Specialties and Therapeutic Approach
Dr. Cameron specializes in assisting adult clients at the intersection of mental health and physical health. She enjoys helping clients who are adapting to life changes, as well as those struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma and PTSD, occupational stress and work-life balance challenges. Dr. Cameron commonly works with clients who are adapting to medical illnesses and experiencing the health-related consequences of trauma. She understands that making healthy life changes can be very difficult, even when it’s what a person wants most.
Dr. Cameron’s warm nature and skill-based style create a helpful blend of compassion and motivation that helps her clients excel in reaching their goals. She works collaboratively with clients to make the most of life in the midst of life-changing experiences, including medical conditions. Her expertise is in working with those who are having challenges adapting to conditions such as: heart diseases, diabetes, chronic pain, poor sleep, and weight concerns, among many other health concerns common in primary care, cardiology clinics, sleep clinics, and other medical settings. At times, working together includes improving communication skills with medical teams and addressing past healthcare challenges which may be getting in the way of current healthcare options. She is adept at helping clients with medical complexity find new ways to pursue wellness and thrive. Her insights from Behavioral Medicine allow her to successfully improve clients’ overall well-being and teach self-care skills, which can result in improvements in disease management, and enhancements in quality of life. Dr. Cameron also understands the importance of sleep health, and she is skilled in treating insomnia, nightmares, and providing support for CPAP adjustment and adherence.
Dr. Cameron’s experience working in medical teams allows her to practice with insights into the demands of this environment. She is passionate about supporting medical professionals in their pursuit of wellness, treating burnout and compassion fatigue, and working with other high functioning professional clients. Dr. Cameron also has extensive experience working with Veteran clients.
With a holistic, person-centered, and evidence-based approach, Dr. Cameron appreciates each person’s strengths. She uses feedback-informed care to stay focused on client goals. Dr. Cameron considers it an honor to guide clients towards their goals with a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy framework, using interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain, Motivational Interviewing, and mindfulness.
What it’s like to work with Dr. Cameron: “The heart of my work is building relationships – with clients, my colleagues, and my community. Clients and their medical teams find me to help them get unstuck. Clients often reflect that they find our intake meeting to be an encouraging relief, whether in medical or traditional mental health settings. My intent is to set the stage for psychotherapy and health behavior interventions that are effective and efficient. I adapt to each client’s need throughout therapy, whether the need is to to be heard and validated, learn more about the mind-body connection, be gently challenged, acquire skills to cope with stress or traumatic responses, or revise beliefs and behavioral habits that aren’t serving clients well. Clients frequently tell me that they feel heard, gain valuable insights into themselves, and learn skills to change their lives.“
Her expertise in evidence-based psychotherapies includes:
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain
- Motivational Interviewing (MI)
Education and Experience
Dr. Cameron began her studies with an interest in the bi-directional influence of the mind and body. She completed her Bachelor of the Arts in Psychology at East Carolina University, graduating Summa Cum Laude with University Honors and Honors in Psychology, and a Minor in Theatre Arts. She earned her Ph.D. in 2008 from the Medical (Clinical) Psychology Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a program co-sponsored and co-administered by the Department of Psychology and the School of Medicine. Dr. Cameron completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry at the West Virginia University School of Medicine in Charleston. She then completed her post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Health Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009, with emphasized training for evaluating and supporting candidates and recipients of solid-organ transplantation, Hepatitis C treatments, and weight loss surgery. All graduate and post-graduate education and training programs were accredited by the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Cameron worked in Primary Care at the McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) from 2009 to 2014, transferring to the Mental Health service line from 2014 to 2018 to provide specialty services via telehealth to women Veterans with histories of chronic pain and trauma. While continuing at the VAMC, she began seeing clients at Commonwealth Counseling Associates in 2015 (LifeStance Health as of 2018). Dr. Cameron joined Commonwealth Counseling’s Center for Behavioral Medicine and Neuropsychology full-time in 2018 as the Co-Director of Behavioral Health Integration, where she served until 2022. Dr. Cameron was proud to join the Breyta Psychological Associates team in 2022. She has been licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in Virginia since 2009, and as a Psychologist and Health Services Provider – Psychologist in North Carolina since 2021.
In addition to providing care to clients, Dr. Cameron has extensive experience in interprofessional collaboration, consultation, training and teaching medical professionals and trainees, and program development.
Additional Trainings
- Patient-Centered Communication
- Lean-Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification
