Hello! My name is Meagan Padro (she/her).
I recently earned my PhD in School Psychology from UNC Chapel Hill. Throughout my doctorate clinical training, I completed clinical rotations in Durham public schools, the UNC Neuropsychology Clinic, and the Duke ADHD Clinic. I also completed the North Carolina Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities and assisted the NC DPI School Psychology consultant on a number of projects. I completed my pre-doctoral internship locally, through Calhoun Psychology PLLC, where I developed expertise in conducting psychological and educational evaluations and I offered school-based therapy to students and families in Lee County Public Schools. I previously earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and Spanish, and a masters degree in psychology with specializations in cognitive science and quantitative analysis all from the University of North Carolina Charlotte. I also have previous experiences as a substitute teacher, an after-school club leader, an advanced cognitive trainer, and as a registered behavior technician.
I treat children and adolescents with a variety of presenting concerns. I also work with parents to help them develop skills and improve effective communication and collaboration with their children. I deliver evidence-based interventions with compassion, genuineness, humor, empathy, and professionalism.
My natural way of being with clients is bubbly, positive and incorporating laughter into therapy, while helping my clients feel heard. I provide a warm, collaborative, and nonjudgmental space for my clients to work through difficult experiences and practice new ways to manage emotions, create and maintain meaningful relationships, and feel comfortable being present in order to truly experience and enjoy life. Regardless of what you are facing, I work from a belief that all people have resilience to face life’s challenges. Together, we will explore current challenges and make a plan to accomplish goals by combining existing strengths with new insights and skills. I typically draw from a variety of therapeutic modalities such as DBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, narrative therapy, and Cognitive Therapy, with strong intention to collaborate and individualize treatment to each client’s needs.
I take a collaborative, compassionate, person-centered and trauma-informed approach with each client. I actively seek to create a therapeutic space that is comfortable and safe for all people, and strive work through an intersectional, sex-positive, anti-racist, LGBTQQIA+ affirming, fat positive/Health at Every Size framework. I am an advocate for social justice and believe therapy can be a tool of radical change, within ourselves and in the world at large. My hope is to empower clients with new perspectives, awareness and tools to help foster growth. I consider it the greatest honor that clients allow me to join alongside them in their therapeutic journey.
