Sandra L. Whitehouse, PhD

Sandra L. Whitehouse, PhD, is the Senior Director and a senior psychologist in the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute. She has over 25 years of experience evaluating and treating childhood conditions, including learning, autism spectrum, behavioral, and emotional disorders.  She also specializes in neuropsychological assessment and the evaluation and treatment of personality disorders.   

Dr. Whitehouse is a compassionate and skilled clinician, having worked with children, adolescents, and adults across outpatient, day treatment, and residential/inpatient settings. She believes a high quality assessment should provide insights into presenting problems and pave the way for targeted interventions. Her treatment philosophy is patient-centered, as she guides youths and their parents to find within themselves the keys to solving their problems, and learn the skills they need to make lasting changes. She provides assessments, as well as individual and family therapy utilizing evidence-based practices including dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), supportive parenting for anxious childhood emotions (SPACE), and acceptance/commitment therapy (ACT) for optimal treatment effectiveness.

Before joining the team at the Child Mind Institute, Dr. Whitehouse was the Director of Psychology at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute (HMHI, formerly the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute). There she expanded psychology services, developed and evaluated programs to improve patient care, and ran the psychology internship training program. Her clinical roles included individual, group, and family therapy; assessment of the full range of learning and mental health disorders; supervision of trainees; and functional assessment and development of behavioral intervention plans.

Dr. Whitehouse retains her appointment as an adjunct assistant professor in the University of Utah’s Department of Psychiatry. She presents at local, regional, and national conferences on topics including family therapy; treatment of emotional, behavioral, and personality disorders; suicide and violence risk assessment and intervention; coping with suicide; and diagnosis and treatment of youths and young adults with complex presentations.

• Director of Psychology, Huntsman Mental Health Institute (formally known as University Neuropsychiatric Institute)
• Director of Psychology Training, University Neuropsychiatric Institute
• Training Supervisor, University Neuropsychiatric Institute
• Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Utah Department of Psychiatry
• Elected Member at Large, Utah Psychological Association
• Planning Consultant: University of Utah Health School of Medicine Addictions Update Conference
• American Psychological Association (APA), Program Accreditation Site Visitor Chair
• Committee Member: Intergenerational Poverty Task Force, Salt Lake County, Utah
• Psychologist: Assessment of Neurodevelopmental, Learning and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Comprehensive Psychological Services, Salt Lake City, Utah

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Advanced Specialization in Neuropsychological Assessment, Comprehensive Psychological Services, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Doctoral Internship, Clinical Psychology, UCSD/VA APA Accredited Psychology Internship Training Program, Child/Adolescent, Substance Abuse/Mental Illness, and PTSD tracks
• Externships across inpatient, residential and outpatient settings in Utah and California with broad training in behaviorally-focused and evidence based interventions and assessment

• PhD, Counseling Psychology, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Utah
• MS, Counseling Psychology, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Utah
• BA, Psychology, Business Emphasis, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), with additional training in cognitive neuropsychology at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
• Educational awards include PSAT National Merit Finalist; UCLA Dean’s List; Alumni, Chancellor’s and Steffensen Cannon Scholarships