About cathy
Cathy schaefer, ph.d.
Assessment Division Director at The Center for Connection & Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Cathy Schaefer is a Licensed Psychologist and Assessment Division Director at the CFC. She specializes in working with children and adolescents with developmental and behavioral issues, anxiety disorders (including PANDAS/PANS), selective mutism, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, self-esteem concerns, and adjustment disorders. She is passionate about working with adoptees and their families by addressing early traumas, supporting an open dialogue between parents and adoptees, and helping children to adjust to and accept their dual heritages.
Children do not grow up in isolation, and Dr. Cathy believes the most effective method in diagnostics and treatment is one that applies an ecological framework which accounts for the multiple settings in which children grow, and attempts to create cohesiveness across these settings. Creating collaborative partnerships with parents, teachers, and other caregivers is an integral component of her treatment plan.
Dr. Cathy’s philosophy is that children are best served through a multi-faceted lens that integrates evidence-based practices from interpersonal neurobiological, behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, and psychodynamic perspectives. She believes in treating children with integrity by recognizing their many capabilities; including the alternative ways in which they show us their needs. When working with children and adolescents, it is important to give them the tools and confidence to become their own active agents of change. She has had the privilege of supporting children in achieving improved quality of life; and empowering parents who may have previously lacked the tools to respond to their children effectively.
While Dr. Cathy received her doctorate in School Psychology from the University of Florida, with a specialization in Early Childhood Studies, she has also lived in Chicago, Michigan, and Texas prior to settling in California. She previously worked as a school psychologist in public school districts, and in private practices in LA and Houston. Dr. Cathy has extensive experience in providing school consultation services within the private and public sector. She has supported parents as they prepare for IEP and 504 plan meetings and attended school meetings to build collaborative partnerships with educators. Dr. Cathy has provided professional development to school staff and psychologists in local, state, and national trainings and conferences. She has consulted with early childhood education centers to implement universal screening programs that incorporate parent input.
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