About Leslie Branden-Muller, Ph.D.
Let me tell you a little about myself…
I have been a private practitioner of child and adolescent psychology in Chapel Hill since 1999. In addition, over the past 25 years I have worked as a teacher consultant, curriculum developer, consultant supervisor, and university researcher and teacher.
My unique work history allows me to bring an understanding of child development, education, and research to my work as a clinical psychologist. To this, I add careful listening, creativity, and a positive outlook on the power of the family and the individual to make progress. As a mom myself, I understand the challenges and joys of parenting.
Here are some things you might be curious about.
- License. I am licensed to practice psychology in the state of North Carolina and am a Certified Health Services Provider.
- Education. I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1994 from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and my M.S. in Psychology, also from Rutgers, in 1990. I did my clinical internship in the Child and Adolescent Program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-Newark. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1984, where I majored in Psychology and minored in French. I am a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
- Memberships. I maintain membership in the following organizations: American Psychological Association (APA), Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (APA Division 53), North Carolina Psychological Association (NCPA), and Division of Independent and Professional Practice of NCPA.
- Highlights of my work. Here's an overview of places I've worked and kinds of work I've done. I'd be happy to share a curriculum vitae with you if you're curious to learn more about any of these things.
- Therapy and Assessment. I have worked with children, adolescents, and their parents in both private practice and community mental health, providing therapy and assessments. I have helped children and families address a wide range of issues; as a lead counselor and parent trainer at a specialized summer camp for children with ADHD, I helped kids improve their social skills, problem solving skills, and impulse control. I have experience doing therapy with college students and adults as well.
- Consultation and Research. I have worked with several grant-funded, research-based projects at UNC's FPG Child Development Institute and at Duke's Center for Child & Family Policy whose goals were to promote preschool children’s readiness for kindergarten by enhancing their social-emotional development, decreasing their oppositional and aggressive behaviors, and increasing their early literacy and math skills. I was also involved with these types of projects at the elementary and middle school levels while in graduate school. These experiences, in which I spent extensive time in classrooms, give me special insight into school-related therapeutic issues.
- Teaching. I have taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels at institutions including Bryn Mawr College, Rutgers University, and the University of Wyoming. I have also supervised graduate students who were training to be therapists and supervised undergraduate student research.