Background
Dr. Rafaella Sale, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist (#810008733) serving the greater Richmond and surrounding areas in Virginia.
Dr. Sale has a doctorate in school psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, with a specialization in neuropsychology for children and adolescents. Before to doctoral training, Rafaella provided mental health crisis response in schools across the western region of rural Appalachia.
all children have a purpose, all behaviors have a meaning
In 2020, Dr. Sale completed a clinical residency at the Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California-Los Angeles. Primary rotation included neuropsychological testing for children undergoing surgery for seizure disorders. Additional clinical rotations included parent management training for children with social or behavioral problems and family therapy for pediatric bipolar disorder.
Dr. Sale has published in several peer-review journals. Areas of expertise include threat detection for schools, school-based mental health service delivery and coordination, and measurement of systems and processes that trickle down to impact children. Most recent research has targeted behavioral health systems reform and statewide program implementation.
Clinical experiences:
home and office-based parent management training for severe behavior problems
intensive inpatient and outpatient psychotherapy for suicidality and high risk behavior in teens
early detection and diagnostic testing for autism alongside developmental pediatricians
rehabilitation and monitoring for acute brain injury, via inpatient hospitalization and then outpatient follow-up
neuropsychological assessment for children with cancer and chronic disease
individual education programming and classroom behavior management for k-12 to reduce out-of-school suspensions
