Dr. Karissa Lim is a postdoctoral fellow at CBC where she conducts individual, family and group therapy with children, adolescents and adults. She earned her M.A. in Educational Psychology: Schooling, Ed.M. in School Psychology, Master of Philosophy (MPhil), and Ph.D. in School Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She completed her B.A. in Psychology and Rhetoric & Communication Studies at the University of Richmond. Karissa is also a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) and is a certification-eligible Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) therapist.
Karissa is intensively trained in both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She has extensive training in evidence-based treatments for anxiety, mood and behavioral disorders.
Karissa completed her APA accredited pre-doctoral internship at ANDRUS in Yonkers, NY, where she treated children, adolescents, and adults with depression, anxiety, trauma, high-risk behaviors, and ADHD, and provided PCIT to families. She completed a school psychology externship at Frank R. Conwell, Middle School #4 in Jersey City, NJ. There, she received training as a school psychologist, primarily serving students in self-contained Autism and Learning Disabilities classrooms. She also led IEP meetings, provided school-based consultation, and gained experience in case management. She completed a clinical externship at Teachers College’s Dean Hope Center for Educational and Psychological Services (CEPS), where she led a weekly Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)-informed skills group for parents of teens with anxiety, depression, and self-injurious behaviors. Karissa also completed a two-year PCIT externship at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, where she received training and became certification-eligible in PCIT. Additionally, she completed a clinical externship at NYP’s School Based Mental Health Program (SBMHP), where she provided school-based outpatient therapy to children presenting with depression and anxiety.
Karissa’s research interests include newcomer immigrant adolescents (NIA) perceptions of school climate, anti-racism advocacy in school psychology, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) youth mental health. Her dissertation focused on exploring NIA’s participation in research in order to increase their representation in the literature. Karissa is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA; Division 16 - School Psychology), Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA; Division on Filipinx Americans), and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). She also previously served as the Diversity Affairs Chair for APA Division 16’s Student Affiliates in School Psychology.