Jaimie Lunsford, PhD, LPA

I’m a therapist in Greensboro, NC, where I live with my husband and daughter. I received my PhD in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and completed my doctoral internship at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY. In my personal life, I enjoy writing music and spending time in nature.

Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Psychological Associate

In addition to private practice, I have experience working in a variety of settings, including:

  • An outpatient community clinic, working with people facing diagnoses such as depression, anxiety disorders, ADHD, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorders, PTSD, binge eating disorder and others, as well as issues such as life stress, family and parenting issues, challenges with self-esteem, and other concerns.

  • An inpatient psychiatric unit, providing assessment and individual and group therapy to people hospitalized with SPMI (severe and persistent mental illness), such as severe depression, bipolar disorders, and schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

  • A hospital rehabilitation unit, helping patients cope with serious changes in functioning following accidents, traumatic brain injury, and stroke.

  • A primary care practice for the elderly, providing psychological support for older adults experiencing depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorders, as well as issues such as grief and loss, coping with terminal illnesses, and facing changes in functioning with age.

  • The public school system, providing assessments for children in underserved areas.

  • A medical university student health center, providing services to students with difficulties related to high levels of stress, juggling vocational and family responsibilities, ADHD symptoms, imposter syndrome and self-doubt, cultural and racial identity development, past trauma, relationship issues, and other concerns.

I have extensive training in several approaches to therapy, including:

  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – a therapy created by Dr. Marsha Linehan to help people who experience emotion extremes and unhelpful urges build a life worth living. DBT incorporates mindfulness practices to enable us to experience the present, one moment at a time, and to make conscious choices that serve us better than the compulsions we act on out of habit. I use DBT to help my clients regulate emotions, cope with intense distress, and navigate difficult interpersonal situations with others.

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – a therapy created by Dr. Steven Hayes and colleagues with a focus on facilitating two processes. 1) Willingness to experience our difficult inner emotions and thoughts without struggling with them in a way that makes things worse (acceptance), and 2) vibrant engagement with what we value most in life even through tough times (commitment). ACT also incorporates mindfulness practices to make both processes possible. I use ACT to help clients who are experiencing strong, painful feelings and thoughts, and need a way to ease the grip of those feelings and thoughts on their day-to-day behavior.

  • Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) – a framework for suicide prevention developed by Dr. David Jobes, which targets five specific experiences that drive suicidal thoughts and behavior: psychological pain, stress, agitation, hopelessness, and self-hate. I use CAMS to help clients who are having persistent and intense suicidal thoughts and urges identify what in their life is bringing them to this crisis and treating those issues directly and efficiently.

  • Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) – an evidence-based therapy for treating bipolar disorders developed by Dr. Ellen Frank. IPSRT uses two main approaches. First, we target the circadian rhythm disruptions that are common in bipolar disorder by regularizing sleep/wake cycles and social routines throughout the day. Second, we address areas of interpersonal functioning that may be contributing to symptoms, such as conflict with significant others or lack of healthy social connections. I use IPSRT to help stabilize people during a bipolar episode and prevent future episodes.