Rachel Lerner, Ph.D., PLLC

Dr. Lerner is a licensed psychologist who provides evidence-based therapy services for children, adolescents, and their families. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Clark University and completed her doctoral internship at Virginia Treatment Center for Children/Children’s Hospital of Richmond. She has experience providing individual, family, and group therapy to children and families in various settings and additionally has expertise in addressing a range of presentations, including ADHD, disruptive behaviors, anxiety, selective mutism, OCD, depression, trauma, and complex family dynamics. 

Dr. Lerner's primary orientation is rooted in an acceptance-based cognitive-behavioral (CBT) framework that focuses on improving quality of life and reducing symptoms. In treatment, she collaborates with caregivers and teachers to promote meaningful change in children’s lives. She additionally utilizes acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to facilitate effective actions, regulation of emotions, and present moment awareness. Dr. Lerner aims to cultivate an empathetic and caring environment to help children and families from all backgrounds understand the challenges they are dealing with and how best to handle them in line with their own values, supports, and strengths. 

Dr. Lerner is especially passionate about providing parenting support and working with young children and their caregivers. She is certified in parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), an evidence-based treatment for young children with behavioral difficulties. Through this treatment, she empowers caregivers to learn therapeutic skills that improve children’s attention and listening, reduce children’s tantrums, and strengthen the caregiver-child relationship. She also specializes in providing PCIT for Selective Mutism (PCIT-SM), which is an evidence-based treatment that helps children with selective mutism increase their brave talking and supplies parents with skills to support their child’s verbalizations. 

In her free time, Dr. Lerner enjoys spending time with her husband and their dog, reading, crocheting, and hiking.