Speaker Series

Wednesday, October 9, 2024
6:30 PM

Kevin Young, PhD
Co-Owner - Maryland OCD and Anxiety Therapy

Dr. Young will review the clinical criteria for a variety of anxiety and related disorders, identify ways in which symptoms might manifest at different ages, and highlight effective prevention and intervention strategies that parents and teachers might use to support their children and adolescents. Questions and discussion will be welcomed and encouraged throughout.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Kevin Young is a licensed psychologist and co-owner of a group psychotherapy practice (Maryland OCD and Anxiety Therapy). While he specializes in treating OCD and anxiety disorders in children, adolescents, and adults, his clinical interests extend to an array of behavioral and emotional concerns, such as body-focused repetitive behaviors (e.g., skin picking and hair pulling), hoarding disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, ADHD, and personality disorders, as well as adjustment to and coping with co-occurring health-related concerns (e.g., cancer, diabetes, and chronic pain).
    
Dr. Young also holds an Assistant Professor position at George Mason University, teaching and supervising clinical psychology doctorate students and doctorate-level externs. Dr. Young frequently delivers domestic and international seminars and workshops on a variety of clinical and positive psychology topics, publishes in peer-reviewed academic journals, and possesses experience consulting for a variety of organizations, including Google and National Geographic.

Wednesday, November 13, 2024
6:30 PM

Clifford Sussman, MD,  
in private practice in psychiatry for children, adolescents, and young adults in Washington, DC since 2008

Dr. Clifford Sussman has been in private practice in psychiatry for children, adolescents, and young adults in Washington, DC since 2008. He is an expert on internet and video game addiction whose work has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, HBO Real Sports, Parents Magazine, and TIME Magazine for Kids. He has authored peer reviewed literature on screen use disorders and in addition to parent and student education offers clinician training on treatment of screen use disorders. He also treats patients with comorbid conditions, such as ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is dedicated to helping people achieve a more balanced relationship with digital technology.

Wednesday, January 15, 2025
6:30 PM

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Catherine McCarthy, MD
in private practice in McLean, Va                     

Catherine McCarthy, MD is a Duke-trained child and adolescent psychiatrist with over 25 years of clinical experience. In addition to clinical work, she is a co-author of the recently published acclaimed parenting book “Raising a Kid Who Can: Simple Strategies to Build a Lifetime of Adaptability and Emotional Strength” (Workman Publishing/Hachette Book Group, September 2023). With her neuroscience expertise in attention, anxiety, and the developing brain, Dr. McCarthy has been named a "Top Doctor" by Washingtonian Magazine for 20 years running. She is a nationally sought-after keynote speaker, appears on  live television news,  and contributes to multiple podcasts and  popular magazines. She is in private practice in McLean, Virginia. 

Wednesday, February 19, 2025
6:30 PM

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Mary Jo Coiro, PhD, ABPP
Director of Psychological Services at The Lab School of Washington      
Director of The Reservoir Group
Washington, DC

Mary Jo Coiro, PhD, ABPP is the director of psychological services at The Lab School and The Reservoir Group. As a licensed and board-certified clinical psychologist, Dr. Coiro has extensive experience providing psychoeducational evaluations to students with learning differences, and working with parents to obtain needed academic accommodations for their children. Prior to her current role, she was a tenured professor and director of clinical training in the psychology department at Loyola University Maryland, where her responsibilities included serving as a major advisor to undergraduate students. 

Wednesday, March 5, 2025 (In Person)
6:30 PM

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William Stixrud, PhD 
Neuropsychologist, Founder of The Stixrud Group, Professor at Children’s National Medical Center and Assistant Professor at George Washington University
Silver Spring, MD

William R. Stixrud, Ph.D., is a clinical neuropsychologist and founder of The Stixrud Group, as well as a faculty member at Children’s National Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine. He is the co-author, with Ned Johnson, of the national best-selling book, The Self-Driven Child, which is published in 19 countries and 18 languages. It has sold more than 800,000 copies worldwide and, as of 2023, a one-hour podcast based on the book has been downloaded in China 39,000,000 times. He and Mr. Johnson have also co-authored a critically-acclaimed second book, What Do You Say? Talking with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home.

Dr. Stixrud’s work has been featured in media outlets such as NPR, CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Times of London, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report, Time Magazine, Scientific American, Business Week, Barron's, New York Magazine, and Vogue. He has also given hundreds of lectures about his books and has discussed them on over 100 podcasts. Additionally, Dr. Stixrud is a long-time practitioner of Transcendental Meditation, and he plays in the rock band Close Enough.  

Ned Johnson
Author, speaker, and founder of PrepMatters, an educational company providing academic tutoring, educational planning, and standardized test preparation.

A professional “tutor-geek” since 1993 and battle-tested veteran of test prep, stress regulation and student performance, Ned has spent more than 40,000 one-on-one hours helping students conquer an alphabet of standardized tests, learn to manage their anxiety, and find the motivation to reach their full potential.

In 2006, Ned co-authored the book Conquering the SAT: How Parents Can Help Students Overcome the Pressure and Succeed, which tackles the outsized role anxiety plays in standardized testing. With Dr. William Stixrud, Ned co-authored The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives, which explores how fostering children’s autonomy can help solve two challenges seemingly endemic to kids today: handling anxiety and developing intrinsic motivation. Ned is the host of the PrepTalks podcast: conversations with parenting and education experts. A sought-after speaker and teen coach on study skills, sleep deprivation, parent-teen dynamics, and test anxiety, and his work is featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, BBC, and many others.

Wednesday, April 9, 2025
6:30 PM

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Joanna Christodoulou, EdD 
Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston

Dr. Joanna Christodoulou is a Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston. She earned a doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) in Human Development and Psychology, as well as master’s degrees in Mind, Brain, and Education (HGSE) and Child Development (Tufts University). Her clinical expertise focuses on identifying the constellation of strengths and challenges students experience relative to reading and language tasks. Her teaching experiences have spanned providing professional development to post-graduate professionals, designing courses, and instructing graduate and undergraduate students, and teaching struggling learners how to read. As Director of the Brain, Education, and Mind (BEAM) Lab, she leads research efforts on understanding reading challenges from the perspective of the student, family, school, and systems.