Clair Robbins, PhD

Bio:

Before coming to North Carolina, I lived in Boston for 7 years where I worked and attended graduate school. I moved to North Carolina from the Northeast in 2018, lured to the south by the promise of more time outside, getting a big dog (I got two), and less snow! When not at work I enjoy spending time with my husband and our dogs (Charlie and Tim), running, cycling, doing hot yoga, reading, traveling, and making stuffed animals. 

Training:

I always suspected I wanted to be a psychologist and while I studied some other things (math, neuroscience), I always came back to psychology. I completed my undergraduate education at Hamilton College, where I majored in Psychology. I then earned a Ph.D.  in Clinical Psychology from Boston University where I focused on the development and evaluation of transdiagnostic psychological treatments. Transdiagnostic treatments are meant to help people who experience more than one problem at the same time (e.g., depression and anxiety). In graduate school I co-authored a leading transdiagnostic treatment: the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders, and further specialized in applying this treatment to anger. I also received training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD (ERP), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) at the Boston University Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders. I completed pre-doctoral internship at the Durham VA where I trained in trauma-focused treatments, including meeting all the components for certification in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and furthered my experience providing DBT and treating anger. I completed postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University Medical Center in the Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation, where I gained expertise assessing and treating symptoms of misophonia, a condition in which people are extremely bothered by sounds (e.g., chewing). I am passionate about providing evidence-based treatments that help people manage their emotions in ways that are consistent with their long-term goals.

Expertise:

I am fortunate to be a co-author of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP). I am also co-director of the Unified Protocol Institute, which trains therapists to deliver the UP, and I am an international trainer in this treatment. I am an expert in the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders (i.e., providing treatment for people who find strong emotions are interfering in their lives, regardless of the diagnoses they may or may not have) and also in treating anger. I also specialize in treating OCD and trauma. Finally, I have specialized in providing treatment for people with misophonia. While working at Duke I received a grant focused on applying the UP to people with misophonia and I have continued to actively support misophonia research since then.

Supervision and Training:

One of my favorite things to do is train other providers to deliver evidence-based treatments. I have been fortunate to receive high quality training throughout my career and feel honored to be able to share that training with others. I am a supervisor of the UP/ERP postdoctoral fellowship. I also provide training and consultation in the UP to providers at all stages of training. In compliment with my work at TAP, I am co-director of the UP Institute, an organization dedicated to helping providers learn how to implement the UP with their patients. I am deeply passionate about increasing access to high quality training for providers, and by extension, access to high quality care for patients. 

Evidence-Based Treatments Offered:  

Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP), CBT, trauma therapy, Behavioral Activation (BA), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). While Dr. Robbins has training in DBT, she is not providing DBT at this time. When indicated, she incorporates principles of DBT into her work.