Clinicians at Brighter Outlook
About
Dr. Veronica Raggi
Dr. Veronica Raggi is a licensed psychologist with over 15 years of experience providing comprehensive and individualized care to youth, families and adults in the Maryland and DC metro area. She has specific expertise in the treatment of anxiety-related issues, including social and generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias, separation anxiety and selective mutism. She is also well versed and experienced in treating depression, life stress, trauma, social or interpersonal challenges across the lifespan, as well as specific developmental concerns such as ADHD. Dr. Raggi integrates a number of theoretical orientations to encourage and inspire change. She has training and expertise in the following approaches: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), emotion focused therapy (EFT) and internal family systems (IFS).
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Dr. Raggi has also taken a special interest in treating and supporting children with Selective Mutism (SM). She provides individual and school-based intervention for this population and is the co-director of the Kids Out Loud Summer Camp Program, a therapeutic intensive designed to increase speech and social interaction in children with SM. She also co-developed/directed the Selective Mutism Program and Cool, Confident and Courageous Kids Camp for six years while at Alvord Baker & Associates, LLC. She has collaborated on research with Alvord Baker and the University of Maryland to examine treatment outcomes for the camp and currently collaborates with Catholic University on research outcomes. Dr. Raggi also facilitates peer consultation groups through the Selective Mutism Association.
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Dr. Raggi has a passion for bringing increased attention and awareness to the issues of youth anxiety and the application of evidence-based approaches, including effective parenting and school-based strategies. She has written numerous online articles through her blog called Brave Voices for Psychology Today. She has been a speaker for podcasts, interviewed by the Washington Post and other media, and has published in numerous academic journals on evidence-based approaches to child mental health treatment. Dr. Raggi is first author of Exposure Therapy for Treating Anxiety in Children and Adolescents, a comprehensive, practical resource on the “how-to” of implementing exposure-based therapy for youth with anxiety. In addition to writing and private practice, Dr. Raggi provides seminars and consultation to mental health professionals in the implementation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). She coordinated the Continuing Education Program at Alvord Baker for five years and has served as adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland, College Park.​
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She previously practiced for ten years at the highly regarded practice, Alvord, Baker, & Associates, LLC. She earned her undergraduate degree from Bucknell University, her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, completed internship at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and postdoctoral training at New York University (NYU) Medical Center/ Child Study Center.
About
Dr. Rachel Kolsky
Dr. Rachel Kolsky is a licensed psychologist who is passionate about providing evidence-based mental health treatment to children/teens, parents, and young adults (20s/30s). Throughout her training and professional experience, she has developed expertise with a range of presenting concerns including anxiety, depression, relational difficulties, and life transitions across the lifespan. ​
Dr. Kolsky is a specialist in early childhood mental health (children ages 7 and younger) and treats children who have challenges with disruptive behaviors, emotion/mood regulation, anxiety, sleep, and neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD and autism. She is a certified Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) therapist and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Within Agency Trainer through PCIT International. Dr. Kolsky is dedicated to supporting parents of young children and integrates individual child therapy and parent coaching/consultation to meet her young clients’ unique needs. ​
Dr. Kolsky also has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety, phobias, and obsessive compulsive disorder in children, teens, and adults. She has specific expertise with selective mutism and is a clinical supervisor for Brighter Outlook’s therapeutic intensive Kids Out Loud Summer Camp Program, which supports speech and social interaction for children with selective mutism. Dr. Kolsky is trained in SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions), a parent-based treatment for child anxiety disorders. ​
Prior to joining Brighter Outlook, Dr. Kolsky was a psychologist at Children’s National Hospital with an appointment as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and of Pediatrics at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The George Washington University before completing her clinical internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) with a specialty in integrated behavioral health and her post-doctoral fellowship at Children’s National Hospital in Child Clinical Psychology. She has published research articles on parenting and psychotherapy outcomes in a variety of peer-reviewed journals and presented her research at invited talks and international conferences.
