Clarissa Colley, LCSW

Clarissa Colley, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker in UT Health Austin Pediatric Psychiatry at Dell Children’s, a clinical partnership between Dell Children’s Medical Center and UT Health Austin. She is also a part of the UT Health Austin’s Integrated Behavioral Health care team and works with the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine program. Colley specializes in working collaboratively with children, adolescents and their families to provide biopsychosocial assessments, establish therapeutic goals, implement brief interventions to improve overall functioning, and coordinate with schools and community providers to address concerns related to mood disorders, adjustment difficulties, grief, loss and trauma.

Colley earned her master’s degree in social work with a clinical concentration in children and families from The University of Texas at Arlington. She completed a graduate internship with the Women’s Center of Tarrant County, where she provided individual counseling to children and adults and phone-based crisis hotline support. She has training in the adult attachment interview protocol, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, grief and trauma intervention children (individuals, family and group), trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and play therapy.

Colley has participated in research to implement evidenced-based clinical interventions with youth presenting with behavioral and emotional difficulties in schools in greater New Orleans one year after Hurricane Katrina. Additionally, she contributed to a study evaluating a community-based grief and trauma intervention for children post-Katrina. Colley has also worked in clinical and residential treatment settings in New Orleans and Austin. She is passionate about supporting the emotional and behavioral health needs of children, adolescents and their families following adverse events such as natural disasters and pandemics. Colley is a member of the National Association of Social Workers.