Staff - copy - New England Center For Anxiety

Ellen Flannery-Schroeder, Ph.D., ABPP is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Flannery-Schroeder graduated with a BA in psychology from Franklin and Marshall College, received her MA in psychology from Connecticut College and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Temple University. She completed a predoctoral internship at Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute and a postdoctoral fellowship at Temple University. Dr. Flannery-Schroeder is Board Certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology, an organization certifying psychologists as competent to deliver high quality services in various specialty areas of psychology. Dr. Flannery-Schroeder’s areas of research and clinical expertise include anxiety disorders in children; efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatment and prevention programs for children at risk for anxiety; as well as the role of family factors in the onset and maintenance of childhood anxiety. She has been involved in the prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders for more than 30 years and has written numerous articles and book chapters on the topic. Dr. Flannery-Schroeder also directs the outpatient Child Anxiety Program in the Psychological Consultation Center at the University of Rhode Island.
Dr. Flannery-Schroeder is not currently accepting new clients.

Sue K. Adams, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who specializing in working with children who have comorbid physical and mental health issues, and their families. More specifically, Dr. Adams specializes in working with individuals with anxiety, sleep issues, complex disease management, and infertility. Dr. Adams graduated with a BA in psychobiology from Wheaton College (MA) and completed her MA and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She completed her predoctoral clinical internship in pediatric psychology at the Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Consortium, and her postdoctoral training in the Child Anxiety Program at the University of Rhode Island. In addition to her work at the New England Center for Anxiety, Dr. Adams is a Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Rhode Island. As a scientist-practitioner, Dr. Adams’s research interests include the impact of technology use on sleep patterns, mental health and physical health. Dr. Adams has written numerous journal articles on the topic and is the author of the book Family and Community Health: A Developmental Approach.
Dr. Adams is not currently accepting new clients.

Lisa Wholey, M.S., Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist with thirty years of experience. She has helped countless children, parents, and educators develop the cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional skills of children and adolescents. Dr. Wholey is a senior clinician at the New England Center for Anxiety, where she applies principles of evidence-based treatments to anxiety and related disorders. She is also a consultant for West Bay Collaborative of the Rhode Island Department of Education, where she helps create courses for the state’s educators to support managing student anxiety in schools. Dr. Wholey earned a Masters of Science degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a Doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the APA-accredited and NASP-approved school psychology program. She completed post-doctoral training at the University of Rhode Island’s Psychological Consultation Center, in the Child Anxiety Program, under the supervision of Ellen Flannery Schroeder, Ph.D. She has worked as a consultant in North Kingstown, RI School District and as a certified school psychologist in Westerly and Jamestown School Districts. In schools, she offered various parent programs on topics including executive functioning skills, positive behavioral interventions, self-regulation skills, anxiety, and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. While employed with the Jamestown School District, Dr. Wholey was awarded the RISPA Professional Service Award for her substantial contributions to the field. Dr. Wholey has served as a conference judge at the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference in Boston, Massachusetts and presented at numerous state and national conferences. Dr. Wholey’s professional interests include parenting, anxiety, behavior, resilience, and mental health service delivery in schools.
Client quotes:

“Dr. Wholey brings more energy, conviction, positive insight and encouragement than any other Doctor I have met. Dr. Wholey takes her line of work very seriously and her results speak for themselves.”
“Dr. Wholey was a life changing psychologist for my ten year old daughter and the entire family! From the first meeting to graduation day, Lisa was everything and more we could have wished for in a therapist. Dr. Wholey is a true expert and thanks to her our daughter is currently enjoying all her ten year old life has to offer.”
“When chatting with family and friends, I often refer to Lisa as my ‘best friend’ or ‘savior’. I’m joking in a lot of ways but only because her kindness, patience, and understanding has made such a significant difference in my life. I am grateful to Lisa for all the help she has given me and often feel like screaming her praises from the rooftop! Lisa is an exceptional practitioner and an exceptional human being. I’m lucky to call her my therapist!”

Alyssa Boardman, LMHC is a licensed mental health counselor specializing in therapy with adolescents and young adults. She has more than 16 years of experience working with adolescents and families in a variety of therapeutic settings, including school and home settings. Alyssa graduated in 2014 with a Master's Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, MA. She has extensive experience and expertise in emotion regulation strategies and management, development of coping skills, crisis intervention strategies, life skills development, and behavior plans. Alyssa has worked with children and adolescents with mild to severe social, emotional, and mental health needs that inhibited their ability to attend main stream schooling. She has designed therapeutic programming and interventions to assist youths in overcoming barriers and obstacles (real and perceived), increasing mental health and emotional stability, improving confidence, and enhancing coping and overall functioning. Alyssa relies on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Strength-Based Therapy in her work and is passionate about assisting clients in their journey to hope, emotional healing, and heightened well-being.

Chelsea Tucker, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist specializing in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety and related issues in children, adolescents, and adults. Her areas of expertise include generalized anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, health anxiety, perfectionism, and body-focused repetitive behaviors. She has extensive training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and CBT for insomnia (CBT-I). Dr. Tucker tailors evidence-based practices to effectively meet the client’s unique needs by considering individual, cultural, contextual, and strengths-based factors. She approaches therapy with a warm, caring, and compassionate style and aims to help the client experience a reduction in symptoms, improved global functioning, and a new sense of competence and confidence. When treating children, Dr. Tucker collaborates with the child’s parent(s) to understand the role of any family factors in the onset and maintenance of anxiety and support skill-building at home. Dr. Tucker earned her Ph.D. in Psychology (school psychology concentration) from an APA-accredited program at the University of Rhode Island (URI) in 2017. She earned her B.A. (dual major in Psychology and Spanish Language and Literature) and M.A. (School Psychology) at URI. She completed comprehensive practicum-level training with Dr. Ellen Flannery-Schroeder as part of the Child Anxiety Program at URI’s Psychological Consultation Center. She completed a pre-doctoral internship in a large Rhode Island school district and post-doctoral work specializing in school-based consultation, as well as psychological and neuropsychological assessment. She has trained and supervised doctoral-level psychology students. She founded a CBT-based consultation firm, High Performance Parenting, which she currently co-directs. In her spare time, she enjoys writing books that make psychology accessible and practical for today’s parent. Dr. Tucker is licensed to practice psychology in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York.

Elizabeth Allen, Ph.D., BCBA, LBA approaches therapy from a Humanistic, attachment-informed perspective. Dr. Allen graduated with a BS with honors in cognitive development from Cornell University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from New York University in psychology. She completed a fellowship at Harvard's Laboratory for Developmental Studies and received training in behavior analysis from Salve Regina University. Dr. Allen welcomes children, adolescents, and adults into her inclusive therapeutic space to explore the connections between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. She believes in the power of evidence-based CBT therapy and education to provide insights and skills that improve the lives of those struggling with anxieties and/or depression. Dr Allen is also an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Salve Regina University and a board certified, licensed behavior analyst at Momentum Behavioral Health Services.

Lisa Frankes, LICSW is a Board Certified Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. She graduated with a Master’s degree in clinical social work from Boston College in Massachusetts. Lisa has been practicing social work for fifteen years and has worked in diverse clinical settings that include community mental health agencies, hospice, an intensive outpatient program for college students, a city hospital, and a two-year residential program serving homeless women. Lisa is skilled in the use of cognitive behavioral therapy for treating individuals with anxiety and emphasizes the use of self-reflection and self-compassion in the process of change.

Erik Foerster LCSW, MSED has a Master’s Degree in Childhood Special Education from CUNY Hunter College in New York. After several years of teaching in New York City, Mr. Foerster completed a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work at Rhode Island College. While training as a clinician, he worked at The Frank Olean Center in Westerly, focusing on home- and community-based services. He completed his final clinical year at Rhode Island Hospital. Mr. Foerster’s clinical and research interests include anxiety disorders, the neuroscience of resilience, trauma recovery, eating disorders, ADHD, the complexities of reading with dyslexia.

Rebecca Michel, MA is a doctoral candidate in the University of Rhode Island's Clinical Psychology Program. Ms. Michel is a graduate of University of Massachusetts-Boston where she graduated cum laude with a BS in Psychology and Biology. She is a 2022 Kulberg Fellow, an honor bestowed on a graduate student demonstrating outstanding service to children and adolescents. She has significant expertise in the treatment of childhood and adolescent anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders.