About Me
Katrina Stone, PhD, LP
I’m Dr. Katrina. I love all things cozy, running long-distances (slowly), and being outdoors with my family.
I started my career as a public-school teacher almost 20 years ago. I loved helping children learn and be their best. I quickly realized social-emotional needs were just as important as academic needs. That drive and curiosity led me to the field of school psychology. I have seen first-hand how powerful mental health supports can be in changing the trajectory of a child’s future. I also have seen how powerful a child-centered evaluation can be in building a team’s understanding of a child and their needs. I believe children do well when they can, and it is our job as adults to set the stage for them to be their best.
Prior to starting Lighthouse Psychology, I worked for several years at a pediatric behavioral health clinic providing counseling and developing their testing and evaluation program. I continue to be passionate about providing outstanding child-friendly evaluations for Orlando-area families.
I also provide individual counseling, available in-person in the Orlando area, or via telehealth throughout the state of Florida. The tween and teen years are a critical time to support healthy coping and relationships. I asked to talk to a therapist when I was a teen and had a less-than-stellar experience. Luckily, better things were to come. My hope is to be the provider young people need so they can have a great experience their first time around. My clients describe me as down-to-earth, helpful, and caring.
If you are looking for services for your child or teen, l would be honored to help.
My Approach to Therapy
At its core, I believe that regardless of therapeutic modality or approach, therapy works best when there is a genuine relationship of trust and respect between provider and client. I have seen that the clients who get the best results from therapy are those that have positive expectations for therapy and an openness to change.
Now, for those of you who are interested, here come the acronyms! Therapy with me is often informed by several different approaches. Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) examines how our thoughts, feelings, and actions are related. When we begin to examine and understand our thoughts and feelings, new actions become possible. I also use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT can help us identify our most important values and commit to taking meaningful action. ACT also involves increasing mindfulness, and our ability to be flexible when difficult emotions or situations occur. Finally, I draw at times from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT helps us to practice self-acceptance, while also embracing growth and change. DBT also teaches skills to help better manage uncomfortable emotions. Across these modalities, I believe it is important to begin to understand how emotions physically feel and learn new ways to regulate our nervous systems. Approaches are adapted based on age and individual needs.
My Approach to Child Evaluations
When completing psychological evaluations, first and foremost, I want your child or teen to have a positive experience. We will work together to make sure you and your child are comfortable throughout the process. I will design an evaluation using research-based “gold standard” assessments that will best answer your families most important questions. When writing reports, I want to help you understand your child and their needs, and not have those messages get lost in psychological jargon.
Your child’s team should not only understand what your child needs, but also what they do well. Your child is so much more than their struggles. I balance clarity and readability with ensuring my reports are sufficiently thorough so that families can advocate for supports with outside agencies. For example, reports may be relevant to your child’s school team, in obtaining coverage for services from your insurance company, or for securing SAT/ACT accommodation requests.
Parent Coaching
I also offer support to parents through parent training. It can be hard to know what to do or say in the high-stress moments with our children. We hear a lot about “connecting” and “supporting” our kids, but what does that look and sound like-- Especially after a long day, when everyone is tired, and you have just told your child to brush their teeth for the tenth time? I help parents deepen their understanding of their child’s needs and learn parent behaviors that support better relationships (more cooperation, less yelling).
Also, did you know that parent training (and not individual child therapy) is one of the recommended interventions for young children with ADHD as per the American Academy of Pediatrics? This is because parents are powerful change agents! When parents learn to scaffold their child’s skill development, it provides their child dozens of learning opportunities and chances for growth throughout their day.
Professional Background
License/Certification
Licensed Psychologist in the State of Florida (PY9586) since 2016
Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) since 2013
Education
PhD in School Psychology, University of Florida, 2013
Master of Education, with a Major in School Psychology, University of Florida, 2011
Select Recent Trainings
Presenter, Children and Families Summit, 2022
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)
Expansions of SPACE Treatment, AFRID and Failure to Launch
Use of the Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum (MIGDAS-2)
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) Certification
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Certification Training
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intensive
Let’s Connect
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with me. I would love to discuss working together.