Claire Foster, PhD

Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow

Claire Foster, Ph.D., is a clinical psychology postdoctoral fellow at the Sasco River Center, specializing in child and adolescent mental health. Claire specializes in the evidence‑based treatment of depression, anxiety, trauma, OCD, ADHD, and autism, as well as addressing a wide range of related emotional and behavioral concerns. She takes a collaborative, individualized, and culturally responsive approach, tailoring treatment to each child’s developmental stage, strengths, goals, and family context. Claire also conducts comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations to help families learn more about their child’s learning styles, strengths, and vulnerabilities to assist in providing diagnostic clarity and recommendations for treatment and academic planning.

  • B.A. in Psychology — Cornell University
  • Postbaccalaureate Research Fellowship – Yale Child Study Center
  • M.S. in Psychology — Binghamton University (SUNY)
  • Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology — Binghamton University (SUNY)
  • Predoctoral Internship — Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California

Claire has extensive training in individual, group, and caregiver-based therapy, utilizing evidence‑based modalities, including:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Coping Cat for pediatric anxiety disorders
  • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)
  • Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)
  • Incredible Years
  • Parent Management Training (PMT)

Her therapeutic approach is grounded in cognitive‑behavioral and biopsychosocial frameworks, with a strong emphasis on family‑based care. She collaborates closely with caregivers, schools, and outside providers to build skills, confidence, and supportive environments that promote children’s long‑term well‑being. Claire tailors her presentation of therapeutic principles to each client’s unique interests and motivations, presenting them in engaging ways that boost excitement and participation.

Claire’s research has centered on identifying early developmental mechanisms of risk for psychopathology, with the goal of improving our ability to identify at-risk children, perhaps as early as infancy. Her doctoral program of research examined the intergenerational transmission of risk for depression, investigated links between early parenting styles and behavioral and physiological risk factors among infants of mothers with and without depression. Claire has published her research in peer-reviewed journals and presented her work at numerous scientific conferences as a member of:

  • The Behavioral Analysis of Beginning Years (B.A.B.Y.) Laboratory – Cornell University
  • Technology and Innovation Laboratory – Yale Child Study Center
  • Binghamton Mood Disorders Institute – Binghamton University (SUNY)

Outside of work, Claire enjoys backpacking in the Adirondacks, creating pottery, and restoring her historic home.