Shelley Avny, M.S.

BiographyAvny

I’m a child/pediatric psychology intern in the UF Department of Clinical and Health Psychology. I’m originally from New Jersey, graduated college from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, completed a research assistantship at the Duke Child and Family Study Center in Durham, NC, and attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA for graduate school. After finishing my coursework in my third year, I moved back up north and have since completed practica at the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and NYU Child Study Center. In my spare time, I enjoy watching sports, eating vegetarian food, and reading thrillers.

Research Focus

My research broadly focuses on optimizing evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents, particularly those with anxiety disorders.

Clinical Focus

My clinical work centers around cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders. Specifically, I have training and experience in treating generalized anxiety, social phobia, separation anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and selective mutism. I am also interested in treating children and adolescents with anxiety and co-occurring conditions (e.g., sleep disorders, eating disorders, ODD). Within each of these treatments, I work heavily with parents on effectively coaching and reinforcing their children between sessions.

Presentations

Avny, S. B., McLean, C. P., Yusko, D. A., Volpicelli, J. R., Imms, P. A., & Foa, E. B. (2012, November). Predictors of dropout in patients receiving prolonged exposure for PTSD. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies: National Harbor, MD.

Avny, S. B., McLeod, B. D., Wood, J. J., Langer, D. & Weisz, J. R. (2010, June). Examining the relation between thechild-therapist alliance and clinical outcomes in CBT for youth depression. Symposium presented at the meeting for the World Congress of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies: Boston, MA.

Avny, S., Wood, B., Martin, A., McLeod, B. D., Langer, D., & Weisz, J. R. (2008, November). The association between therapist interventions and the quality of the child alliance in usual care child psychotherapy. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies: Orlando, FL.

Avny, S., Chronis-Tuscano, A. M., Clarke, T. L., Pian, J., Rooney, M., & Raggi, V. L. (November, 2007). Are child inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptoms differentially related to parenting? Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies: Philadelphia, PA.  

Avny, S., Chronis, A.M., Clarke, T.L., & Raggi, V.L (November, 2006). Inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity aspredictors of parenting in families of children with ADHD. Poster presented at the annual convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies: Chicago, IL.

Professional Memberships

  • Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
  • American Psychological Association