Whether you are looking for support in managing your own anger or for support for your child/teen, I can help you or your child/teen learn skills to manage anger. People often assume that anger is a personal failing or an emotion to be avoided, which can be stressful and actually make anger worse. I focus on helping my clients understand their anger, validate anger when it's justified, challenge anger when it doesn't fit the situation, and learn skills to control anger. We will focus on controlling behavior and actions when angry, which may even involve practicing during or between sessions. As a result, you will feel more in-control of your anger and you'll have a healthier relationship with it. For parents/guardians who are seeking therapy for their child/teen, I will also help you learn skills to support your child/teen in controlling their anger. Having parent support can be extremely helpful for children and teens who are learning to control their anger.

Emotion regulation goes beyond anger and includes your ability to control the wide range of emotions and responses we experience as humans. Emotion dysregulation is difficulty controlling one's emotions and responses. I often work with clients of all ages in learning skills to identify their emotions, understand their cause, and learn skills to control or regulate their emotions. I enjoy teaching emotion regulation skills across the lifespan and take a warm, non-judgmental, and direct approach. I use a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to treat older children, teens, and adults who are learning to control their emotions.

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I specialize in treating depression in older children, teens, and adults. Many of my clients also have co-occurring anxiety and stress. I also enjoy working with clients experiencing depression in high-stress environments, such as challenging schools or jobs, which may result in burnout. I use a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to treat older children, teens, and adults who are battling with depression. CBT and DBT are evidence-based treatments that have been shown to treat depression across many age groups. During your or your child/teen's therapy, we will work together to identify healthy and useful coping skills, challenge unhelpful thoughts, and create a plan to re-engage in activities. I strive to combine compassion validation with actionable behaviors to create a lasting change in your mood. 

Suicidal thoughts and self-harm can be upsetting and cause significant distress to individuals and their loved ones. I also specialize in managing and treating suicidal thoughts and self-harming behavior in older children, teens, and adults. I have worked in acute psychiatric inpatient settings and am comfortable helping clients and their loved ones create and follow safety plans. I have worked with clients who have been recently discharged from intensive psychiatric settings. DBT is a particularly helpful treatment for suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

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Therapy for Stress

I enjoy working with folks who are experiencing stress and transitions and are feeling overwhelmed and burned out as a result. I use a warm and validating approach to help my client identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts, navigate stressful experiences, develop lasting coping skills and routines, and reclaim their life from stress. I use a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to treat older children, teens, and adults who are experiencing stress or burn out in their lives. We will work together to identify your treatment goals that will help reduce feelings of stress.

Therapy for Trauma and PTSD

I am passionate about helping individuals overcome and heal from trauma. In addition to traditional CBT and DBT, I use two evidence-based treatments to treat clients with trauma trauma:

• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is a version of CBT that is designed to treat trauma symptoms following traumatic experiences among children and teenagers. TF-CBT focuses on teaching relaxation skills and changing unhelpful and negative thoughts about the traumatic experience. Caregivers often participate and learn how to support and comfort their child/teen. TF-CBT typically takes about 12-16 sessions or about 3-4 months.

• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a type of CBT that was designed for teens and adults who experienced a traumatic event and have developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Clients learn to challenge negative and unhelpful beliefs about their traumatic experience. CPT is designed to be a brief treatment and typically lasts about 12 sessions or 3 months.

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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based form of cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on helping teens and adults manage intense emotions, reduce self-destructive behaviors, and improve relationships. DBT Skills Training groups focus on teaching the five core DBT skills for teenagers (Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, Walking the Middle Path, and Interpersonal Effectiveness). Dr. Pittman leads the DBT Skills Training groups at Richmond Family Psychology.

During Winter/Spring 2026, two skills groups are offered and run parallel to each other: DBT Skills Training for Teens, and DBT Skills Training for Parents/Caregivers. Groups run on Thursdays from February 5 - April 30, 2026. It is recommended, but not required, that both parents and teens sign up for their respective group. Group members will learn and practice the skills during group sessions and complete skills practice in between sessions. Handouts and worksheets will be provided.

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Parenting can be hard, especially when your child or teen struggles with their mental health, has trouble controlling their emotions, or has problematic behaviors. Your child/teen may already be in therapy, but you're wondering if there is anything else you can do to support them.

Children and teens with mental and behavioral health challenges often need a lot of support. Sometimes, individual therapy may not be enough to support them. Many parents/caregivers ask if there is anything else they can do to support their child or teen. Gaining additional skills or tools can be really useful for parents to help support their child/teen's well-being. Sometimes, it can be helpful to have another perspective, try new approaches, and talk through the concerns you have for your child/teen. These may even be the same strategies that their child/teen is learning.

I offer support and consultation to parents/caregivers who are wondering what else they can do to support their child/teen's mental health. These services are often time-limited (i.e., 8 sessions or fewer) and focused on a specific problem, such as maintaining safety after your child/teen's acute psychiatric hospitalization, navigating a major life change, managing challenging or risky behavior, managing social media use and screen time, or navigating school challenges. Parent support is based on cognitive behavior therapy and dialectical behavior therapy principles, which are treatment approaches with a strong base of supportive evidence.

Parent/Caregiver support is a highly tailored service and can look different based on each family's needs. We will often start by discussing how parents' own mental health is affected by their child/teen's challenges. We often discuss strategies you can use to improve the relationship and communication with your child/teen, and how to support your child/teen's emotional needs. If you're concerned about your child/teens behavior, we'll discuss strategies to create lasting behavior change, including how to increase desired behavior and decrease problematic or risky behavior. In many, but not all cases, it is strongly encouraged that your child/teen is also seeing their own therapist. 

These sessions are typically 45 to 50 minute sessions billed at my standard rate of $170 per session. In some cases, 30-minute sessions (billed at the rate of $102.50 per session) may be appropriate. I am happy to have a brief free phone call (15- to 20-minute) to discuss whether this service would be appropriate for you and your child/teen and to answer any questions. This service is designed to be short-term. Sessions can typically be held virtually or in-person at our office.

I offer high-quality psychological assessments to children and teens aimed at clarifying diagnoses and providing individualized recommendations. My assessment specialties include comprehensive, evidence-based psychological evaluation to differentiate between mood, anxiety, trauma, and behavioral concerns for diagnostic clarity, treatment planning, and identifying unique strengths and challenges. I also have extensive experience evaluating concerns of ADHD and executive dysfunction, as well as intellectual disabilities and cognitive strengths and weaknesses. I also provide private school admission testing for school across the Greater Richmond Area.

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