Brian Lucier, Psy.D.
Brian W. Lucier, Psy.D. received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology.
Dr. Lucier is a clinical psychologist and practice partner/owner at The Center for Psychological Wellness, LLC. Established in 2012, “The Center” is where Dr. Lucier continues to provide diverse psychotherapy and neuropsychological testing services to children, adolescents, and adults of all ages. Dr. Lucier earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) at The Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in Newton, MA (currently William James College). He has trained and worked in the college counseling setting, large group practice, and has always felt his prior clinical work at a community mental health service system in Rhode Island, remains a highly revered training environment regarding very complex human struggles.
Now, as a psychologist in private practice, Dr. Lucier continues to apply the principles of mutual respect, genuine curiosity, and collaboration with the patients he currently treats. His areas of clinical interests and expertise remain focused on the multimodal treatment of AD/HD, emerging adulthood and the challenges associated with launching well, anxiety, depression, loss/grief, and matters of death & dying associated with aging. His approach is informed by a diverse set of methodologies or approaches including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, cognitive therapy, behavior therapy, and values the inclusion of integrative/holistic therapy approaches. However, he implements these approaches from his fundamentally humanistic approach which assumes the patient has the capacity for improved rational choices, insight/awareness, and enjoys helping identify the barriers keeping one from reaching their greater potential.
Finally, Dr. Lucier also finds the utility of psychological assessment to be an invaluable tool to help identify and make treatment recommendations for diverse psychological and neurocognitive deficits or disorders for many. Primarily, the psychological and neuropsychological test measures used by Dr. Lucier help to evaluate important areas of functioning including cognitive/intellectual skills, executive functions (such as planning, abstraction, conceptualization), attention, memory, language, perception, sensorimotor functions, academic/achievement, motivation, mood, emotion, personality styles, and adaptive life skills. The areas addressed are determined by the referral question often asked by an individual’s primary care physician, teachers, parents, or a self-referred adult. Results often assist medication prescribers with certainty regarding a differential diagnosis, helps inform special education departments develop classroom accommodation plans for students with learning-related needs, or serves as a guide to developing a psychotherapy plan for any social-emotional/mood disorders determined.
Leticia Burman, Psy.D.
Dr. Burman completed her doctoral studies in Clinical Psychology at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology.
Dr. Leticia Burman is an owner of the Center for Psychological Wellness and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who specializes in psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and adults experiencing symptoms of anxiety, depression as well as life transitions, grief/loss, and self-esteem. Dr. Burman also specializes in psychological evaluations (for age 6 through adulthood) to obtain diagnostics and develop informative school, work, and treatment recommendations (such as 504 Plans and Individualize Education Plans). Areas of interest include (but not limited to) ADHD, learning disorders, and anxiety, and depression. Dr. Burman often uses psychological evaluations in psychotherapy to develop a comprehensive understanding of an individual and to develop interventions that will promote symptom reduction and positive outcomes.
While her treatment approach is eclectic; she utilizes a variety of modalities depending on the needs of the individual. She is trained in evidence-based treatments, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and integrates a psychodynamic, client-centered, narrative, and positive psychology to her work. She also incorporates stress-reduction and mindfulness to provide patients with practical skills to manage their everyday lives and challenges. Her approach encourages her patients to explore thoughts, feelings, and problems on a more internal and psychological level. She recognizes that each individual is unique and works to understand the needs of each patient.
Dr. Burman earned her Doctor of Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (now known as William James College).
Julie Lucier, Psy.D.
Dr. Julie Lucier is a clinical psychologist who received her doctorate in clinical psychology at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology.
Dr. Julie Lucier is an owner of The Center for Psychological Wellness and a Licensed Psychologist specializing in individual and family therapy for children, adolescents, and adults. Another area of specialization includes psychological assessment from school age into adulthood. She received her Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (now known as William James College). Dr. Lucier has an extensive background doing individual and family therapy in private practice, inpatient settings, college counseling centers, and residential placements. In addition, she previously worked as a graduate instructor at Assumption College.
As part of a comprehensive treatment approach targeting overall wellness, Dr. Lucier offers several different types of services depending on an individual’s specific treatment needs. Her practice focuses on individual therapy for children, adolescents, and adults in which she specializes in treating anxiety disorders and depression as well as grief/loss, stress management, and overall wellness. She often utilizes a cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused, behavioral, as well as insight-oriented therapeutic approaches. When working with children and families, Dr. Lucier uses a family-systems approach to understand the entire family as one emotional unit. She has additional training and expertise in the utilization of play therapy in order to better assist children in expressing their thoughts and emotions.
Finally, Dr. Lucier offers comprehensive psychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults that include psychological and neuropsychological instruments. These evaluations help with difficult clinical presentations, obtaining academic support, and determining diagnostic clarity and can provide a broad description of a patient’s intellectual, neuro-cognitive, and psychological functioning. Educational evaluations can be supplemented as needed when specific academic interventions are warranted for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Andrea Johnstone, PsyD.
Clinical Psychologist
Doctorate Combined School-Clinical Child Psychology Program at Pace University
Andrea Johnstone, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who has been serving the Rhode Island community for over 10 years. Currently, Dr. Johnstone specializes in conducting neuropsychological and psychoeducational evaluations for children and adolescents in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of each child’s functioning and to support positive continued development. Dr. Johnstone also has expertise in early childhood evaluations, ruling out developmental delays and autism spectrum disorder, in children as young as 2 years old.
Dr. Johnstone earned her master’s degree from New York University and her doctorate degree from the Combined School-Clinical Child Psychology program at Pace University. She has trained at Weill-Cornell Medical Center, as well as schools, community centers, and outpatient counseling practices in the New York and New England areas. Her doctoral research on the developmental outcomes of late preterm births conducted at NYU Tisch and Bellevue Hospitals provided her advanced training in the areas of early childhood development and assessment.
Outside of her work as a child and adolescent psychologist, she enjoys spending time with her family and dog, traveling, and practicing yoga.
Karissa Krul, LMHC
Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, IL
Karissa Krul is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, with 8 years of experience in the field. She has worked at acute to outpatient levels of treatment, helping her identify the specific needs of her clients along the spectrum of care. Karissa treats adolescents and adults, through a CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and/or EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) lens; she specializes in cases where individuals are struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and/or trauma.
Karissa became an EMDR-trained Clinician in 2023, seeing clients whose lived experiences continue to cause them distress in their daily lives. EMDR focuses on building new and more positive neural pathways in one’s brain, while also reducing connections to distressing thoughts or feelings. Many individuals who have been in traditional talk-therapy for years report great progress with EMDR as well. They report that EMDR challenges them to move forward from distressing memories they may have avoided in discussion in the past. Whether a client is looking for talk-therapy or an EMDR approach in treatment, they are encouraged to reach out with any questions or to inquire about supports available to them.
Breanna Rea, LMHC-A
Breanna received her master’s degree from Rhode Island College’s graduate program for Clinical Mental Health. As a dedicated mental health professional, she has worked with individuals, couples, and families ranging from adolescents to adults. Breanna specializes in trauma-informed care providing support to individuals navigating the complexities of life. She utilizes evidence-based therapies, including cognitive and behavioral therapy, with a person-centered focus. This holistic framework empowers clients to develop coping strategies and resilience, fostering personal growth and healing.
Breanna is experienced working with those with anxiety, depression, ADHD, adjustment disorders, PTSD, trauma, and grief/loss. Breanna’s approach is rooted in understanding and empathy, allowing a safe space to be created for clients to explore their thoughts and feelings. With a commitment to understanding each individual's unique experiences, she works collaboratively to help clients achieve their goals and improve their overall well-being. Together, we can embark on a journey towards healing and empowerment.
Lisa Granda, LICSW
Masters of Social Work
Boston College
Lisa Granda, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from Boston College. With over 30 years of experience, Lisa has dedicated her career to working in mental health, child welfare, and permanency-related matters for children. She has a wide-ranging expertise in child and adolescent mental health, adoption and foster care issues, parent-child relational issues, and emotional regulation issues. Additionally, Lisa extends her services to adults across the lifespan, addressing various mental health concerns.
Her approach to treatment is caring, compassionate, strength-focused, and non-judgmental. Lisa employs a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic Therapy, Play Therapy, and Mindfulness Practices to support her clients on their healing journeys. All her services are provided through a trauma-informed lens, ensuring that clients feel safe and supported.
In addition to her clinical qualifications, Lisa is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher with additional certifications in Breathwork and Meditation. A long-time practitioner of yoga, she enjoys incorporating mindfulness practices into her therapeutic work.
Lisa's message to clients underscores her dedication to creating a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental space. She collaborates with each client to identify and develop personalized treatment goals and objectives, tailoring her approach to meet their unique needs. Her mission is to guide each client on their path to healing, promoting healthy minds, healthy bodies, and healthy hearts.
Daisy
Daisy joined The Center for Psychological Wellness, LLC in 2020, as a therapy dog in training.
Daisy is a wirehaired fox terrier mix breed, who joined The Center for Psychological Wellness, LLC in 2020, as a therapy dog in training. She easily passed her AKC S.T.A.R puppy test and completed her Canine Good Citizen (CGC) training. Daisy loves to be with people and is constantly learning the best way to support you as you make your way through the therapeutic process.
Animal-assisted therapy has been proven to help with positive physiological changes (i.e. decreases blood pressure, improves immune function, and regulates heart rate) as well as emotional benefits (i.e. provides comfort, decreases loneliness and stress, improves mood, encourages communication, reduces anxiety, and increases prosocial behaviors). Animal-assisted therapy is not right for everyone, but maybe Daisy will be right for you.