Dr. Christine Thayer graduated cum laude from Wake Forest University in North Carolina with a bachelor of arts degree (B.A.), majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology. During her undergraduate years, she worked as a crisis intervention counselor for the Winston-Salem, NC community. She served as an on-call counselor for a 24-hour community crisis line for individuals affected by all forms of physical and sexual abuse. Dr. Thayer was selected by the Wake Forest University Executive Board to serve as a constant on-call rape/sexual assault counselor for the university and served as a legal advocate for the victims through the University Judicial System.
Dr. Thayer received a Master’s Degree (M.A.) from Southern Methodist University. She received the Outstanding Research by a Graduate Student Award for her thesis research, examining conflict in romantic relationships. She also did forensic work at the Dallas County Jail, providing mental health services to a forensic mentally ill population of inmates. Dr. Thayer received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Saint Louis University. Her dissertation research examined the variation in patterns of adjustment to child sexual abuse. During this time, she also did research on the psychological impact of residual injury resulting from domestic violence, was part of a multidisciplinary medical team treating individuals in need of significant weight loss, and provided therapy services and social skills groups for individuals diagnosed with a range of syndromes, including ADHD, Asperger’s Disorder, and anxiety disorders. Dr. Thayer received the Barclay Award for Excellence in Psychology from Saint Louis University.
Dr. Thayer’s predoctoral internship was at the Alexandria Mental Health Center, where she provided adult, child, and family therapeutic services and diagnostic evaluations for the citizens of Alexandria, VA. Dr. Thayer completed a post-doctoral fellowship at an inpatient residential facility in Las Cruces, NM. Dr. Thayer provided acute and long-term therapy services to adults and adolescents and served as the unit psychologist for an adolescent girls’ inpatient unit.
Upon returning to the area, Dr. Thayer worked at the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA) in southern MD. She provided child, adolescent and family therapy services, as well as diagnostic evaluations. She has been working in private practice for twelve years. Currently, she enjoys working with all ranges of clients and her clinical interests include depressive and anxiety disorders, as well as the treatment of trauma.
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