Clinical Expertise

Dr. Mote believes that therapy should be a life-affirming experience where one can share their struggles and their hopes in a space where they feel heard, valued, and supported. She helps clients on their path to self-discovery with compassion and a commitment to focusing on what matters most to each individual.

In practice, Dr. Mote uses a variety of evidence-based, person-centered practices, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), to help clients live a life in line with their values. She specializes in working with adults with mood, anxiety, and psychosis-spectrum disorders, as well as those going through major life transitions. She welcomes the opportunity to work with new parents, including helping mothers with the difficulties and stress that can accompany the pregnancy and postpartum periods. As a former tenure-track professor, Dr. Mote also enjoys working with clients experiencing similar high-stress work environments. Informed by her research on emotion and social connection, she is dedicated to helping clients better understand how one’s feelings influence how we interact with the world and with others.

Whether it’s adjusting to a “new normal” after becoming a parent or another major life transition, managing daily stressors, or developing new coping skills for mental health difficulties that have held one back from living the life that one wants, Dr. Mote is dedicated to helping her clients move forward and thrive.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Self-discovery is often impacted by oppressive systems and things out of one’s control. As a woman of color, working parent, spouse, and adoptee, Dr. Mote strives to create a supportive, inclusive environment for clients with multiple intersecting identities. She has provided clinical trainings and presented at national conferences on the racial disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of people with serious mental illness. She is committed to working within an anti-racist, cultural humility framework in her clinical work and research. She is an informed ally dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized communities. She is a polyamory-affirmative provider.

Training

Dr. Mote received her B.A. in Psychology at Oberlin College, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She completed a one-year predoctoral internship at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, where she worked in both the partial hospital program for adults with serious mental illnesses (like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) and an outpatient clinic for young adults experiencing their first episode of psychosis. She also worked for two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Early Detection, Assessment & Response to Risk (CEDAR), assessing and treating young adults at risk for psychosis along with their families. She has completed Postpartum Support International’s perinatal mental health provider training focused on the assessment and treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

Research and Teaching

Dr. Mote is also a Research Assistant Professor at Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University. Her research focuses on understanding the emotional and social difficulties of people living with serious mental illness. She has over 20 published peer-reviewed manuscripts and numerous presentations of her work at national conferences.

Education

• Oberlin College, BA
• University of California, Berkeley, MA
• University of California, Berkeley, PhD
• Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Predoctoral Internship
• Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Center for Early Detection, Assessment & Response to Risk (CEDAR), Postdoctoral Fellowship

Areas of Expertise

Mood and anxiety disorders, psychosis, life transitions, new parents, perinatal mental health, racial/ethnic identity, academics, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Hobbies

Dr. Mote enjoys binge-watching movies and TV shows, baking, hiking, spending time with friends and family, and writing about mental health science related to pregnancy and parenting (check out her newsletter here).