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Dr. Ward earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology and her master’s in
Marriage and Family Therapy from the Minnesota School of Professional
Psychology, Argosy University-Twin Cities. She earned her bachelor’s degree in
Child Psychology from the University of Minnesota. She completed practicum
experiences at the University of MN Dept. of Pediatric Psychology and a private
practice. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Range Mental Health
Center, Inc. in Virginia, MN. She currently works in a variety of settings:
inpatient and outpatient hospitals, outpatient mental health clinics, community
mental health clinic, and schools.
Dr. Ward has experience working with children, adolescents, young adults, and
older adults with a variety of mental health diagnoses.
Dr. Ward works from a developmental perspective also taking into account
biological (e.g. genetic, physiological), psychological (e.g. thoughts,
behaviors) and social (e.g. societal, cultural, media) factors that impact an
individual. She believes that understanding the individual’s experiences from
birth and throughout development are important in being able to fully understand
the person and their life experiences.
She understands the importance of the therapeutic relationship as part of
therapy. It is important for individuals to feel safe, comfortable, heard, and
understood. Establishing a positive working therapeutic relationship is an
on-going process that includes listening, understanding of the individual from
all aspects of their life, and recognizing that the individual is the expert
regarding their experiences.
Dr. Ward believes that each of us has strengths and if we are aware of them and
focus on those strengths, they can be used to bring about positive change. She
also believes in empowering the client in order to make effective changes.
Areas of Specialty Include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Systems Therapy
Solution-Focused Therapy
Evaluation and Treatment of Depression
Evaluation and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders (Social Anxiety, Panic Attacks)
Psychological Evaluations/Assessments of children, adolescents, and adults
focusing on Mood, Anxiety, Personality, Psychosis, Learning Disorders, and
Attention Deficit- Hyperactivity Disorders
Objective and Projective Personality tests
Cognitive Assessments/IQ Testing
Achievement Testing
Childhood Emotional and Behavioral Problems
Anger Management
Coping Skills Training
Stress Reduction
Behavior Management Training for ADHD and behavior disorders
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Chemical Dependency issues
Pre-Bariatric Surgery Evaluations |
