Caroline Segal, PhD

Senior Psychologist

Caroline specializes in parent coaching, individual therapy for adolescents and adults, and parent-child treatment approaches. Her expertise is in supporting neurodivergent profiles (e.g., ADHD, autism, PDA), anxiety, depression, attachment relationships, and other stressors impacting a family system. Caroline frequently works directly with parents to equip them with skills to manage behavior challenges, streamline daily routines, explore and strengthen relationships within the family system, and support their own needs to reduce caregiver burnout.
Of note, Caroline’s services are virtual, and she is licensed to work with anybody living in a PSYPACT state: https://psypact.gov/page/psypactmap.

  • Brown University - BA - Education (Emphasis: Human Studies)
  • University of Rhode Island - MA & PHD - Clinical Psychology (Emphasis: Child, Family, and Development)
  • NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center - Predoctoral Internship (Child Track)
  • Sasco River Center - Postdoctoral Fellowship

Caroline looks at individual, family, and environmental factors in each person’s learned patterns and approaches to the world. She works collaboratively with individual clients as well as parents/families to cultivate safety, connection, and self-compassion; explore individual and family values; and identify concrete steps toward treatment goals. Caroline applies a neuroaffirmative lens to her work with individuals and families.

In support of a “whole person” perspective, Caroline uses integrative therapeutic approaches, drawing from family systems, attachment, behavioral, and relational theories. She incorporates evidence-based techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), and parent management training (PMT) into treatment.

When indicated, Caroline uses the following manualized protocols:

  • Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), as well as the Older Child protocol (PCIT-OC)
  • Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)
  • Independence-Focused Treatment (IFT)
  • Parental Friendship Coaching (PFC)
  • Incredible Years
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A)

Prior to coming to Sasco River Center, Caroline gained clinical experience with a wide range of child and adult populations:

  • NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center
    • PCIT clinic
    • PMT clinic and Incredible Years groups (in English and Spanish)
    • DBT-A clinic (in English and Spanish)
    • Structural family therapy clinic
    • IPT-A clinic
    • Psychodynamic therapy clinic
    • Immediate treatment clinic
    • Home-based crisis intervention team
    • Psychoeducational evaluations
  • Family PEACE Trauma Treatment Center
    • Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) for mother-child dyads exposed to abuse (in English and Spanish)
  • Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center - Child and Adolescent Services
    • Outpatient individual and group therapy for children, adolescents, and families (in English and Spanish)
  • North American Family Institute - Enhanced Outpatient Services
    • Home- and community-based therapy for children and families experiencing severe emotional/behavioral disorders
  • URI College of Continuing Education
    • College counseling services
  • South County Home Health Visiting Nurse Services
    • Home-based therapy for adults with severe medical complications
  • South County Child and Family Consultants
    • Psychoeducational assessments for children and adolescents
  • Bradley Hospital
    • Outpatient anxiety groups using Cool Kids program
  • URI Psychological Consultation Center
    • Coping Cat program for child anxiety
    • Psychoeducational assessments for college students

Caroline received her PCIT certification in 2019. PCIT is a short-term, evidence-based therapy that helps reduce tantrums and defiance while strengthening the parent-child relationship. It is effective for children ages 2 to 7, with an adapted protocol for children up to age 11, and focuses on increasing frequency of positive attention and upholding consistent, non-threatening boundaries. Children and parents attend PCIT sessions together, and the therapist provides live coaching to the parent through a headset while they play and interact with their child. This protocol has been successfully adapted for virtual delivery, which means families can receive support from their own home. For more information, visit https://www.pcit.org/

  • Caroline also consults and advises organizations that focus on social-emotional learning, educational technology, and mental health. Most recently, she was invited to serve as a Parent Expert for BEGiN, a Sesame Workshop partner.
  • Caroline’s clinical work with children and parents has been transformed by her own experience as a parent. Outside of work hours, she can be found chasing her two young children around the playground and chauffeuring them to extracurricular activities.