ABOUT
Helena Vaughan
licensed psychologist
Dr. Vaughan as a preschooler!
Why I started this practice:
After my fellowship and time as a staff psychologist at Kennedy Krieger, I returned to Pittsburgh because this is home. But I also returned because I wanted to practice differently than large institutional settings allow. I wanted to know my families. I wanted to have the time to build treatment plans that actually fit a child's specific life rather than fitting a child into a protocol. I wanted to be the kind of psychologist I would want for my own daughters.
Child Behavior Management Pittsburgh is the result of that vision. Small, intentional, and built around the belief that every family deserves more than a waiting room and a number.
About Dr. Vaughan
Dr. Helena Vaughan is a licensed psychologist and Pittsburgh native with a deep passion for helping children who are misunderstood. During graduate school for a degree in school psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park, Helena encountered many children who were referred to by adults as “the difficult kid”; the child with big emotions, the child who no one can get to speak in class, the child who is constantly getting into fights with peers. When searching for the best way to help, Helena was often unsatisfied with the types of services available for these children and wondered if there were any professionals who had actual answers.
This search led Dr. Vaughan to seek out specialized certification and training in the area of disruptive behavior and child anxiety. Dr. Vaughan completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute's Behavior Management Clinic in Baltimore, one of the most respected pediatric behavioral health programs in the country. She went on to serve as a staff psychologist there before returning to Pittsburgh to open Child Behavior Management Pittsburgh.
Her clinical specialties include ADHD, childhood anxiety, Selective Mutism, and disruptive behavior, with a particular focus on evidence-based approaches that involve parents as active partners in treatment. She is a certified PCIT therapist and one of a small number of providers in the Pittsburgh area with specialized training in Selective Mutism.
Outside of her practice, Dr. Vaughan enjoys spending time with her husband and two adorable daughters.
Our Values.
At Child Behavior Management Pittsburgh, we believe that the most powerful thing we can do for a child is help their parents feel equipped, confident, and hopeful. That's why parent involvement is at the center of everything we do.
We believe that every family deserves care that is built for them specifically. That means we take the time to actually know your child, understand your family's dynamics, and build a treatment plan that fits your real life.
We believe in early intervention. The earlier a child gets the right support, the better the outcomes. You don't have to wait for a crisis to ask for help.
And we believe that evidence-based care and warmth are not opposites. You can get the best science has to offer and still feel like you're working with someone who genuinely cares about your family.
Qualifications
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Licensed Psychologist in Maryland and Pennsylvania
Able to serve families in PsyPact participating states
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PCIT Certified Therapist
Work with me
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Families interested in services at Child Behavior Management Pittsburgh can participate in a free, 30 minute consultation session to determine their appropriateness for a group or individual therapy.
work with me
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work with me ✿
