Nicole Alexander, Psy.D.

Hello, I’m Dr. Nicole Alexander, and thank you for taking the time to get to know me and the types of services I provide. I specialize in working with children and adolescents who may struggle with regulating emotions, maintaining and developing friendships, and coping with the many at home or academic demands. I also work with children, adolescents, and adults with difficulties related to health habit change and managing chronic illnesses. I believe it is an honor and privilege to work alongside families as they navigate the many challenges that come along in life. I understand that changing behaviors and habits is incredibly challenging, therefore, I take a compassionate, down to earth, realistic approach that works for you and your family.

I emphasize a behavioral approach to assessment and treatment, with an attempt to address the many factors that may affect behavior. I offer a flexible, collaborative and personalized approach with families, emphasizing the importance of parent involvement and child-skill development. This process involves developing individualized strategies with families tailored to specific needs, practice of behavioral skills in-between sessions, and modifying strategies as needed so that parents and children can effectively increase appropriate behaviors. In addition, I provide support to families by collaborating with other service providers (e.g., speech and language pathologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians etc.) to ensure coordinated care.

My areas of expertise in consultation and intervention include a variety of behavioral concerns in children and adolescents, including noncompliance, tantrums, depression, anxiety, phobias/fears, executive functioning difficulties, inattention, impulsivity, toileting difficulties, and sleep problems. I also specialize in health habit change and adjusting to and coping with chronic illness. Additionally, I view my patient’s challenges from a mind-body perspective, meaning that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can affect our physical health and vice versa. I conduct psychological testing and evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults to aid in not only diagnosing various conditions and developing treatment plans, but also supporting patients in gaining access to resources that can help them move forward in their growth/development.

Psychological Testing and Evaluations
I offer comprehensive psychological assessment and testing services for children, adolescents, and adults suspected to have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD), learning problems, or other related disorders, in addition to testing to determine gifted/talentedness. I also provide re-evaluation services for children and adolescents with previous diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders for families interested in obtaining updated information regarding their child’s current level of functioning. All psychological evaluations include an in-depth interview with parents/caregivers, one-on-one psychological testing with the child/individual, a feedback session to discuss results of the assessment and a final report.

Individual Therapy with Children and Adolescents
I specialize in working with children and adolescents in an individual therapy setting. Children and adolescents who benefit the most from therapy are those who are motivated and interested in attending therapy sessions, attend scheduled appointments consistently, and are willing to practice skills learned in therapy outside of sessions (through “homework” and “at home practice”). I assist with processing emotions in a safe and confidential manner while providing support and teaching coping skills to aid with living a happy and healthy life. I use an integrated approach to therapy, incorporating tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy. Therapy sessions may also include parent involvement in which parents learn strategies for encouraging their child’s new skills to foster success outside the therapeutic environment – at home, school, and within their communities.

Parent Training
Children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental delays and disabilities, such as Autism, ADHD, intellectual disabilities, and/or speech delays, often display problematic behaviors, such as tantrums/meltdowns, noncompliance, and aggression. These behaviors often result in additional stress placed on families and can create additional barriers that impact your quality of life. I offer parent training services for children aged 2 and older with various behavioral disorders, with the goal of creating effective behavioral strategies that work for you and your family to decrease these problem behaviors while increasing more desirable ones. This process involves active participation from the client and their parents.

Group Therapy
Groups are great ways for children and adolescents to learn various prosocial behaviors, such as generating and maintaining a conversation, staying on topic, or increasing cognitive flexibility. I co-lead various evidenced-based curriculums in a group format, including Superheroes Social Skills, PEERS, and Unstuck and On Target. Sessions include both a parent group and a child/adolescent group to promote skill building in sessions and promote generalization of skills learned in the home and community. The availability of these groups depends on client interest and clinicians availability.

Behavior Health Consulting
Living an active, healthy lifestyle or managing chronic illnesses in today’s society can be not only a physical challenge, but a mental challenge as well. Our behavioral habits can be helpful, such as good sleep hygiene, cooking and eating healthy meals, and participating in regular physical activity. However, it is incredibly easy to fall into harmful habits that can increase our risk for physical disease and/or psychological distress. For those interested in identifying and replacing less than healthy habits, whether it is smoking cessation, poor sleep hygiene, time management challenges, or increasing physical activity, we can collaborate to identify areas in which you are stuck to work towards living a more healthy and active lifestyle that you desire.

I hope you find the information above helpful. If you have any questions about how I might be able to assist you, please contact me at (813) 476-4618 or [email protected]. I respond during business hours, and I will do my best to reply within 24 hours. I look forward to hearing from you.

Dr. Nicole Alexander is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Florida. She completed a Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis (2014) and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2015. She later completed a second Master’s degree in Psychology (2016) and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2020, with emphases in integrated behavioral health and child and family therapy. Dr. Alexander completed both her internship and fellowship in health service psychology at The Kennedy Krieger Institute, in conjunction with Johns Hopkins Medical School, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her previous clinical experiences span a variety of settings, including community mental health centers, medical centers, and hospitals.