Long before I planned for any children of my own, I knew that I wanted to be a child psychologist. My own early life experiences, desire to help others, and love of children set me on my career path from a young age. After graduating with honors from the University of Memphis in 1993 with a major in psychology, I began graduate school in Child Clinical Psychology at Auburn University.
My husband and I met at our graduate school orientation, surprised everyone we knew by getting married over spring break, and a few years later had our first child, a boy! During that time I completed my doctoral training at Auburn and internship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Psychology Training Consortium, both APA accredited.
When I graduated in 1999 with my Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology, I walked across the stage nine months pregnant with our second baby, this time a girl. We have had two more daughters since then, and there is never a dull moment at our house with four children ranging in age from 9 to 19!
In 2010 I founded ChildPsychMom.com in an effort to provide practical and user friendly information from my shared experiences as a wife, mom, and child psychologist. My goal as a child psychologist has always been helping families find and utilize the tools they need to solve their problems, big or small. That goal drove me to create this blog and in turn has given me the opportunity to write for a number of other websites and print publications over the past few years.
My true passion though has always been the prevention of child sexual abuse. As an Authorized Facilitator for the Darkness To Light Stewards of Children Training Program, I educate adults in my community to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse, and to take proactive steps to protect children.
So, there you have it. Me. I’m glad you’re here and hope you decide to stick around for more of my ‘Perfectly Imperfect’ parenting solutions.
Enjoy!
Dr. Polly Dunn, Licensed Psychologist
Common Sense Disclaimer: This website does not provide or replace psychological treatment or evaluation. Contact a psychologist in your community if you are in need of individualized services.
