Children's Hospital, where she provided care to new parents with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Medina completed her internship at a North Tonawanda City Elementary School, providing in-school social and emotional interventions to at-risk youth.
After graduation, Medina began her career as a Child and Family Therapist in Buffalo, New York. There, she spent over three years applying evidence-based interventions to treat children, adolescents, and teens struggling with PTSD, depression, and anxiety, among other challenges. While educating families on the perpetual responses of trauma left untreated, Medina prides herself in providing effective trauma-informed care, necessary in improving overall quality of life.
Medina strives to provide supportive and collaborative therapeutic relationships. Her passion is revealed in the authentic connections that she builds with her clients. Medina supports her clients in enhancing their existing strengths while introducing new tools and opportunities, ultimately walking alongside her clients as they reach their treatment goals.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Social Work Fellow
Meredith Davis is the Web Developer for BCSC and a Digital Strategy & Development Consultant and CEO of Excelerate Online, a digital strategy firm that specializes in website design, development, digital marketing and online digital management for entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized businesses. As Founder & CEO of Excelerate Online, Meredith brings a fresh perspective & passion for helping budding & seasoned entrepreneurs and small businesses accelerate their brand in new ways and take their business to a new level. She'll help you build your online presence, excel your brand and grow your business-quickly and efficiently.
Based in Texas, Meredith works with clients all over the United States, including New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin, and has worked with clients virtually on an on-going basis. With an extensive marketing background working with various clients, Meredith has a unique approach to deliver results in diverse industries, including medical, dental, psychotherapy, oil and gas, media publishing, large-scale community and corporate events, retail and e-commerce, aviation, real estate, entrepreneurial projects, and more. She is able to see the unique selling points in each business and create a digital presence specific to each client.
Meredith holds a Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations from the University of Texas at Austin, a Business Foundations Certification from the University of Texas at Austin, a Webmaster Programming Certification, and continues her education in Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Programming Design and Marketing Data Analytics.
Job Titles:
- Psy.D.Director of Intensive Outpatient Services
Job Titles:
- COORDINATOR of INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT SERVICES, CLINICAL & RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Job Titles:
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Licensed Applied Behavior Analyst
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR of BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
As the Director of Business Development for BCSC Boston, Los Angeles, and Maine. Olivia works closely with the Founder/Director, Dr. Ryan Madigan to plan and direct all administrative, financial, and business activities. Drawing from her experiences in business and studies in public health, Ms. MacDonald is a trusted business advisor to Dr. Madigan and his partners.
Olivia also collaborates with the Boston Operations team, Clinical Director, and staff to support clinical and business functions. She manages the on-boarding of new staff members and trainees, supports general office procedures, coordinates new referrals, oversees patient records, event planning, as well as scheduling for Dr. Madigan.
Prior to joining the BCSC team, Olivia earned her bachelors of Health Science degree at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. After her matriculation, she was employed by Partners HealthCare System working in the office of Continuing Medical Education, where she worked alongside various physicians in the Boston area to create and promote Partners HealthCare medical programs.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Social Work Fellow
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Paige DeSisto is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Paige earned her undergraduate degree from Northeastern University and received her Master's Degree from the Boston College School of Social Work. She has gained clinical experience in a diverse range of settings such as Mclean Hospital's Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Institute (OCDI), Massachusetts General Hospital Outpatient Obstetrics, and Cameron Middle School in Framingham, Massachusetts.
She has experience treating a wide range of diagnoses including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related disorders such as Trichotillomania (hair pulling), Dermatillomania (skin picking), Somatic Disorder, Illness Anxiety Disorder (health anxiety), and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). She incorporates a number of evidenced-based therapeutic treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
Job Titles:
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Richard Wiggill is a Behavioral Tech-trained dialectical behavior therapist (DBT) at the Boston Child Study Center, where he provides evidence-based DBT, ACT, and CBT services. In addition, he is trained in DBT prolonged exposure (DBT PE) and DBT-PTSD - both evidence-based treatment protocols for addressing trauma and co-occurring suicidal behaviors.
He specializes in the treatment of anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder, mood and behavior disorders, and problems related to impulsivity and emotion dysregulation. Richard's active and dynamic style allows him to engage clients in the therapeutic process, assisting in the development of an open and genuine client-therapist relationship-a cornerstone of effective treatment.
Richard earned his graduate degree at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA and completed his pre-graduate training through Dedham High School and the Home for Little Wanderers Longview Farm, where he provided individual therapy, group therapy, CANS assessments, and case management to youth and adolescents in public and residential school settings.
Prior to his work at BCSC, Richard received supervised training in individual DBT, DBT skills training and DBT skills integration groups, and parent coaching by Lin-Ann Ching, LICSW, founder and director of The Middle Path and co-director of Boston Child Study Center-Los Angeles. In addition, Richard facilitated DBT groups at the adult dual diagnosis partial hospitalization program at Arbour-Fuller Hospital and served as a team member at McLean Hospital's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Program (ADATP), where he implemented evidence-based treatment for patients with opiate, benzodiazepine, and alcohol use disorders.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Social Work Fellow
Sam Hollander is a Clinical Social Work Fellow at the Boston Child Study Center where he provides supervised direct patient care in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Sam is also an IOP therapist where he provides intensive individual CBT and DBT skills training, exposure coaching and DBT skills coaching.
Sam graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 2015, where he received his Bachelor's degree in Psychology. While at VMI Sam held multiple leadership positions and was tasked with the training and development of new cadets. From 2010 to 2016 Sam worked at McLean Hospital's Adolescent Residential Treatment Program as a Community Residence Counselor, where he was intensively trained in DBT gaining experience working with adolescents experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, self-injurious behaviors, suicidality, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In this position, Sam ran therapeutic groups and provided clinical support to residents and their families. In 2016 Sam moved to McLean's 3East program for boys, where he worked as the program's first Clinical Educator. In this role, Sam aided in the development of a Dialectical Behavior Therapy curriculum specifically designed for young men suffering from borderline personality disorder and other co-occurring disorders.
Sam is currently licensed in Massachusetts as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and is accruing hours towards his independent Social Work license under the supervision of Richard Wiggill, LICSW and Ryan Madigan, Psy.D. His clinical interests include: emotion dysregulation, suicidality, self-injurious behaviors, and trauma.
Job Titles:
- MEDICAL DIRECTOR
- PSYCHIATRIST
Saori Murakami is the Medical Director of the Boston Child Study Center and a board certified child and adolescent psychiatrist. Dr. Murakmi specializes in evidence-based treatment for anxiety disorders, behavior disorders, depression, trauma and emotion dysregulation disorders in children, adolescents, young adults and families.
Dr. Murakami earned her medical degree from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She completed her psychiatry residency at Harvard Medical School Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program and her Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital. Dr. Murakami is double board certified in psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry.
Before joining the Boston Child Study Center, Dr. Murakami served as the assistant medical director of the McLean-Franciscan Hospital Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program. Dr. Murakami provides evidence-based outpatient psychopharmacological consultations and treatment to BCSC families at our Natick, MA center. To learn more about Dr. Murakami or to schedule a consultation please call (617) 800-9610.
Job Titles:
- Independent Clinical Social Worker
- Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Sarah Jane is a licensed independent clinical social worker with extensive experience providing individual and family therapy for youth and families presenting with co-occurring problems and long-term distress. She integrates evidence-based treatment with a relationally oriented and authentic approach. Sarah Jane has training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Structural Family Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, evidence based trauma therapy approaches, and the Attachment, Regulation, and Competency model of care. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher and has experience integrating yoga into therapy practice. Sarah Jane graduated from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in 2003 where she engaged in research projects exploring traumatic grief in children with parental loss, disrupted emotion perception and trauma, and conducted structured interviews across multiple states with adolescents with problematic sexual behaviors.
Sarah Jane has worked in multiple settings including outpatient settings, residential schools, and was most recently a Clinical Director of the UMASS Medical School Adolescent Continuing Care Units where she worked for over 10 years. As a clinician and clinical supervisor on the Adolescent Continuing Care Unit, she provided intensive treatment for youth with complex emotional and behavioral difficulties that required longer term hospitalization. She has extensive experience providing treatment for youth and families with histories of multiple forms of trauma, chronic suicidality, atypical self-harm, major mental illness, and complex family dynamics. She has a special interest in walking alongside parents as they navigate parenting challenges and collaboration with providers, including a publication educating psychopharmacologists around the integration of family therapy approaches in medication management.
Sarah Jane has a subspecialty providing treatment for children and adolescents presenting with problematic sexual behavior and is a clinical member of the Association of the Treatment for Sexual Abusers. Sarah Jane was a clinician at Stetson School for six years providing individual, family, and group therapy for youth with sexual behavior problems. She has published, presented, and provides consultation with a special interest in the relationship between multiple forms of abuse and subsequent problematic sexual behavior. Sarah Jane is committed to implementing best practices to treat youth and families impacted by problematic sexual behavior with compassion and clarity.
Job Titles:
- Psy.D.Associate Director of Trauma Therapy Services
Job Titles:
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor