Cynthia L. Arnold, Ph.D.

Licensed Psychologist - Clinical
State of Oregon

Thank you for visiting the New Leaves Clinic website. I'm certain you will find the help you're seeking here. My clinical expertise is in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of child / family issues as well as the treatment of depression and anxiety in adults who are in the midst of an existential crisis. Through my practice, I work with individuals who are pursuing personal fulfillment by finding their authentic self.

My professional training and experience includes work with toddlers, young children, adolescents and adults. I am proficient with individual, couples, family and group therapy. I gained these experiences through my work at inpatient psychiatric hospitals, outpatient day treatment programs, children's hospitals, community agencies and school districts where I provided consultation, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, research and continuing education lectures.

I have a multimodal orientation to mental health. Theoretically, I come from the Humanist school of psychotherapy, which means that I believe that every person has the capacity for growth. However, I am also a realist in my expectations and utilize a solution-focused approach to goal setting. Philisophically, I am an existentialist. I lean heavily upon cognitive, behavioral, family systems, narrative, and existential theories. My treatment methodology is guided by current research delineating effective practice, as well as client goals, cultural/spiritual beliefs and developmental level. I am intensely genuine and direct, while providing a nurturing, soulful environment. I am routinely told by patients that they are grateful to finally have someone who takes an active role in therapy, as opposed to "just listening". My goal is to assist you in discovering your authentic self through science, philosophy and psychology.

Again, thank you for visiting the New Leaves Clinic website. If you've begun to research a solution to your problem, you've already taken a significant step toward your goal. If it turns out that New Leaves Clinic isn't the best way to meet your particular need, we'll direct you toward a creative solution.

Personal and Professional Background with kids

Throughout my life, I have been drawn to animals and children. As a young girl, I was rarely without the companionship of my dog and whatever stray happened to cross our paths. I was enchanted by the way animals learned, behaved, and expressed affection. Beginning in early elementary school, my family began visiting a foster home for adolescents and adults with cognitive and physical disabilities. Guided by compassion, my curiosity about learning and behavior flourished, as did my respect for individual differences.

Drawn by a desire to help, I began volunteering time in nursing homes during my high school years. There I learned about existential issues, the value of respecting one's inner beauty, and the importance of forgiveness and letting go. I also embraced my life-long passion for reading. Upon entering college, I began volunteering with hearing impaired children and children with Autism. I soon declared a major in psychology and a minor in sociology. I had found my calling.

I attended college at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. Transy is an acclaimed private liberal arts school in Kentucky. In college I devoted much of my free time to learning about and working with developmentally disabled children and their families. During that time, I assisted in the creation of a non-profit agency, Project Future Hope, for children with special needs. This organization routinely flew in professionals from multiple agencies who trained me in the treatment of Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and developmental disabilities. As a result, I quickly became a community leader in pervasive developmental disabilities. I regularly supervised teams of therapists, conducted educational trainings for elementary schools and universities, and assisted families in fighting for their children's legal rights to appropriate education and insurance coverage. I was often asked to provide lectures to post-doctoral residents on Autism treatment. I also spent a significant amount of time volunteering with deaf children in a local grade school. Last, I graduated 6 months early so I could spend this time conducting research at the Kennedy Center, which is part of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. The Kennedy Center is a leader in research, diagnosis and treatment of developmental disabilities. My focus was on identifying efficacious treatment approaches for children with Autism. My first publication resulted from this work.

I attended graduate school at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in Palo Alto, California. My academic goal was to obtain a doctorate in clinical psychology. My personal goal was to integrate my passion in both philosophy and psychology. There, I pursued two tracts of study: (a) Child Development, and (b) Behavior. Throughout my graduate training, I worked in a myriad of assessment, diagnostic, treatment and research settings. I gained experience working with individuals, couples, families and groups in community, inpatient and outpatient settings. To attain this experience, I completed twice the clinical hours required for my degree and remained in graduate school one extra year to complete training in multiple treatment modalities. Most of my clinical developmental disability training was completed at Langley Porter Children's Hospital at the Univeristy of California at San Francisco. I studied under Bryna Siegel, Ph.D., a leading psychologist in the field of developmental disorders. I conducted assessments and research with her. My dissertation resulted from this work. My clinical work in general child psychology and behavior was completed at California Specialty Hospital and San Jose Job Corps. California Speciality Hospital at St. Helena Hospital is an inpatient mental health facility. It is unique in that it is one of very few hospitals serving small children and adolescents, as well as adults. I conducted assessments, treatment and trainings for the hospital. San Jose Job Corps is an employment training center for youth, created by the U.S. Department of Labor. There, youth live, get an education and healthcare on campus. It is typically considered the "last chance" for youth who have been removed from all other academic placements. I provided treatment and trainings for the center.

My internship and post-doctoral residency were completed at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center within Doernbecher Children's Hospital at Oregon Health & Science University. I was accepted as a LEND student. LEND stands for Leadership in Education Excellence in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities. This was within the Oregon Institute on Disabilityand Development. There are very few of these programs in the U.S., and it is quite an honor to attend. The focus of my training was in assessment, diagnosis, treatment, research and community service in areas of neurodevelopmental differences. As part of this program I worked within multidisciplinary teams consisting of psychologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, nutritonists etc. After completing my internship, I was asked to remain as a post-doctoral resident. Later, I did contract work for OHSU/CDRC as part of their Learning Disability / ADHD assessment team.

In May 2005, my husband and I opened New Leaves Clinic. Here, I provide assessment, diagnosis, treatment and consultation to individuals, families and couples. Please reference my Curriculum Vitae for a more thorough description of my clinical training.

Last, I actively study the application of traditional philosophy to living a fulfilled life. Aside from my clinical training, I am an avid reader of modern and classical literature. For centuries, philosophers have attempted to define wisdom and describe how it can be acquired and employed to guide one's life. While each person is unique in their experience of mental distress, I believe that there is value in applying these ancient ideas toward the relief of symptoms and creating a thoughtful life path. It is my belief that every form of self-expression holds wisdom, and is therefore worth considering in treatment planning. Thus, my interventions are ultimately informed by a mix of scientific, philosophical, and spiritual/mystical writings.

Adult Therapy

I am often asked, "Do you work with adults? It looks like you work with kids." This is an excellent question. I was trained in the "Practitioner/Scholar" model. This means that my training focused on Emperically Validated Treatments (i.e., effective practice found through research). For example, research has found that there are specific treatments that work well for anxiety, depression, and behavior problems. These treatments work well, regardless of age. This means that my training is based on skills used across the age span. In fact, most research is based on adults, and therefore most of my training was based on adult research.

If you read my biography, you learned that many of my patient hours in grad school were spent with kids. I list this because most psychologists are trained as "generalists", meaning that they have limited to no experience working with specific populations (e.g., kids, people with disabilities & chronic illness). For this reason, people in search of help in those areas need to see that I have additional training.

I very much enjoy working with adults, and have worked with adults in community mental health, inpatient and outpatient settings. My adult patient return rate is very high. This is because I carefully choose with whom I work, to make sure that we are a good match and can create an enjoyable and productive working relationship. I prefer working on issues regarding life dissatisfaction that often present as depression, anxiety or lack of motivation. I also very much enjoy working with adults who are putting their lives together after growing up in a dysfunctional home.

Areas of Clinical Practice

• Abuse or Neglect
• Adjustment Disorder
• Anxiety Disorders
• Phobia
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Attention Deficit & Disruptive Behavior Disorders
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
• Conduct Disorder
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder
• Disruptive Behavior Disorder
• General Noncompliance
• Anger Management
• Minor Self Injury
• Communication Disorders
  • Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder
  • Selective Mutism
• Couples Issues
• Divorce, Separation & Step Parenting
• Child Emotional & Behavioral Difficulties
• Depressive Disorders
  • Major Depression
  • Dysthymic Disorder
• Disability/Chronic Illness
• Consultation about life course and family change
• Dating/Sexuality
• Gifted & Talented (TAG)
• GLBT Issues
• Learning Disorders
  • Assessment of Reading (Dyslexia), Writing & Math
  • Assessment of Mental Retardation & Borderline Intellectual Functioning
  • Counseling of resulting emotional frustration
• Pervasive Developmental Disorders
• Autistic Disorder
• Asperger's Disorder
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified
• Please review the PDD Webpage
• Reactive Attachment Disorder
• Adoption Issues
• Foster Care Issues
• Separation Anxiety Disorder

Please review my resume/vitae for additional information regarding my professional training.