Dr. Cole-Pucci is a licensed clinical psychologist. She received her master’s degree in mental health counseling from the University at Albany, with an emphasis on adolescent psychotherapy. She subsequently earned her doctorate degree from the University of Indianapolis, where her clinical training focused heavily on therapy with adults, comprehensive psychological assessment, and forensic evaluations. She completed her APA accredited internship at Albany Consortium in NY and developed in-depth training in the treatment of PTSD, as well as treatment of sexual offenders and individuals adjudicated not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). Her postdoctoral fellowship was completed at Central State Hospital in Virginia, where she further specialized her forensic training with adults in the legal system. Dr. Cole-Pucci has expertise in conducting a wide variety of forensic evaluations, including, but not limited to competency to stand trial, competency to be sentenced, violence risk assessments, insanity at the time of the offenses and assessment of malingering of adults in the criminal justice system. In addition, she has extensive clinical training in conducting comprehensive personality assessments (evaluating intellectual, emotional, behavioral and personality functioning), psychoeducational assessments, ADHD assessments and presurgical evaluations.
In addition to assessment, Dr. Cole-Pucci conducts individual therapy with teenagers and adults. Her clinical work includes both a focus on helping the client develop insight into his/her emotions and behaviors, and helping clients achieve self-acceptance with who they are by providing a space where they are free to explore without consequence. She approaches clients with an empathic assumption that their current difficulties represent a previously adaptive solution to difficult circumstances that are no longer adaptive to their current reality. By exploring these patterns and working to create a narrative that provides meaning to their current difficulties, she attempts to help clients adopt an empathic stance towards themselves while recognizing the cost of their current patterns. She believes it is important to be versatile and utilize an approach that meets her client’s needs and has been trained heavily in psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy.
Dr. Cole-Pucci particularly enjoys working with clients experiencing psychosis, Bipolar Disorder, depression, anxiety, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, personality disorders, relationship conflicts and problems with emotional regulation.
