Laura Kirmayer

I have been practicing as a clinician for over 20 years and feel incredibly fortunate to have found a career that I am passionate about and a practice, Milestones Psychology, that I am proud to be a part of. I love coming to work every day to an office filled with toys and surrounded by clinicians who have a shared desire to be creative and innovative in their work with children and families. Milestones Psychology has successfully created a warm and playful environment that practices what it promotes with the families we work with; a healthy work-life balance and a strong value in our relationships and communication as a collaborative team. We are a team of clinicians with expertise in evidence based treatments and we know how to pair this expertise with the individualized needs of each child and family we work with. We have created a non-intimidating environment where we place significance on taking the time to connect and be accessible to the families and children we work with.

I realized my desire to work with children and families at a very early age. I had an endless curiosity about the complex variables that influence a child’s developmental trajectory. This curiosity guides my approach to treatment and the heavy emphasis I place on assessment as an ongoing component of every intervention. I understand the importance of a diagnosis as it guides effective treatment and avoid ‘over-pathologizing’ by taking the time to assess the child with a developmental lens and from 360 degrees. In my work with families we establish clear treatment goals and measure progress together so that we have a shared understanding of when treatment is clinically warranted and the graduated steps to maintain the gains once treatment is no longer necessary.

Over the last 20 years I have received extensive training and experience in the evidence-based assessment and treatment of both internalizing and externalizing disorders in childhood. I have worked with hundreds of families from around the world struggling with Selective Mutism and currently run several programs within Milestones Psychology to address the significant gaps in receiving effective treatment for this presentation. Additionally, I have specialized training in the assessment and treatment of the Obsessive-Compulsive spectrum and related disorders including Trichotillomania and Tic Disorders. My clinical work with grief, loss and trauma has brought me around the world providing consultation and training on trauma and stress related disorders and how to support an individual, family or community struggling with the immediate and long-term aftermath of trauma.

I have followed a consistent path in my professional development and pride myself in staying attuned to the current knowledge and training in childhood development and effective treatment interventions. I pair my clinical work with a love for developing new methods for assessment and measuring response to treatment and I have developed numerous programs to address the notable gaps in the accessibility of effective treatments to children and families. I am passionate about disseminating accurate information on childhood development and training others in effective evaluation and intervention and have been invited to present across the country on my expertise.