Exciting Announcement:
A person displaying this mark has met the certification requirements established by PCIT International to provide PCIT.
Introduction
Hi! My name is Alissa and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) who is passionate about helping young children and their families. I have a very unique skillset in that I work with children aged 2.5 to 8 years old and their caregivers to provide fast, effective, and long-term positive outcomes. I am one of the few Parent-Child Interaction Therapist (PCIT) providers in Saint Joseph and Elkhart county and I completed the Early Childhood Mental Health Intensive (ECMH) cohort through the Riley Child Development Center and Indiana University School of Medicine. This highly selective cohort focused on training providers to work with children 0 to 5 years old and their families. Often parents come to me feeling overwhelmed and defeated, thinking they are doing something “wrong” and that their child's behaviors reflect their inability to be a "good" parent. Or they share with me their child has been in therapy in the past but as the parent, they have no idea what was addressed or how to help their child because they were told to wait in the lobby. As a parent myself, I understand the pressures we ourselves, and society as a whole, place on trying to be the "perfect" parent. I partner with parents to find solutions to the needs of their young children while providing hope and empowerment. Over the course of my professional career, I have learned the biggest indicator that a child will make positive changes in therapy is if at least one parent is committed to, and actively involved in, the child's mental health. I believe you are the key to helping cultivate your child’s ability to manage their own behaviors and process their emotions. You are the expert in regard to your child. You know your child the best and you deeply care. You are not a failure.
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
About Me
I love integrating hands-on artistic elements into my practice and have fond memories from my home-based therapy positions of driving home after sessions with craft feathers floating around in my car and my arms covered in stickers. My first job post-graduate school was a community-based position working with juveniles on probation. I saw firsthand the effects of unresolved childhood trauma and the havoc it wreaks in the lives of teenagers and their families. It was clear to me early childhood intervention was vital to helping shape the trajectory of our youth.
My approach is attachment focused, parent affirmative, and centered in evidence-based practices. I specialize in working with child with attachment concerns, verbal and physical aggression, behavioral outbursts, attention difficulties, defiance and opposition, poor school performance, grief and loss, anxiety, depression and difficulty adjusting to life changes. I help parents find effective discipline solutions to manage the problem behaviors in their children. And have found many young children are eager to learn and eager to please their parents (even if it may not always seem that way). I help parents capitalize on this desire by facilitating an environment where the child can be successful in managing and coping with their behaviors and struggles.
I have worked in various settings with individuals of all ages. In the past I have been a hospice social worker, provided therapy services in the home and community, and facilitated sessions at a therapeutic boarding school for teenage girls. Most recently I held a child therapy position at Oaklawn in Elkhart, Indiana.
Advanced Trainings:
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Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
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Completed September 2018 & March 2019
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Obtained Certified PCIT Therapist status June 12, 2024
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Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
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Completed January 2015 & October 2019
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Early Childhood Mental Health Intensive, February 2022
Licenses and Certifications:
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Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
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Indiana License Number: 34008218A
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Active since 2018
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Florida License Number: SW14342
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Active since 2017
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Certified Parent Child Interaction Therapist (PCIT)
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Active since 2024
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Education:
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Master of Social Work (MSW) from Andrews University
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Graduated August 2013
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Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Andrews University
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Graduated May 2012
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Research Projects (under my maiden name Mayer)
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Peer-reviewed author:
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VanderWall, Curtis J.; Mayer, Alissa R.; Cooper, Krista; and Racovita-Szilagyi, Laura, "Balancing Justice and Mercy: Redemptive Ways of Dealing With Adolescent Substance Abuse" (2013). Faculty Publications. 6.
https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/socialwork-pubs/6-
December 2013
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P-09 The Relationship between Volunteering and Church Attendance and Retention among Seventh-day Adventist Faculty and Staff: Preliminary Findings
Authors: Curtis J. VanderWaal, John T. Gavin, Alissa R. Mayer, William Ellis-
November 2013
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B-1 Do Adventists Care about Their Communities? An Exploration of Personal Religious Practices and Community Service Involvement among SDA Faculty and Staff Authors: Curtis J. VanderWaal, Alissa R. Mayer, John T. Gavin
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November 2012
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Information
As parents of young children, when our little one is struggling it can be very disruptive to the whole family. Many of the families I work with are unable to take their child in public due to safety concerns for fear the child may run away and or exhibit extreme misbehavior. Once a week standard length therapy can seem unrealistic and be ineffective when dealing with children's rapidly changing developmental stages and quick, habit-forming problem behaviors. We need long-lasting, concrete solutions and we need them FAST! Therefore, I offer individual and family therapy sessions with a variety of intensive therapy options, as well as standard length sessions, based upon your family's unique needs and how quickly you would like to see results.
In-person sessions take place at my office located in South Bend, Indiana
Telemedicine sessions offered via a HIPAA approved video platform for clients residing in Indiana and Florida
Average Session Duration:
Diagnostic Evaluation/Intake: 1 hour & 30 minutes
Psychotherapy Session: 55 minutes
Psychotherapy intensives (1.5 or 2 hour) available for fast results
Professional presentations and in-services for local schools, agencies and businesses
Billing & Insurance
Accepting & In-Network with:
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Anthem BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS)
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Aetna
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Meritain
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Community Health Alliance (CHA)
I am happy to support you with the appropriate paperwork so you can submit for out of network reimbursement
Payment is due at time of service
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I accept Cash, Credit or Debit Card, FSA or HSA
Contact Me
Office Location:
1001 North Hickory Road Suite 3
South Bend IN 46615
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