Meet Our Providers
Lorie Ritschel, PhD
Dr. Ritschel is a founding member and co-owner of the TAP Clinic. She is a licensed psychologist with expertise in treating adults and adolescents with mood and anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and self-injury, personality disorders, trauma, and behavioral dysregulation (e.g., binge eating, impulsivity, oppositional defiant disorders). Dr. Ritschel is a certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) clinician through the Linehan Board and she is a national trainer and consultant of DBT through Behavioral Tech and DBT PE through Harned Consulting. Dr. Ritschel is also trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Behavioral Activation (BA), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT).
Learn more about Dr. Ritschel
Kathryn Byars, PhD
Dr. Byars is a founding member and co-owner of the TAP Clinic. She is a licensed psychologist with expertise in treating adults with mood disturbance, anxiety and perfectionism, suicidal thoughts and self-injury, and trauma. Dr. Byars is a certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) clinician through the Linehan Board and has particular interest in working with young adults. Dr. Byars is also trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) for traumatic experiences and PTSD.
Dr. Byars most recent love is self-compassion based therapy, which involves learning a more gentle and effective way to relate to ourselves.
Christopher Sheppard, PhD
Dr. Sheppard is a co-owner of the TAP clinic. He is a licensed psychologist with expertise in empirically supported treatments for mood and anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, substance use, trauma, and couples relationship distress. Broadly trained to treat individuals across the lifespan, Dr. Sheppard works with children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Sheppard is trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP), Cognitive-behavioral Couples Therapy (CBCT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT).
Becca Edwards-Powell, LCSW
Becca is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in severe emotional and behavioral dysregulation, trauma, mood and anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and self-injury. She is a certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) clinician through the Linehan Board. Becca has also received specialized training in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) for traumatic experiences. Becca is also part of our Behavioral Parent Training Program and runs our EMERGE program for young adults
Nicole Turner, LMFT
Nicole is a licensed marriage and family therapist, specializing in problematic, out of control behaviors of youth (ages 13 – 17 ½). Additional areas of expertise include: adult anxiety, depression, mood disorders, suicidal thoughts, self-injury and eating disorders (AN, BN, BED). Nicole has received intensive training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Multisystemic Therapy (MST). She was a clinical supervisor for Family Integrated Transitions (MST-FIT), an adaptation of MST for youth returning home from secure incarceration. Nicole has been a consultant for a Norway FIT program since 2015, a program designed to support therapists in helping prevent out of home placements of youth by use of parenting interventions and family therapy.
Kirk Mochrie, PhD
Kirk is a licensed psychologist who specializes in treating a variety of mental health problems including depression, anxiety, substance use, and personality disorders. He has received extensive training working with individuals with pervasive emotion dysregulation (i.e., suicidality and self-harm behavior). Moreover, he has experience and passion for working with individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder and with people who struggle with Substance Use Disorders. In addition, he has experience with providing psychodiagnostic and psychoeducational assessments to both adolescents and adults. He is expertly trained in delivering evidence-based psychotherapies including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Behavioral Activation (BA) for depression.
Clair Robbins, PhD
Dr. Robbins is a licensed psychologist who specializes in providing evidence-based treatments to adults with a range of mental health problems including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, personality disorders, self-injury, anger, and misophonia. She has unique expertise in providing treatment for people who find strong emotions are interfering in their lives, regardless of the diagnoses they may or may not have. Dr. Robbins is a co-developer, certified therapist, and national trainer in the Unified Protocol (UP) for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders. She is also trained in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Behavioral Activation (BA), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
Cara Lusby, PhD
Dr. Lusby is a licensed psychologist who specializes in providing evidence-based treatments to children and adolescents with a variety of presenting concerns, including oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), mood and anxiety disorders, emotion dysregulation, suicidality, and self-harm. She has extensive training and experience in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with ADHD and associated concerns. She also works with parents to more effectively support their child or adolescent who struggles with attentional, emotional, or impulsive behavior concerns. Dr. Lusby provides Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Behavioral Parent Training (BPT).
Chloe Zachary, PhD
Dr. Zachary specializes in treating obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, emotion dysregulation and trauma in youth and adults. Moreover, she has extensive experience coaching caregivers of toddlers, children and adolescents. Dr. Zachary blends her advanced training in DBT-A and parent training to help caregivers more effectively respond to challenging behaviors in youth, including suicidality and emotion dysregulation. She is trained in delivering an array of evidence-based psychotherapies including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Behavioral Parent Training (BPT).
Amanda Eix, PhD
Dr. Eix specializes in treating adolescents and adults with a variety of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and emotional dysregulation. She strives to help individuals and their families navigate challenging behaviors that disrupt their lives and the lives of those around them. Dr. Eix uses evidence-based therapies including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Behavioral Activation (BA), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). She has a particular interest in exposure-based approaches and in building the courage it takes to face one’s fears and change one’s life.
Julie Freedman, PsyD
Dr. Freedman specializes in treating adults with anxiety, emotion dysregulation, suicidality, and self-harm. She also has extensive training working with individuals struggling with disordered eating, body image, and clinical eating disorders. Additionally, Dr. Freedman is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and specializes in helping college athletes with mental health, identity, transition, and performance concerns. She has a particular passion in helping collegiate and graduate students navigate anxiety, identity development, life transitions, or relationship conflict. In her work, Dr. Freedman uses Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Sindhu Shivaji, Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Shivaji is a post-doctoral fellow who specializes in treating adults with anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, substance use, and trauma. She also provides couples therapy treatment. Dr. Shivaji uses evidence-based techniques, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). She strives to tailor interventions to each individual’s unique needs, contexts, and therapy preferences. Dr. Shivaji has a particular interest and strong background in working with racial and ethnic minority stress, LGBTQ+ issues, and identity development.
Connor Tripp, Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Tripp is a post-doctoral fellow who specializes in treating adults with a variety of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, self-injury and suicidality, and borderline personality disorder. She has particular interest in treating mental health concerns within the context of chronic health conditions, such as chronic pain or other chronic illness. Dr. Tripp uses evidence-based therapies including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Behavioral Activation (BA).
Olivia pollak, ma
Olivia is a doctoral student in UNC’s Clinical Psychology program and is one of the TAP Clinic’s graduate practicum students for 2023-2024. Her predoctoral and graduate training experiences have included Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) for treatment of depression, anxiety, school refusal, ADHD, and emotional and behavioral difficulties in children and adolescents. She also has experience working with gender diverse youth and in suicide risk assessment and management with suicidal and at-risk clients. She currently co-leads the Tuesday high school multi-family group.
Matthew Clayton, MA
Matt is a doctoral student in UNC’s doctoral program and one of the TAP Clinic’s graduate practicum students for 2021-2023. His graduate training experiences have included Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) for treatment of depression and anxiety in children, adolescents, and adults, gender affirming care for gender diverse adolescents and adults, and suicide risk assessment and management in at-risk adolescents and adults. He currently co-leads the middle school multi-family group.
Kara Fox, MA
Kara is a doctoral student in UNC’s Clinical Psychology program and is one of the TAP Clinic’s graduate practicum students for 2022-2023. Her graduate training experiences have included using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Behavioral Parent Training (BPT) for depression, anxiety, and emotional and behavioral difficulties in adolescents and adults. She currently co-leads the high school multi-family groups on Thursday evening.