Melanie A. Fernandez, PhD, ABPP

Melanie A. Fernandez, PhD, ABPP, is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the delivery of evidence-based treatment to children, adolescents, and adults. She has conducted psychological evaluations and provided behavioral parent training and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to hundreds of children, adolescents, adults, and their families. Dr. Fernandez is board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychologists, with a specialty in clinical child and adolescent psychology. She is one of twenty Global Trainers in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) endorsed by PCIT International. She is also the tenth provider to be certified in Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions, or SPACE.

 

Dr. Fernandez earned her doctorate in clinical and health psychology at the University of Florida, with a specialty in clinical child and pediatric psychology. Her mentor was Dr. Sheila M. Eyberg, the developer of PCIT. Dr. Fernandez completed her predoctoral internship at Duke University Medical Center and her postdoctoral fellowship at the New York University Child Study Center. After completing her postdoctoral fellowship, she continued at NYU as a Clinical Assistant Professor providing evaluations and treatment and as an Assistant Research Scientist treating families in two NIMH-funded clinical trials. In 2010, Dr. Fernandez was one of the original clinicians to join the Child Mind Institute, where she directed the organization’s PCIT Program. As Director of PCIT, Dr. Fernandez provided high-quality treatment and training of clinicians in house and around the world. In her time at CMI, she also served as Principal Investigator of a study funded by the New York City Council examining Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT) in NYC schools.

 

Dr. Fernandez has published papers in several peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, and Behavior Therapy. In 2013, as an adjunct professor at Yeshiva University, she taught a graduate-level course on Evidence-Based Interventions for Externalizing Disorders. She wrote a column for Scholastic Instructor magazine and has appeared on CBS 2 New York to share her knowledge about evidence-based treatment.

 

For the past decade, Dr. Fernandez has built her private practice, learning and growing alongside the individuals and families she has the privilege to treat. Dr. Fernandez is licensed as a psychologist in New York.