Child and Adolescent Services

Children and young people are special, with unique needs and concerns. The doctors and specialists at UTMB's Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic, understand them, and we can help. Our caring physicians offer state of the art treatment in a nurturing environment. Let us help to overcome the problems that may be keeping your child or adolescent from blossoming during their critical developmental years. Let's begin healing. We offer a range of services including:

Evaluation and Diagnosis

Medical Management

Therapy

Child & Adolescent Psychiatrists

Denise Baughn, MD

Assistant Professor

Melissa DeFilippis, MD

Director, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Karen Wagner, PhD, MD

Titus H. Harris Chair, Harry K. Davis Professor, Professor & Chair Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences

Cindy Wigg, MD

Professor, Director of Residency Training Program

Dwight Wolf, MD

Vice Chair, Medical Director of Ambulatory Services

Psychologists

Dr. Gushanas (she/her) is a licensed child clinical psychologist and registered health service psychologist. She started in 2020 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) after completing her predoctoral internship in Pediatric Integrated Care at the Texas Child Study Center, Dell Medical School in Austin, TX and her postdoctoral fellowship in Trauma at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX. Dr. Gushanas completed her doctorate degree in school psychology from the University of Texas at Austin with a specialization in child-clinical and pediatric psychology.

Dr. Gushanas’s unique experience and training background in psychology has provided opportunities to improve access to evidence-based and culturally sensitive mental health services across various populations and settings, including pediatric primary care, schools, inpatient and emergency healthcare, tertiary and specialty care, residential treatment centers, community and outpatient clinics, and telemedicine. She loves working with youth exposed to trauma, LBGTQIA+ and Transgender/Non-Binary youth, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, suicide and self-harm prevention, and parents trying to figure out how to help their kids with difficult behaviors. Her research interests have led to peer-reviewed publications and presentations in suicide prevention, health equity, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, and traumatic stress. Dr. Gushanas is excited to provide services to our patients through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) initiative as well as research investigation within the Texas Youth Depression & Suicide and Childhood Trauma Research Networks.

Dr. Gushanas is also the Chair of the Early Career Psychology Division at the Texas Psychological Association and an active member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Society of Pediatric Psychology, among others. In addition to patient services and volunteerism, Dr. Gushanas is committed to improving the quality of care for Texas youth through training and education, consultation, and public speaking. You’ll often find her talking to podcasters and media outlets about the important work she and her colleagues are doing to improve mental healthcare in Texas.

Claire Kirk, PhD

Assistant Professor