Clinical Expertise

Dr. Navalta is a licensed clinical psychologist who works with children, adolescents, and their families as well as adults. He was trained in the scientist-practitioner tradition and provides treatments and interventions that are backed by strong scientific evidence. His areas of expertise are problems with anxiety, depression, disruptive/oppositional behavior, and traumatic stress. He also has significant experience with attention/hyperactivity, autism spectrum, obsessive/compulsive, and mood problems. Dr. Navalta’s overarching mission is to help and care for his clients and patients so that they can lead rich, full, and meaningful lives.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Dr. Navalta wholeheartedly understands that the development and maintenance of a person’s health problems and their treatment are influenced by characteristics of their background and identity. These factors include age & developmental stage; gender identity & expression; sexual orientation; race & ethnicity; familial country of origin; language(s) spoken; and religion & spirituality. He thus tirelessly collaborates with his clients and patients to create and sustain a safe and trusting environment whereby progress and improvement are grounded in self-defined values.

Training

Dr. Navalta received his undergraduate education (B.S. in Psychobiology) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Working as a psychiatric aide at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute & Hospital, he received training in applied behavior analysis (ABA) for children with autism spectrum disorder. He was educated in several science-based treatments during graduate school, including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), parent training & guidance, behavior therapy, and ABA. He received post-doctoral training in ABA at UCLA and in Child Clinical Psychology at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Focusing on the effects of developmental adversity and relevant treatment, he joined the Center for Refugee Trauma & Resilience at Boston Children’s Hospital as a clinical scientist and became an expert in Trauma Systems Therapy. Recognizing the need for improved diagnostic classification, Dr. Navalta served as clinical supervisor at Justice Resource Institute for the validation trial of the proposed diagnosis of Developmental Trauma Disorder.

Teaching and Research

Dr. Navalta is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Graduate Medical Sciences in the Mental Health Counseling & Behavioral Medicine Program at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine where he educates and trains the next generation of behavioral healthcare clinicians. He encourages his students to adopt his guiding clinical mantra: “Assess to understand before you intervene.” He held previous academic appointments at Harvard Medical School, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine. As a featured speaker for PESI, he has conducted countless educational training seminars for care providers and affiliate professionals across the United States. Dr. Navalta’s primary research focus is exposure to trauma and adversity during childhood & adolescence and the treatment of its impact on health. He has published extensively in this field in peer-reviewed journals, is an Associate Editor for BMC Psychiatry, and has several entries as primary author in The Encyclopedia of Psychological Trauma. Most recently, Dr. Navalta published a treatment manual for clinicians on effectively working with parents who have children with trauma-related problems, Trauma-Informed Parenting Program: TIPs for Clinicians to Train Parents of Children Impacted by Trauma & Adversity (Wiley, 2022).

Education

• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), B.S. in Psychobiology
• Binghamton University, M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
• UCLA Post-Doctoral Training in Applied Behavior Analysis
• McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School Post-Doctoral Training in Child Clinical Psychology

Areas of Expertise

Clinical Problems: Anxiety, depression, disruptive/oppositional behavior, traumatic stress, attention/hyperactivity, autism spectrum, obsessions/compulsions, and mood

Treatments: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Exposure-Based Treatment, Emotion Regulation Training, Parent Training & Guidance, Behavior Therapy & Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Trauma Systems Therapy

Consultation and Training: Schools, Healthcare Facilities, and Human Service Organizations

Hobbies

Dr. Navalta is a ‘family man’ who cherishes and adores the women in his life: his wife and their two adult daughters and his ageless mother. Besides enjoying outdoor activities (walks, hikes, snow skiing), he loves watching movies, eating great food, and traveling both near and far.