Dr. Garra Appling is a postdoctoral fellow who works with children, adults, couples, and parents. She uses evidence-based and relational approaches within a warm, collaborative environment to support clients experiencing anxiety, trauma, depression, life transitions, relationship concerns, and emotional or behavioral regulation difficulties. She enjoys helping individuals make sense of their experiences, strengthen their relationships with themselves and others, and develop practical skills that are thoughtfully tailored to their unique strengths, goals, and lived experiences.
Her therapeutic approach is individualized and integrative, drawing from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and parent-focused interventions. She believes meaningful change occurs within a strong therapeutic relationship, where clients feel understood, supported, and empowered to grow.
Her clinical interests include pediatric psychology, anxiety disorders, early attachment, relationships, parent trainings, perinatal mental health, and psychological assessment.
In addition to therapy, Dr. Appling provides comprehensive psychological and psychoeducational evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults. She has experience assessing concerns related to ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, learning differences, cognitive functioning, and emotional and behavioral functioning, and enjoys helping clients and families better understand their strengths while identifying recommendations that support growth across home, school, and work settings.
Dr. Appling earned her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School in Washington, DC, and completed her predoctoral internship through the Mid-Atlantic Internship Consortium. Her clinical training has included pediatric psychology, neuropsychological assessment, health psychology, OCD treatment, trauma-informed care, and psychological assessment across outpatient, hospital, and integrated care settings.
Outside of work, Dr. Appling enjoys getting lost in a good book, baking, playing board games, and spending time with family and friends.