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Leah Adams, Ph.D.

About Dr. Adams

Dr. Leah M. Adams is a clinical psychologist who specializes in helping people adapt to living with chronic illness and/or acquired disability following injury, including chronic pain, HIV/AIDS, and other medical concerns. Dr. Adams is also an Associate Professor in Psychology and Women & Gender Studies at George Mason University. She has conducted funded research and published numerous articles and book chapters focused on how people, across the lifespan and from different communities/backgrounds, navigate their mental and physical health.

Dr. Adams uses the current scientific evidence base alongside her clientsโ€™ specific experiences and needs to guide her treatment approach. Much of her psychotherapy practice is grounded in a cognitive behavioral framework. Dr. Adams believes that a strong therapeutic relationship is a key ingredient to an effective course of therapy and works collaboratively with clients to achieve their best quality of life that is consistent with their goals and values. After all, clients are the experts in their own lives.


Areas of Expertise and Treatment Modalities

  • Anxiety (generalized anxiety, social anxiety)
  • Depression
  • Chronic illness and Adjustment to Illness
  • Chronic Pain
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Life Transitions and Adjustment
  • Insomnia and other sleep disturbances
  • Grief and Loss
  • Minority, Cultural, and Identity Issues (racialized stress)
  • Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders (SCI/D)
  • Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injury
  • Aging
  • Disability
Dr. Leah Adams - White Sweater with blue stripes - Rowan Center for Behavioral Medicine Virginia

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Dr. Leah Adamsโ€™ therapy treatment modalities include:

Background

Dr. Adams received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Mathematics from the University of Richmond before receiving her Masterโ€™s degree and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from George Mason University. She completed a predoctoral residency in Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology at the University of Washington Medical Center/Harborview Medical Center in 2014. Dr. Adams stayed in Seattle, WA to complete a two-year NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship in Womenโ€™s Health and Aging at Group Health Research Institute (now Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute) before returning to her home state of Virginia to work as a professor at her alma mater.

Dr. Adams is an active researcher and professor at George Mason University and maintains leadership roles in professional organizations focused on serving people living with disabilities and chronic health conditions.ย  Dr. Adams has been licensed as a Psychologist in the State of Washington since 2016 (License number: PY60600726). Dr. Adams has also been licensed to practice psychology in the State of Virginia since 2023 (License number: 0810008297).