Dr. Armstrong’s training in clinical psychology, her theoretical orientation of behavior analysis, and her 40 years of experience give her a strong foundation for working with clients who struggle with a wide variety of psychological problems: depression, anxiety, relationship conflicts, eating disorders, and emotional traumas.
Beginning with her first class in behavior modification in 1975, Dr. Armstrong found a theoretical home in behavior analysis. She participated in numerous advanced seminars in behavior analysis throughout her undergraduate and then graduate years, immersing herself in the philosophy of the science of behavior. Dr. Armstrong believes that her strong theoretical foundation in behavior analysis brings an important consistency to her clinical work.
Her experience working with individuals with eating disorders began with her 1981-1982 pre-doctoral internship training at McLean Hospital, in Belmont, MA. Dr. Armstrong was subsequently hired by Timberlawn Psychiatric Hospital in Dallas, TX, in 1983, and received her license to practice as a Psychologist in Texas in 1985. Her initial interest in eating disorders, begun at McLean Hospital, quickly developed into a specialty once she began working at Timberlawn. Throughout her decades of private practice, many of her clients experienced significant problems with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder.
Everyone in the family is affected in some way by the person who struggles with a psychological disorder. Dr. Armstrong’s extensive understanding of psychological problems, particularly eating disorders, enhances her ability to offer support, education, and therapy to family members. Often other psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists working with a child or teenager diagnosed with an eating disorder recommend Dr. Armstrong as a therapeutic resource for adult members of the family.
In addition, her practice has shifted over the last decade to focusing on aspects of what adults experience across their lives, including, but not limited to: marriage, becoming a parent, divorce, career issues, grief. Currently she primarily sees individuals who are 30 + although she occasionally sees young adults in their 20’s.