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About (contact me)Dr. McKelvy Parker is a licensed counseling psychologist specializing in assessment and child and adolescent psychotherapy. She provides comprehensive psychological/psychoeducational assessments to children and adolescents to rule out a variety of presenting concerns such as learning disabilities, ADHD, ODD, DMDD, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders.
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She offers play, activities, and talk therapy to children and adolescents, family and couples therapy, and parent management training. Although Dr. McKelvy Parker specializes in child and adolescent therapy, she received a solid generalist training; thus, she has skills and experience working with a variety of client populations, including adults and groups.
Dr. McKelvy Parker considers herself an integrative therapist, with foundations in various psychodynamic therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy, and child centered play therapy. She believes establishing a safe and supportive client-therapist relationship is of utmost importance. A secure therapeutic relationship serves as a vehicle for understanding and changing patterns that, once necessary, are no longer helpful and contribute to negative emotionality. Dr. McKelvy Parker considers mindfulness, which focuses on awareness of the present moment while acknowledging and accepting one’s thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations to be an integral component of treatment. Mindfulness is essential for increasing insight into relationship patterns, desires, needs, goals, and beliefs and for developing healthy coping and perspective taking skills. Dr. McKelvy Parker also employs art techniques, games, and “hands on” or experiential activities in treatment and, with young children, play therapy interventions. Dr. McKelvy Parker believes parental involvement is important in treating children. She, therefore, asks that each parent be willing to examine how their behavior may contribute to problematic child behavior and, if so, be open to suggestions for change.
Dr. McKelvy Parker considers herself an integrative therapist, with foundations in various psychodynamic therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy, and child centered play therapy. She believes establishing a safe and supportive client-therapist relationship is of utmost importance. A secure therapeutic relationship serves as a vehicle for understanding and changing patterns that, once necessary, are no longer helpful and contribute to negative emotionality. Dr. McKelvy Parker considers mindfulness, which focuses on awareness of the present moment while acknowledging and accepting one’s thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations to be an integral component of treatment. Mindfulness is essential for increasing insight into relationship patterns, desires, needs, goals, and beliefs and for developing healthy coping and perspective taking skills. Dr. McKelvy Parker also employs art techniques, games, and “hands on” or experiential activities in treatment and, with young children, play therapy interventions. Dr. McKelvy Parker believes parental involvement is important in treating children. She, therefore, asks that each parent be willing to examine how their behavior may contribute to problematic child behavior and, if so, be open to suggestions for change.
Education |
Dr. McKelvy Parker earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology, with an emphasis in child and family therapy, from the University of North Texas in August of 2015. She obtained her Masters of Science in Psychology in 2011, also from UNT, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2009.
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Experiences |
Dr. McKelvy Parker has provided therapy and assessment to children, adolescents, and adults in private practice, community mental health, college counseling, and public school settings. She has also worked in two separate children’s hospitals treating youths with eating disorders, diabetes, and other endocrine related illnesses. She is certified in the group Positive Parenting Program (group Triple P), an empirically validated parenting skills group intervention. Dr. McKelvy Parker has participated in research primarily focused on academic, social, and emotional outcomes of children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. Dr. McKelvy Parker is an avid reader and enjoys singing karaoke and performing in musical theater productions.
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