Joanne Sparrow, PhD

I have worked in field of community mental health for several years and have provided therapeutic services to individuals, couples and families presenting with various challenges including mood/anxiety disorders, substance abuse/recovery issues, unresolved grief and trauma-related issues, parenting concerns and intellectual disabilities. I also have experience working in early intervention with young children (ages birth to three) and their caregivers and recognize the positive impact that secure parent-child relationships have on a child's cognitive and social-emotional development during the first three years of life. Creating a healthy bond between parent and child may not always be easy, however, especially when a parent/caregiver is struggling with recovery or experiencing bouts of depression or anxiety. Traumatic experiences and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder can also impact the parent-child relationship in significant ways and may impede a parent's ability to attune to her/his/their infant or toddler or to respond in ways that are sensitive and developmentally appropriate. My interest in the field of infant mental health involves examining the issues impacting the parent-child relationship and supporting parents in developing healthy relationships with their young children.

I have received training in several evidence-based practices (EBPs), including The Incredible Years, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Promoting First Relationships (PFR), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In addition, I am trained in the Families Moving Forward Program, an intervention designed for parents and caregivers of children (ages 4 to 13) with prenatal alcohol exposure histories or a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. In addition to my clinical training, I also have extensive experience in the administration and interpretation of a wide variety of neuropsychological assessments, having worked with both children and adults in hospital and VA settings.