Dr. Amy Cuellar (Psychologist)

My name is Dr. Amy Cuellar, and I am a licensed psychologist in the state of Texas. I obtained my PhD in clinical psychology (adult track) from the University of Miami and afterwards completed a pre-doctoral internship (general track) at the James A. Haley VA Hospital and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in the Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center. My area of expertise lies in helping people to achieve their visions of recovery from depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, stress, paranoia, and other problems in living so that they lead lives of meaning. Much of my work has focused on helping people overcome barriers in setting, achieving, and sustaining goals in order to live the lives that they want. My theoretical orientations are rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and solution focused therapy. I am an advocate of using CBT in many cases because it has the strongest scientific evidence to support its efficacy in decreasing symptoms. When someone appears to be struggling with adjustment to a life transition, however, I tend to use solution focused therapy as my theoretical approach. Regardless of theoretical orientation, however, my style is always collaborative and based in my unwavering belief that everyone has the capacity to grow, change, and recover. I view myself as a partner on a team with my client, and that my clients’ knowledge about themselves as just as important as my knowledge of how to provide therapy. My goal for clients is for them to learn skills so that they can become their own therapists. I would be honored to be a partner on your recovery journey and look forward to meeting you soon. Selected publications: Johnson, S. L., Cuellar, A. K., & Peckham, A. D. (2014). Risk factors for bipolar disorder. In I. Gotlib & C. Hammen (Eds.) Handbook of Depression, 3rd Edition. New York: Guilford Press. Johnson, S. J., Cuellar, A. K. & Gershon, A. (2016). The influence of trauma, life events, and social relationships on bipolar depression. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 39,87-94. Cuellar, A. K., & Johnson, S. L. (2009). Depressive symptoms and affective reactivity to maternal praise and criticism. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28, 1173-1194.