Rachel Lerner, Ph.D.

Rachel Lerner, PhD. is a postdoctoral fellow at Silber Psychological Services who recently completed her doctoral internship at Virginia Treatment Center for Children/Children’s Hospital of Richmond. Dr. Lerner earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Clark University and has experience providing individual, family, and group therapy to children and families in outpatient, psychiatric inpatient, and medical settings.

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, Dr. Lerner also takes a systems-based approach where 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 cultivates 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 specializes in 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, Dr. Lerner empowers caregivers to learn therapeutic skills that improve children’s attention and listening, reduce children’s tantrums, and strengthen the caregiver-child relationship. Dr. Lerner also has expertise in providing evidence-based treatments to children and adolescents with a variety of presentations, including anxiety, depression, trauma, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and youth exploring their sexual and gender identities. She provides psychological assessments to children and adolescents, which helps to clarify diagnoses and provide specific treatment recommendations for children and families. Beyond clinical work, Dr. Lerner conducts research on how caregivers can help improve the academic achievement, motivation, and behaviors of children with ADHD.