Jon Ebert, PsyD

Jon
S.
Ebert
PsyD
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Division of Psychology

Dr. Ebert is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Health & Associate Professor in Vanderbilt Department of Human & Organizational Development. He has over 25 years experience and expertise in clinical, consultation and training in the assessment and delivery of services to children and families who have experienced traumatic stress and mental health challenges. Dr. Ebert is the Director of the Vanderbilt Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody (COE) which is part of a statewide network funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee to improve the public health by enhancing the quality of services provided to children in or at-risk of entering the Tennessee child welfare or juvenile justice systems

 

Education and Leadership

Dr. Ebert is the Director of the APA approved Vanderbilt University Medical Center Internship in Professional Psychology (VUMC-IPP), co-director of the Child & Adolescent Psychology predoctoral internship track and Director of the Division of Psychology postdoctoral fellowship training program. He is Chairman of the Treatment Subcommittee for the Tennessee Joint Task Force on Children's Justice and Child Sexual Abuse which is charged with identifying existing problems and recommending solutions to the Tennessee child welfare system (DCS) regarding the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect. He is 1 of 4 national Technical Advisors for the Complex Trauma Training Consortium (CTTC) which aims to provide national trainer-training and workforce development in complex trauma understanding, assessment, and treatment.  He also serves as a senior leader and advisor for the Tennessee Best Practice Initiative which is responsible for the statewide implementation of evidence based treatments. Under his leadership, models such as: Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT),  Attachment Regulation & Competence (ARC), Teen Outreach Program (TOP), Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP)  and Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) continue to be trained & supported in TN. 


In the Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Ebert provides didactic training and supervision to psychiatry child & adolescent fellows, psychiatry residents, psychology practicum students, predoctoral interns and postdoctoral fellows.

Green Hills Office Building
3841 Green Hills Village Dr
Nashville
37215

Dr. Ebert's research interests include dissemination & implementation science, treatments for childhood traumatic stress, developmental trauma and trauma & resiliency informed care in organizations.


Research Publications:

  • Siciliano, R.E., Anderson, A.S., Vreeland, A.J., Gruhn, M.A., Henry, L.M., Watson, K.H., Ebert, J., Kuhn, T., Liu, Q., Cole, D.A., & Compas, B.E. (2023, in press). Physiology and emotions: Within individual associations during caregiver-adolescent conflict. Psychophysiology.

  • Henry, L., Gracy, K., Shaffer, A., Ebert, J., Kuhn, T., Watson, K., Gruhn, M., Vreeland, A., Siciliano, R., Dickey, L., Lawson, V., Broll, C., Cole, D., Compas, B. (2021). Comparison of Three Models of Adverse Childhood Experiences: Associations with Child and Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. PMID: 33271039 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000644
     
  • Walsh, C., Unertl, K, Ebert, J. (2020) Rapid Supportive Response to a Traumatic “Zoombombing” During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Academic Medicine: Volume Publish Ahead of Print - PMID: 32897926 DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000003739
     
  • Vreeland, A., Ebert, J., Kuhn, T., Gracey, K., Shaffer, A., Watson, K., Gruhn, M., Henry, L., Dickey, L., Siciliano, R., Anderson, A., Compas, B. (2020). Predictors of Placement Disruptions in Foster Care. Child Abuse & Neglect, 99. 104283. doi: PMID: 31765852 PMCID: PMC7984659 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104283
     
  • Kuhn, T., Cyperski, M., Shaffer, A., Gracey, K., Adams, M., Billings, G., Ebert, J. (2018). Installing Trauma Informed Care Through the Tennessee Child Protective Services Academy. Psychological Services. PMID: 30570285 DOI: 10.1037/ser0000320
     
  • Kuhn, T., Ebert, J., Gracey, K., Chapman, G. & Epstein, R. (2015) Evidence-Based Interventions for Adolescents with Disruptive Behaviors in School-Based Settings. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinics of North America, 24 (2), 305-317. PMID: 25773326 DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2014.11.005
jon.s.ebert@vumc.org

Dr. Ebert is a certified trainer in Treating Traumatic Stress in Children & Youth; Attachment, Regulation & Competence (ARC). As a certified trainer, he has trained ARC nationally and internationally. He has national recognition for his training & technical support in Motivational Interviewing (MI), Trauma & Resiliency Informed Care, Working With Problematic Sexual Behaviors in Children & Youth, and Maintaining Wellness While Working in Trauma.

Ariel Deutch, PhD

Ariel
Deutch
Professor
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
ariel.deutch@vumc.org

Central dopamine (DA) systems are critically involved in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. Our lab focuses on the studies of the DA innervations of prefrontal cortex and striatal complex, using a number of anatomical, biochemical and molecular approaches.

Studies on the prefrontal cortical DA innervation seek to delineate the anatomical organization of the projections and to define the mechanisms through which alterations in cortical DA systems transsynaptically regulate subcortical systems. The latter studies involve two broad experimental strategies: biochemical studies aimed at characterizing the regulation of GABAergic interneurons in the cortex by DA, and examination of the regulatory changes induced in subcortical DA systems by selective destruction of the cortical DA innervations. A major effort is devoted to understanding how antipsychotic drugs, particularly atypical antipsychotic drugs, elicit their therapeutic and side effects.

Studies of the DA innervation of the striatum aim to understand the progressive nature of Parkinson's disease, particularly changes in dendritic spines of neurons that receive convergent dopaminergic and glutamatergic inputs. To this end we use both structural and biochemical measures to study the plasticity of dendritic spines following striatal dopamine depletion.

A third set of studies explores the mechanisms of action of hallucinogens and their ability to alter thalamocortical and corticothalamic signaling. We are particularly interested in dissociating event initiating at the thalamus or cortex determining if ability of hallucinogens to activate the cortex.

Melissa Cyperski, PhD

Melissa
Cyperski
PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Division of Psychology

Dr. Melissa Cyperski (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Auburn University. She pursued advanced clinical training through her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship with Vanderbilt University Medical Center at the Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody (COE). The COE is part of a statewide network funded to enhance the quality of services provided to children in or at risk of entering the Tennessee child welfare or juvenile justice systems.

Dr. Melissa Cyperski is a child psychologist whose research interests center on understanding risks and resilience in youth, particularly those who identify as LGBTQ+ and/or have experienced adversity. In addition, she has engaged in training of mental health professionals and community partners.

melissa.cyperski@vumc.org

Dr. Cyperski has expertise in trauma-informed, evidence-based practice for children and adolescents. She primarily employs a cognitive-behavioral approach and adapts techniques from various interventions to meet the unique needs of each patient and family. She is passionate about providing care to the LGBTQ+ community--particularly gender diverse children, adolescents, and their caregivers. 


 

Blythe Corbett, PhD

Blythe
Corbett
PhD
James G. Blakemore Chair in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director, Division of Psychology
Associate Director, Vanderbilt University Medical Center Internship in Professional Psychology
Director, SENSE Lab
Investigator, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center

Dr. Corbett joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 2010. Currently, she is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Research Description

Dr. Corbett is the Director of the Social Emotional NeuroScience Endocrinology (SENSE) lab, a translational research program focused on better understanding and treating social competence and stress in children, adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One of her most notable contributions has been the development of SENSE Theatre®, a peer-mediated, theatre-based intervention, which has contributed to significant improvement in social functioning in individuals with ASD. Dr. Corbett has published over 70 original peer-reviewed articles in leading academic journals. Her research has been consistently funded by the National Institute of Mental Health since 2005, which includes randomized clinical trials and developmental studies examining the impact of pubertal development on stress, physiological arousal and social functioning in youth with ASD and typical development.

Training Description

Dr. Corbett is the Director of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Internship in Professional Psychology (VUMC-IPP), a one-year, full-time program approved by the American Psychological Association and member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) offering 4 positions in autism and lifespan development, child & adolescent psychology, general adult psychiatry and adult psychosis.

Clinical Description

Dr. Corbett is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in neuropsychological assessment in children and adolescents with autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders.

Village at Vanderbilt
Lab Website
http://senselab.vkcsites.org
blythe.corbett@vumc.org

 

 

Carissa Cascio, PhD

Carissa
Cascio
PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Division of Psychology
Postdoctoral Positions Available
Village at Vanderbilt
1501 21st Avenue S
Nashville
Tennessee
37212

Dr. Cascio's research program is focused on sensory and repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The lab uses direct observational assessment of sensation, perception, and behavior. These approaches are combined with neuroimaging and neurophysiological approaches such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and event-related potentials (ERP). The goal of the lab is to better understand how basic sensory and limbic neural systems contribute to the complex array of social and communication impairments in ASD. Current projects include: 1) an fMRI study of limbic/reward system activation in response to circumscribed interests in ASD, 2) a DTI study of sensory thalamocortical pathways as they relate to sensory hyper- and hyporesponsiveness in ASD, 3) an ERP study of steady state potentials and sensory processing in a high-risk group of infant siblings of children with ASD. Pilot and methodological projects include: 1) an ERP study of affective touch in children with ASD, 2) development of behavioral approaches for pediatric neuroimaging, including a biofeedback motion training program for use in a mock scanner environment.

carissa.cascio@vumc.org

Kimberly P. Brown, PhD, ABPP

Kimberly
P.
Brown
PhD, ABPP
Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director, Forensic Evaluation Team
Division of Psychology
(615) 327-7130
Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital
1601 23rd Avenue South
Nashville
Tennessee
37212
kimberly.p.brown@vumc.org

Dr. Kimberly Brown has been a member of the faculty since 2002. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and is board certified in forensic psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). She completed her undergraduate degree at Duke University, graduating summa cum laude. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in law from the University of Alabama. As part of her degree, she had coursework, research, and clinical training in the specialty field of forensic psychology. She completed a forensic psychology predoctoral internship at Napa State Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at the University of Washington/Western State Hospital.

Dr. Brown is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Director of the Vanderbilt Forensic Evaluation Team, which provides court-ordered criminal adult and juvenile forensic evaluations. She is experienced in conducting various types of assessments including: competencies, mental state at the time of the alleged offense, risk of violence and sexual offending, malingering, mitigation, personal injury, pre-employment, and fitness for duty. She has extensive experience with individuals with severe mental illness, in both inpatient and outpatient settings, both treatment and assessment. She has conducted over 3,500 evaluations in a variety of contexts and has received awards for her leadership, teaching, and research in forensic psychology. She has testified as an expert in court at the state and federal levels over 160 times.

Dr. Brown supervises various trainees in forensic evaluations and psychotherapy. She also teaches seminars pertaining to issues of forensic psychology and psychotherapy in the Vanderbilt Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, the Vanderbilt University Medical School, Vanderbilt Law School, and at local and national level conferences and trainings. 

Giovanni M. Billings, PsyD, IMH-E®

Giovanni
M.
Billings
PsyD
Assistant Professor of Clinical
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
giovanni.m.billings@vumc.org

Dr. Giovanni Billings IMH-E® is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a team member at the Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody. He trained at Children’s Hospital Colorado, The Kempe Center, and in the Irving Harris Fellowship at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. Throughout his education, training, and work, Dr. Billings’ focus has been on serving children and families who have experienced trauma, with a particular focus on infant and early childhood trauma. This work includes parent-child relational assessment, relationship-based therapeutic interventions, and training/consultation in the court and child welfare systems on the needs of young children. Dr. Billings is rostered as a clinician and supervisor in Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) as well as endorsed as a Clinical Mentor in infant mental health.

Jennifer U. Blackford, PhD

Jennifer
Urbano
Blackford
PhD
Professor
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Dr. Blackford is a developmental psychologist and neuroscientist. Her lab uses neuroimaging methods to characterize anxiety circuitry in humans and the role of anxiety circuitry in anxiety vulnerability, PTSD, addiction, and schizophrenia. Dr. Blackford is the Director of the Division of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital
1601 23rd Avenue South
Room / Suite
3057
Nashville
Tennessee
37212

Clauss, J, Avery, SN, Benningfield, MM, Blackford, JU (2019). Social anxiety is associated with BNST response to unpredictability. Depression and Anxiety, 36(8), 666-675. PMCID: PMC6679811.

Flook, EA, Luchsinger, JR, Silveri, MM, Winder DG, Benningfield, MM, Blackford, JU. Anxiety during abstinence from alcohol: A systematic review of rodent and human evidence for the anterior insula's role in the abstinence network. Addiction Biology, in press, doi: 10.1111/adb.12861. PMCID in progress.

Blackford JU. Leveraging Statistical Methods to Improve Validity and Reproducibility of Research Findings. JAMA Psychiatry. 2017 Feb 2/1/2017; 74(2): 119-20. PMID: 28030660, PII: 2594382, DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.3730, ISSN: 2168-6238.

Avery SN, Clauss JA, Blackford JU. The Human BNST: Functional Role in Anxiety and Addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology [print-electronic]. 2016 Jan; 41(1): 126-41. PMID: 26105138, PMCID: PMC4677124, PII: npp2015185, DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.185, ISSN: 1740-634X.

Clauss JA, Benningfield MM, Rao U, Blackford JU. Altered Prefrontal Cortex Function Marks Heightened Anxiety Risk in Children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry [print-electronic]. 2016 Sep; 55(9): 809-16. PMID: 27566122, PMCID: PMC5003319, PII: S0890-8567(16)30289-1, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2016.05.024, ISSN: 1527-5418.

Bas-Hoogendam JM, Blackford JU, Brühl AB, Blair KS, van der Wee NJA, Westenberg PM. Neurobiological candidate endophenotypes of social anxiety disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev [print-electronic]. 2016 Dec; 71: 362-78. PMID: 27593443, PII: S0149-7634(16)30263-9, DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.040, ISSN: 1873-7528.

Avery SN, Clauss JA, Winder DG, Woodward N, Heckers S, Blackford JU. BNST neurocircuitry in humans. Neuroimage [print-electronic]. 2014 May 5/1/2014; 91: 311-23. PMID: 24444996, PMCID: PMC4214684, PII: S1053-8119(14)00038-X, DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.01.017, ISSN: 1095-9572.

Clauss JA, Avery SN, VanDerKlok RM, Rogers BP, Cowan RL, Benningfield MM, Blackford JU. Neurocircuitry underlying risk and resilience to social anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety [print-electronic]. 2014 Oct; 31(10): 822-33. PMID: 24753211, PMCID: PMC4314099, DOI: 10.1002/da.22265, ISSN: 1520-6394.

Clauss JA, Seay AL, VanDerKlok RM, Avery SN, Cao A, Cowan RL, Benningfield MM, Blackford JU. Structural and functional bases of inhibited temperament. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci [print-electronic]. 2014 Dec; 9(12): 2049-58. PMID: 24493850, PMCID: PMC4249486, PII: nsu019, DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu019, ISSN: 1749-5024.

Blackford JU, Allen AH, Cowan RL, Avery SN. Amygdala and hippocampus fail to habituate to faces in individuals with an inhibited temperament. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci [print-electronic]. 2013 Feb; 8(2): 143-50. PMID: 22260816, PMCID: PMC3575717, PII: nsr078, DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsr078, ISSN: 1749-5024.

Blackford JU, Pine DS. Neural substrates of childhood anxiety disorders: a review of neuroimaging findings. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am [print-electronic]. 2012 Jul; 21(3): 501-25. PMID: 22800991, PMCID: PMC3489468, PII: S1056-4993(12)00037-5, DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2012.05.002, ISSN: 1558-0490.

Clauss JA, Blackford JU. Behavioral inhibition and risk for developing social anxiety disorder: a meta-analytic study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry [print-electronic]. 2012 Oct; 51(10): 1066-1075.e1. PMID: 23021481, PMCID: PMC3611590, PII: S0890-8567(12)00592-8, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2012.08.002, ISSN: 1527-5418.

 

 

jenni.blackford@vumc.org
CV
Blackford_CV.pdf

Sonia Beck, PhD

Sonia
C.
Beck
PhD
Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Division of Psychology
615-936-3555
Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital
1601 23rd Avenue South
Room / Suite
3050
Nashville
Tennessee
37212
sonia.c.beck@vumc.org

Dr. Sonia Beck became a faculty member in September 2011. She had been a member of Vanderbilt’s Community Mental Health Center team and has been providing individual and group therapy services in the Adult Outpatient Clinic since January of 2003. Dr. Beck has worked as a therapist with a variety of populations since 1987, both as a graduate student and as a professional, including college counseling centers at West Chester University (PA), Vanderbilt University (TN), and Illinois State University (IL); community health centers including Lower East Side Service Center (NY) and Center for Comprehensive Health Practice (NY); and worked in criminal offender(TN) and addictions programs (NY city). She is trained in DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), CBT(Cognitive Behavior Therapy), Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, and Gestalt Therapy, and has teaching and supervising experience at the college level (West Chester University, Illinois State University, and Tennessee State University) and at the professional level (Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry). Dr. Beck provides supervision in individual and group psychotherapy to the psychiatry residents in training, teaches psychotherapy classes to residents beginning their training, and is one of the lecturers on faculty to resident classes. She is also trained in testing and research but her focus of work has been in clinical practice.

Rheanna Ata Brown, PhD

Rheanna
Ata
Brown
PhD
Assistant Professor of Clinical
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Vanderbilt Center for Surgical Weight Loss
rheanna.a.brown@vumc.org
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