TRAINING DIRECTOR, LICENSED PSYCHOLOGIST

Hi, I’m Dr. Melissa Lafferty. I’m a Nebraska native and I’ve been working at NMHC since 2015. I earned my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in English and Psychology in Secondary Education and became licensed as a school teacher for five years. I taught high school at an inner-city school in Houston, Texas. While teaching in Houston provided me with an incredible life experience, I discovered that my true passion was in the field of psychology and returned to graduate school.

I graduated from Walden University with a Master’s degree and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. While obtaining my doctorate degree, I graduated from NMHC’s Psychology Internship Program, and following completion of my degree I stayed on for the NMHC Residency Program as part of my training. I focus on my services within the Lincoln and Beatrice office sites. As a generalist provider, I have experience conducting psychological, psychoeducational, social security, disability, and court-ordered evaluations and have worked with individuals of all ages.

I am particularly passionate working within systems such as schools and preschools, passionate about working with women who have chronic health issues, and have a passion for working with children, adolescents, and families. I also provide and coordinate NMHC-provided services for Beatrice Public Schools Special Education. I also serve as a mental health provider/consultant with the Blue Valley Community Action Partnership that provides Head Start services and Early Intervention Services for southeast Nebraska. I also co-supervise our Parent-Child Interaction Training (PCIT) program and am certified to provide this specialize intervention with the standard protocol as well as the older child protocol in PCIT. At present I’m currently in training for the PCIT toddler protocol.

I serve as a member of the Training Committee, a supervisor, facilitate the weekly Early Career Supervision group and conduct clinical professional and psychometric assessment didactic trainings.