Dr. Sarah Pittman (she/her)

Approach and Specialties

I am a licensed clinical psychologist who provides high quality, evidence-based care to my clients to treat a range of mental health concerns. I have a particular focus in treating children (ages 8 and up), teens, and young adults (up to age 30) who have experienced trauma and major life stress, have difficulties controlling their emotions and behaviors (e.g., tantrums or meltdowns), or are experiencing anxiety, irritability, and mood concerns. I also work with caregivers of younger children to build skills to manage disruptive behaviors. Examples of disorders that I frequently work with include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other trauma and stressor disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

I help clients learn skills to thrive in their lives using a warm and validating approach. Because each client I see is unique, I incorporate a strengths-based approach in my therapy to tailor evidence-based treatments to meet the individual needs of each client. I strive to create collaborative treatment goals and plans with each client that I work with. Although I use a range of evidence-based treatments, I particularly enjoy using dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT), and cognitive processing therapy (CPT). I am passionate about teaching clients skills to control their emotions and behaviors, reframe unhelpful thinking patterns, and improve their relationships.

In addition, I offer high-quality psychological assessments to children and teens aimed at clarifying diagnoses and providing tailored recommendations. My psychological evaluation specialties include emotional and behavioral concerns, trauma and stress, ADHD and executive dysfunction, and cognitive and intellectual difficulties.

Education and Training

I completed a Bachelor of Arts in psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a PhD in clinical psychology and a concentration in child and adolescent psychology. I completed my pre-doctoral clinical internship at Virginia Treatment Center for Children. After graduating, I completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Injury and Violence Prevention Program in the Department of Surgery at VCU.

I have extensive experience in providing evidence-based therapy to children, teens, and young adults to treat a range of mental health concerns. I have provided therapy and assessment services in a variety of settings, including inpatient psychiatric and medical hospitals, primary care clinics, specialty pediatric clinics (e.g., craniofacial, hematology/oncology), and private practices.