Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Offering Telehealth Services: in Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Rhode Island and over 30 additional states.
Click here to request an initial consultation with Dr. McLaughlin.
Treatment Approach & Areas of Expertise
I want to help you find meaning and live a life you value and enjoy. Maybe you are experiencing a life transition or seeking to explore an identity issue. Maybe you want to improve communication or have more satisfying relationships with others. Maybe you are tired of feeling unlike yourself, worried, sad, or on edge.
I integrate cognitive-behavioral, acceptance, and motivational enhancement-based strategies to support you in identifying which factors are contributing to your difficulties, and what your options are for managing them. We will identify patterns such as thoughts that are holding you back or behaviors that do not serve you. I will also help you capitalize on your strengths and values. Together we will develop strategies you can use to respond differently and move towards the life you want.
I have experience helping individuals overcome anxiety, depression, substance use problems and disordered eating. I also have specialized training in health psychology, which emphasizes the connection between physical and mental health. I can provide skills-based treatment to help you manage health conditions such as chronic pain, sleep problems, diabetes, and GI disorders, or support you in exploring and adjusting your relationship with food and weight. Topics may include adjusting to new diagnoses, maintaining healthy habits, and managing interactions with the healthcare system.
Lastly, my approach recognizes that societal matters might be of importance to you. Many clients want to discuss big issues like discrimination, climate change, or financial status. I welcome this and look forward to helping you strategize how to live well in a challenging sociopolitical environment.
Training & Experience
In addition to working in private practice, Dr. McLaughlin works in translational research. She currently serves as a government contractor at the Defense Health Agency Psychological Health Center of Excellence. Dr. McLaughlin is interested in reducing barriers to accessing high-quality evidence-based psychological healthcare.
Dr. McLaughlin previously worked as a Clinical Psychologist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington DC and Lifespan Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. In these medical centers she served as a clinician in general mental health, substance use, chronic pain, and other medical clinics. In Rhode Island, Dr. McLaughlin also taught and supervised future psychologists as part of her role as Clinical Assistant Professor at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Prior to this, Dr. McLaughlin completed a fellowship in integrated behavioral health-primary care psychology within the Veterans Health Administration.
Dr. McLaughlin’s graduate research focused on eating behavior and how to conceptualize and assess levels of healthy or maladaptive eating. Her more recent work has centered on the processes behind the implementation of behavioral health programming. She has published peer-reviewed research and presented at conferences on behavioral medicine and general psychology.
Please see below for additional details regarding Dr. McLaughlin’s credentials
- PhD in Clinical Psychology (Health Emphasis)
University of New Mexico - Fellowship in Clinical Health Psychology
VA Connecticut Healthcare System - Predoctoral Internship
Southwest Consortium/New Mexico VA Healthcare System
Services: Individual psychotherapy, wellness coaching, and psychological evaluations for bariatric, spinal cord stimulator and transplant surgeries
Specialties: Depression; anxiety; substance use; chronic pain; sleep problems; disordered eating; other weight-related challenges; difficulty coping with, or adjusting to medical conditions; reduced self-esteem; life transitions; relationship challenges; professional burnout; stress
Insurance: Dr. McLaughlin is in-network with Aetna for individual psychotherapy in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia and out-of-network in all other states and with all other insurance carriers.
To Contact Dr. McLaughlin directly
Call: (202) 935-3650, Ext. 4
Email: [email protected]