Dr. Elizabeth Picciotta, (or “Dr. Liz” as her clients like to call her) is a Licensed Psychologist at Rebecca Resnik & Associates. She primarily works with children, adolescents, and their families, as well as emerging adults, providing individual and family therapy, group therapy, and comprehensive evaluations (psychological, neuropsychological, psychoeducational, and admissions). Dr. Liz prides herself on developing strong connections with her clients and their families, and she is committed to learning about the many facets of their lives so that she can provide effective, individualized recommendations and help them enact the changes they seek outside of the clinical setting.
Education
- Vanderbilt University, B.S. Magna Cum Laude in Human and Organizational Development
- American University, M.A. in General Psychology
- Loyola University Maryland, Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology
Internship
APA-approved internship in Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore, MD. General therapy, psychological assessment, and neuropsychological evaluations; specialization in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders and the treatment of psychological and behavioral components of pediatric obesity, feeding disorders, diabetes, and other medical conditions.
Credentials
Licensed Psychologist in the State of Maryland
Membership
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- APA Societies of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Pediatric Psychology, and Clinical Neuropsychology
Services Provided
- Therapy with children, adolescents, and their families, as well as emerging adults
- Group therapy targeting healthy lifestyle behavior changes and generalization of social skills to real world settings
- Comprehensive Evaluation (including admissions, psychological, neuropsychological, and psychoeducational testing) with children, adolescents, and adults
- Parent training and consultation
Expertise
- Psychological interventions for medical conditions, such as obesity, feeding disorders, diabetes, brain injuries, cerebral palsy, and burns/wounds (including implementing behavioral changes, treating related psychological pieces, and providing supportive therapy)
- Mood disorders (including depression, disruptive mood dysregulation, and anxiety disorders)
- Behavioral disorders (including ADHD, OCD, and oppositional defiant disorder)
- High-functioning autism spectrum disorders
- Adjustment disorders and support during stressful periods
- Skills training (including executive functioning skills, social skills, parenting skills, and life skills for autism spectrum disorders)
- Cognitive functioning
- Developmental delays
- Learning disorders
- School support
Background
Dr. Liz initially worked in business providing client relation services at a large consulting and research firm. However, she quickly learned that her true passion revolved around helping people achieve their personal goals and began pursuing a career in psychology instead. Prior to returning to school for her doctoral degree, Dr. Liz worked in psychological research conducting assessments of military members returning from deployment. Through her program at Loyola University Maryland, she developed her focus in providing therapy and assessment services to children, adolescents, and their families, in addition to emerging adults. She was trained at Loyola University’s Clinical Centers, Children’s National Health System’s Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders and Division of Neuropsychology, and Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.
In therapy, Dr. Liz emphasizes building strong rapport and collaborative relationships with her clients and their families. She wants people of all ages to feel comfortable sharing with her and works to foster a safe, fun space where clients enjoy coming. She approaches therapy with a goal-driven perspective. Dr. Liz helps clients identify tangible goals and implements empirically-driven treatments to achieve them, most often using techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, family therapy, and solution-focused therapy. She places particular emphasis on the successful transition of skills and progress to the home and school settings.
In terms of assessment, Dr. Liz conducts psychological testing, neuropsychological testing, psychoeducational testing, and admissions testing. She works closely with the clients and their families to gain a thorough understanding of the presenting concerns and the goals from the evaluation. In addition, as a part of each assessment, she tries to connect with teachers and other healthcare providers in an effort to understand how a client functions in a variety of settings. Dr. Liz personally conducts the testing. Her reports consider the results in the context of each individual client and she tailors her recommendations to fit the person and the evaluation goals.
Dr. Liz resides in Potomac with her husband, two children, and dog. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching movies, hiking and spinning, dining out, traveling, and spending time with her family. She has a strong personal interest in learning more about and advocating for people with special needs, especially cortical visual impairment, epilepsy, infantile spasms, and Autism.
