About Dr. V.
Clinical Expertise.
Dr. V. completed over 6,000 clinical training hours to become a licensed psychologist. Dr. V. completed her graduate training at the University of Minnesota, Institute of Child Development with a residency at Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital. After receiving her doctoral degree, Dr. V. received additional clinical mentorship at the Minnesota Epilepsy Group and the Institute for Translational Research in Children’s Mental Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Dr. V. has extensive experience providing psychotherapy and psychological assessments in outpatient office and hospital (medical inpatient and psychiatric intensive outpatient program) settings. She has treated individuals with chronic medical conditions, those experiencing somatic symptoms, individuals with anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, and PTSD, people experiencing significant loss and major life transitions, kids who have witnessed domestic violence, teens who refuse school, and many others. Dr. V. has also done a great deal of assessment, both neuropsychological and psychoeducational testing and psychological diagnostic evaluation. She has assessed individuals with chronic pain, psychosis, learning disabilities, dementia, multiple sclerosis, and many other neurodevelopmental, neurocognitive, and psychiatric conditions. She is a certified SIPS assessor, meaning she completed specialized training to evaluate psychosis spectrum conditions.
Dr. V. draws inspiration from her 15 years of experience witnessing youth, adults, and their families learn new ways to thrive under challenging circumstances. For Dr. V., this has been especially true working with individuals with significant symptoms of anxiety, depression, OCD, grief, and emotionally-based physical symptoms and pain conditions. Dr. V. has helped people learn to view their emotions and behaviors with self-compassion and reorient their lives in pursuit of personal goals and values.
Treatments That Work.
Dr. V. provides psychological services using “evidence-based” principles and techniques. This means she provides tailored services based on solid scientific evidence for efficacy and helpfulness. Dr. V. is committed to integrating the best current information about outcomes and treatments when working with individuals to develop collaborative treatment plans.
In the last 50 years, the scientific community has learned quite a bit about the ways in which psychotherapy benefits people experiencing a variety of difficulties. With Dr. V., you can expect to receive the latest interventions based on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), social skills training, and behavioral therapy.
Community Involvement and Leadership.
Dr. V. is regularly involved in the creation and dissemination of community programming for the general public. She was the chief content creator and events facilitator for the nonprofit organization Still Kickin’. In that role, she was responsible for overseeing the Still Kickin’ Club - a support community for individuals experiencing grief from recent losses.
Dr. V. deeply values education and currently serves as an evaluator at Groves Learning Organization. In this role, Dr. V. assesses psychoeducational profiles and determines appropriate interventions for students with learning and attention differences. She has also served as a professor, teaching a variety of courses at various institutions, including Psychopathology and Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy at the University of St. Thomas; Developmental Psychology: Lifespan Development and Child Development at Century College; and Adolescent Development, Social and Personality Development, and various clinical assessment and treatment didactics at the University of Minnesota. Her teaching philosophy is grounded in the belief that education is one of the most powerful tools, and all people deserve access to education. She uses a developmental and relational approach to teaching in order to promote active learning, critical thinking, and diversity and inclusion in the classroom.
Dr. V. is a published scientific author on topics concerning stress, childhood maltreatment, depression, cognitive behavioral therapy, adolescent substance use, parenting, genetics, and research methods .
Dr. V. is a certified yoga sculpt instructor who maintains a yoga practice for students. She enjoys infusing elements of mindfulness, distress tolerance, empowerment, compassionate self-care, and fun into her classes. As a former collegiate athlete (Albion College, Michigan), Dr. V. has personally found yoga to be a different kind of athletic experience. Yoga has allowed Dr. V. to better appreciate the close connections between our minds and our physical bodies and to use this connection in her therapy practice.
Education and Training
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology - University of Minnesota, Institute of Child Development
A.P.A.-Approved Clinical Internship - Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital
Post-doctoral Residency - Minnesota Epilepsy Group
Post-doctoral Residency - University of Minnesota, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Institute for Translational Research in Children's Mental Health
