Dr. Cathy Chance, Ph.D.

Education and Training

Dr. Chance graduated from Auburn University in 1989 with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She did her dissertation research on treatment of abused women. Her internship was done in the US Air Force at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. As part of her internship, she received supervision in outpatient mental health, inpatient mental health, behavioral medicine and crisis evaluation. After completing her internship, she was transferred to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, NV. While there she worked in outpatient mental health and dealt with a wide variety of problems. Throughout her Air Force service, Dr. Chance ran therapy groups for abused women. She also gained experience in disaster response, crisis intervention, drug and alcohol evaluation, and general short-term psychotherapy with a wide variety of disorders. She also ran the stress management program at Nellis AFB.

Work Experience

After leaving the Air Force, Dr. Chance worked in a private practice in Long Beach, California, where she was licensed in 1992. In this practice, she continued to work with a variety of mental health problems of adults, and also gained experience working with children. Concurrently, Dr. Chance taught psychological assessment both at Pepperdine University and California State University, Long Beach. She also later worked in skilled nursing facilities, providing assessment and psychotherapy to the residents of those facilities.

At the present, Dr. Chance is working part-time at a hospital-based outpatient clinic in California. She works with both adults and children. Most of these patients are suffering from long-term mental illness. Dr. Chance also runs a pain management program in her department.

Treatment Philosophy

While familiar with a number of treatment modalities, Dr. Chance takes a primarily cognitive/behavioral approach. The basic view is one that holds that how we think determines how we feel. Change our thinking and we change our feelings.

Dr. Chance also believes strongly in taking personal responsibility for our lives. She frequently advises her patients to live consciously, making decisions based on realistic judgments. "When I was growing up, my father worked for IBM. At the time, Big Blue's motto was contained in one word: THINK! That, combined with my admiration for Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, has had a profound impact on my approach to my life and my work."

Personal

In addition to her professional work, Dr. Chance enjoys a wide variety of interests. For the past six years she has been a participant at renaissance faires, playing her Irish Harp. In 1996, she traveled to Ireland for a 5-day harp school. She also enjoys flying, sailing, reading, history and music. She has traveled extensively, but admits her knowledge of foreign languages is sadly lacking.

Dr. Chance's immediate family at present include her dog Bridget and three cats: Tabitha, Isis, and Cadfael. They provide Dr. Chance her primary source of stress management!

Memberships

Dr. Chance is a member in good standing of the following professional organizations:

• American Psychological Association
• American Academy of Pain Management

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