Dr. April Nesin and Mary Vassar Hitchings (click name for bio)
Dr. April Nesin
April Nesin PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist, specializing in children and adolescents, although she also sees many parents of children with special healthcare or developmental needs. Dr. Nesin is in the unique position to have had not only the academic and clinical training related to specialized healthcare concerns in childhood, but also the first-hand knowledge of the joys and tribulations of parenting and advocating for a child with complex medical, developmental, emotional, social and behavioral needs.
Dr. Nesin’s passion is helping families navigate life’s challenges and advocating for their needs. She has extensive experience working with families impacted by medical issues, including communicating with and coordinating care with medical teams, as well as working with school systems to create plans to support a child’s unique needs. She is a certified Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) therapist and Level 1 trainer and also a certified grief recovery specialist. Being the parent of a child with complex needs, she is also passionate about providing support to parents as they navigate life and help them find balance.
Dr. Nesin is currently licensed in Tennessee, Georgia and Missouri. She also holds an E. Passport from PSYPACT, allowing her to practice telehealth in several states.
When she’s not in the office – Dr. Nesin loves to cook, read, travel and enjoy all the outdoor activities Chattanooga has to offer.
Education/Experience: Dr. Nesin earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Auburn University and her doctoral degree in Clinical-Developmental Psychology at the University of Maine. She went on to receive specialized training in assessment and pediatric psychology through her internship and fellowship at A.I duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and completed a second fellowship specialized in pediatric cancer at Nemours Children’s Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. Before coming to Chattanooga, Dr. Nesin worked as a program lead in the pediatric psychology program at St. Louis Children’s Hospital where she provided consultation and intervention services to children with cancer and their families as well as children throughout the hospital with a variety of complex medical or rehabilitation needs.
Mary Vassar Hitchings, MA MFT
Mary Vassar enjoys working with individuals, couples and families, helping them develop skills to strengthen their relationships. Her mission is to encourage, equip and empower clients as she helps them identify their strengths, challenges, and resources for their goals. She especially enjoys supporting clients who feel “stuck” or are dealing with loss of any kind. Mary Vassar also looks forward to supporting families going through challenging seasons of marriage and parenting and is excited to offer Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for families of children age 2-7.
Her professional experience includes serving as a day care director, a consultant for the State Department of Education in Planning & Policy, counseling practicums and internships in both community agency and university settings, a research assessor for Vanderbilt University’s Voluntary Pre-K research project as well as years of work with elementary age children in a summer camp setting.
She and her husband have been married 32 years and survived the roller coaster ride of parenting three children who are now adults. Mary Vassar is an introvert who loves people, and enjoys hiking, reading narrative non-fiction, and (nerd-alert!) has watched Jeopardy! for over 30 years.
Mary Vassar holds a Tennessee Temporary License as a Licensed Professional Counselor, Mental Health Service Provider (#5449 LPC-MHSP).
Education: Mary Vassar earned a B.S. in Education from Millsaps College, an M.A. in Marriage & Family Therapy from Reformed Theological Seminary, and a Post-Masters Certificate in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.