Samuel “Vladi” Highland, PsyD

Dr. Samuel “Vladi” Highland is a licensed clinical psychologist and nationally registered Health Service Psychologist (HSP). Prior to joining the Boston Child Study Center, he supervised a team of behavioral health coaches in the outpatient treatment of kids and families with anxiety and OCD at Braver in Riverside, RI. He has also held dual appointments as a staff psychologist at Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, respectively. Dr. Highland blends evidence-based treatments with a warm and relationally-oriented approach that focuses on caring for children as well as their caregivers.

Dr. Highland possesses a range of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of middle childhood challenges, anxiety and OCD, mood dysregulation, LGBTQ+ identity, and complex developmental trauma. He is trained in the following modalities: Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C) both aimed at strengthening parent-child relationships and managing difficult behaviors, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for taking actionable steps to tackle fears associated with anxiety and OCD, Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) intended for suicidal and self-harming teenagers to build a life worth living, Psychoeducational Psychotherapy (PEP) for parents of kids with mood disorders to enhance family communication and coping skills, as well as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) designed to reconstruct psychologically painful experiences in the wake of childhood trauma.

Dr. Highland earned a master’s and doctorate in clinical psychology from Antioch University New England. He completed his predoctoral psychology internship at Family Service & Guidance Center in Topeka, KS and his postdoctoral fellowship in the Clinical Child Psychology Specialty Program at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Highland received his bachelor’s with high honors in psychology from Clark University.

He has published and presented on the following topics: adolescent emotion dysregulation, adoptive identity among previously institutionalized international adoptees, as well as college student substance use and life purpose. Dr. Highland is also passionate about integrating evidence-based treatments, particularly in combination with adventure therapy, to effectively deliver care in outdoor settings.