Cassandra Berbary

Research Faculty

Behavioral Health

College of Health Sciences and Technology

cmbihst@rit.edu

585-475-4577

Office Location

SLA-A668

Cassandra Berbary

Research Faculty

Behavioral Health

College of Health Sciences and Technology

Bio

Dr. Cassandra Berbary joined the College of Health Science and Technology at RIT as research faculty in 2019. She is a licensed psychologist and is jointly appointed with Rochester Regional Health. Dr. Berbary received her doctorate degree in school psychology from Duquesne University and specializes in working with children and adolescents. Dr. Berbary’s clinical work focuses on child and adolescent diagnostic assessment as well as evidence-based mental health and substance use program implementation and training of clinicians and pre-doctoral interns. Dr. Berbary was recently awarded a HRSA grant to increase training opportunities and the number of interns trained to provide interdisciplinary behavioral health services for children, adolescents, and transitional youth in highly underserved communities of Monroe County in upstate New York. Her research focuses on the use of interactive technology within mental health and substance use treatment for youth. She is currently developing an avatar-assisted cognitive behavioral therapy platform for treatment of substance use and co-occurring psychiatric distress among adolescents.

cmbihst@rit.edu

585-475-4577

Areas of Expertise

Child Psychology

Technology-Based Treatment

Family Violence

Substance Abuse

Mental and Behavioral Health

Currently Teaching

BHNS-311

Diagnosing the Criminal Mind

3 Credits

This course will introduce students within the biomedical sciences, physician assistant, psychology and criminal justice fields to understand basic clinical diagnostic terms, symptoms and behaviors that pertain to clients who commit crime. The course will introduce students to the relationship between mental health, drug addiction, crime and violence. Students will be involved in mock trials, debates and case write ups.

BHNS-411

Researching the Criminal Mind

3 Credits

This course will introduce students to clinical research as it pertains to symptoms, behaviors, the prediction of violent behaviors and treatment outcomes among offenders who commit crime. The course will introduce students to evidenced based science and the application to forensic populations, manuscript preparation, clinical case write ups and small grant proposals.

BHNS-800

Psychology Internship Seminar

0 Credits

The internship seminar is designed to provide the didactic component to help interns achieve the training competencies required by the American Psychological Association, the accrediting body for training in clinical psychology. Interns will be exposed to a variety of doctoral-level clinical psychology content experts in the local community who discuss the ethical conduct of clinical psychologists within the domains of practice, education, consultation, and research with a focus on empirically supported treatment, addiction, and working with diverse populations. The seminar will provide balanced programming for trainees pursuing work with child and adult populations.

In the News

June 12, 2023

RIT and FDA test digital therapy/avatar to treat addiction, reduce intimate partner violence

Researchers from five colleges at RIT are testing a new way to deliver mental health therapy to people struggling with alcohol/drug addiction and aggressive behavior. RIT is running a randomized clinical trial with the Food and Drug Administration to test the therapy platform “RITchCBT” as a tool for treating people whose substance use disorders have led to intimate partner violence.
October 18, 2022

Digital therapy treatments give RIT researchers tools to reach rural communities in N.Y. and N.H.

RIT behavioral health researchers are providing remote mental health care and addiction therapy to rural communities in New York and New Hampshire and training for therapists to deploy the digital treatments at their clinics.
January 4, 2022

RIT clinical psychology program wins award from Lee Foundation

Caroline Easton, director of the RIT Priority Behavioral Health and Clinical Psychology program, was awarded $100,000 from the Buffalo-based Patrick P. Lee Foundation to create a new clinical psychology postdoctoral fellowship.

More News