Shefali Gandhi, Psy.D.

Dr. Shefali Gandhi has been licensed by the Arizona Board of Psychologists Examiners since 2008. She serves as an Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Clinical Psychology Department. The goal of Dr. Gandhi's work is to create trauma-informed programs and trauma responsive settings in which families and providers understand the impact of ACEs, trauma, and toxic stress so healing and growth can successfully happen with a sense of completion and hope. Her ACEs/PCEs research hopes to strengthen the services that all advocacy and domestic violence centers provide in Arizona. She is the training coordinator for Arizona Child and Family Advocacy Network and develops annual trainings for the FAC/CAC's in Arizona. Her work as the Director of Clinical Services at Childhelp Children's Center strengthened the trauma-informed clinical services team through treatment, consultation, supervision, and programmatic growth adding program including sensory-modulation occupational therapy, an in-home therapy program, and a program that specifically focuses on treatment and outreach for children who have been victimized as a result of parental opioid abuse. She has testified in both family and criminal courts as the treating clinician and has been called upon for her opinion in terms of permanency planning and diagnosis. She has presented at national conferences on subjects related to School Psychology, Trauma-Informed Care, and Childhood Maltreatment. She has been asked to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Child Adolescent Trauma. She is responsible for program development and sits on the Executive Board of the not-for-profit, Mothers Awareness on School-Aged Kids (MASK). She was the recipient of MASK's Education Award, honoring community members whose efforts are dedicated to providing psychoeducation to children and families on current social-emotional challenges. She is a writer and columnist for MASK the magazine, contributing a developmentally appropriate guide for parents and children on relevant social-emotional concerns for today's families to each issue of the magazine. As a content developer and speaker, she develops and presents continuing education course materials on prevention, trauma informed care, resilience, and trauma.