About The Author:
Clarissa Gosney,Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and is the founder of Pinnacle Counseling and Testing Center, with offices in Murrieta and San Diego, California. Pinnacle offers a variety of psychological testing services. In combination with their training and experience in working with individuals with Selective Mutism, they are able to offer a unique testing experience for individuals looking for evidence of need for academic or vocational accommodations.
Dr. Gosney also created “Outside Voice,” a camp for children and adolescents with Selective Mutism. At Outside Voice, counselors trained in the treatment of Selective Mutism use a combination of CBT, Exposure, and PCIT-SM skills to help campers overcome their anxiety about speaking with peers and new adults both in the classroom setting and in the community.
She helps children and adults overcome the mountain of anxiety and traumatic experiences that have left them feeling defeated. She does this by providing individuals and families the tools they need to conquer anxiety, regardless of where or how it presents itself. She helps clients face their fears head-on through cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapy, while helping them apply the tools they learned in session to help manage their anxiety. In doing so, they can prove to themselves that many situations are not as frightening as their anxiety makes them seem. Her goal is for her clients to experience the long-term benefits of hands-on, short-term therapy. This way, they learn how they can conquer life’s mountains independently without feeling dependent on long-term treatment.
Carla Nasca, Ph.D., is a post-doctoral fellow of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in the laboratory of Neuroendocrinology at the Rockefeller University, New York. Dr. Nasca received her B.A. in Molecular Biology and her M.S. in Electrophysiology from the University of Palermo in Italy. She earned her Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Pharmacology from the University Sapienza in Rome, Italy, before moving to The Rockefeller University under the mentorship of Dr. Bruce McEwen.