About Dr. Pereira of St. Kitts Counseling Services
Dr. Desia Grace Pereira, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Change can be incredibly difficult. Even the decision to seek therapy can be an act of courage. To meet a client for the first time is to realize that, despite their struggles, a client hopes for something more and believes in that possibility. I am always inspired and honored to be a part of this process, as clients work to improve upon themselves, learn new strategies, and become more of who they want to be. I make sure that sessions are safe, comfortable and confidential, so that this important change is possible.
Education and Training
Dr. Desia Grace Pereira received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an APA-accredited, U.S. nationally recognized scientist-practioner program in Clinical Psychology. Her doctoral program and post-doctoral residency emphasized rigorous training and integration of theory, research, and application in the areas of assessment, treatment, and the prevention of psychological difficulties, utilizing evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapies.
She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center Outpatient Clinic within the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration Healthcare System where she provided evidence-based individual and couples therapy to veterans presenting with a range of difficulties, including anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, relationship difficulties, chronic pain and illness, and adjustment difficulties.
During her postdoctoral fellowship at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine Counseling Center, Dr. Pereira’s therapy focused on adults coping with a broad spectrum of difficulties, including anxiety and depressive issues; childhood and adult trauma-related difficulties; relationship difficulties, eating disorders; adjustment and academic-related difficulties; substance use, and chronic pain or illness.
Recent clinical experience
Dr. Pereira founded St. Kitts Counseling Services in 2019 after living in St. Kitts for over six years. Since opening St. Kitts Counseling Services, Dr. Pereira has worked with hundreds of residents in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, and many in the broader Caribbean and various other countries across the world through teletherapy services.
Prior to opening St. Kitts Counseling Services, Dr. Pereira worked for five years in St. Kitts at University of Medicine and Health Sciences as a Clinical Psychologist and Director of Counseling Services, where she independently developed the University’s Counseling Services. During this time, Dr. Pereira provided brief and longer-term individual and couples psychotherapy to a diverse range of students, staff and faculty, utilizing evidence-based forms of treatment to address difficulties including anxiety and depressive concerns, stress, trauma, adjustment, career and academic difficulties, relationship difficulties, personality disorders, learning disorders and ADHD, substance use, eating disorders, grief, LGBTQIA+ concerns, sleep difficulties, and chronic pain and illness.
Therapeutic Approach
Although Dr. Pereira draws from a range of psychological models during the treatment of client needs, her therapeutic approach tends to stem from a developmental cultural conceptualization that incorporates aspects of both cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic approaches with mindfulness, relaxation and stress-reduction techniques. She uses evidence-based therapies, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Time-Limited Psychodynamic Therapy (TLDP) for relationship difficulties, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy (MBSRT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD and Integrated Behavioral Couples Therapy (IBCT).
Professional Affiliations
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- St. Kitts Mental Health Association (SKMHA)
Publications
Grace (Pereira), D. (2013). Childhood abuse, parenting styles & social support in the development of depression & sexual risk taking. (Order No. 3573316, University of Illinois at Chicago). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 124.
Keenan, K., Jacob, S., Grace (Pereira), D., & Gunthorpe, D. Context Matters: Exploring Definitions of a Poorly Modulated Stress Response. In S. Olson & A. Sameroff (Eds.), Biopsychosocial Regulatory Processes in the Development of Behavior Problems: Biological, Behavioral, and Social-Ecological Interactions. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. (2009).
Keenan, K., Gunthorpe, D., & Grace (Pereira), D. (2007). Parsing the relations between SES and stress reactivity: Examining individual differences in neonatal stress response. Infant Behavior & Development, 30(1), 134-145. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Keenan, K., Grace (Pereira), D., & Gunthorpe, D. (2003). Examining stress reactivity in neonates: Relations between cortisol and behavior. Child Development, 74(6), 1930-1942. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Keenan, K., Gunthorpe, D., & Young (Pereira), D. (2002). Patterns of cortisol reactivity in African-American neonates from low-income environments. Developmental Psychobiology, 41(3), 256-276. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Presentations
Grace (Pereira), D., Artemiou, E., & Camp, J. (August 2014). Evaluation of mindfulness-based curriculum strategies within a veterinary medicine program. Poster presented at the Association for Medical Education in Europe 2014 Conference, Milan, Italy.
Grace (Pereira), D., Artemiou, E., & Camp, J. (November 2013). Socio-cultural awareness and diversity in veterinary medicine: A core educational and professional competency and targeted curriculum strategies employed at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. Poster presented at the DeVry Annual Healthcare Educational and Scientific Conference, St. Marten.
Grace (Pereira), D., Roesch, L., & Hankin, B. L. (April 2005). An examination of social support networks in the development of psychopathology among adolescents. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development, Atlanta, GA.
Grace (Pereira), D., Hankin, B. L., Abramson, L. Y., Hogan, M., & Rose, D. (November 2004). Pathways from childhood maltreatment to adult depression: Examining the role of parenting behavior in a prospective study. Poster presented at the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, New Orleans, LA.
Grace (Pereira), D., Hankin, B. L., Abramson, L. Y., Hogan, M., & Rose, D. (October 2004). Childhood maltreatment, parental behavior, and adult depression: Examining moderating and direct effect processes in a prospective study. Poster presented at the Society of Research in Psychopathology Conference, St. Louis, MO.
Grace (Pereira), D., Hankin, B. L., Abramson, L. Y., Hogan, M., & Rose, D. (May 2004). Childhood maltreatment and depression: The role of parenting styles in the family context. Poster presented at the Society for Life History Research on Psychopathology Conference, Charleston, SC.
Grace (Pereira), D., & Gunthorpe, D. (August 2003,). Prenatal exposure to stress and neonatal stress reactivity. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association 111th Annual Convention, Toronto, Canada.
Grace (Pereira), D., & Gunthorpe, D. (August 2003). Social Support Moderates the Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Adult Psychological Functioning. Poster presented at the 8th Annual Victimization of Children & Youth Conference, Portsmouth, NH.
Grace (Pereira), D., & Gunthorpe, D. (July 2002). Neonatal factors related to infant readiness. Poster presented at the Head Start’s Sixth National Research Conference, Washington, DC.
Keenan, K., Grace (Pereira), D., & Gunthorpe, D. (July 2002.). Cortisol and behavioral regulation in the first years of life: Markers of early disruptive behavior problems. Paper presented at the Meeting of the International Society for Research on Aggression, Montreal, CA.
Keenan, K., Grace (Pereira), D., & Gunthorpe, D. (November 2002). Examining relations between biological and behavioral indices of stress reactivity in African-American neonates. Paper presented at the Meeting of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology, Orlando, Florida.
Keenan, K., Grace (Pereira), D., & Gunthorpe, D. (September 2002). Responsive caregiving in the context of poverty. Paper presented at the Meeting for the Society of Life History Research, New York City, New York.
Keenan, K., Gunthorpe, D., & Young (Pereira), D. (June 2001). Stability in cortisol reactivity in the first years of life: A marker for early onset psychopathology. Paper presented at the Meeting of the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, Vancouver, CA.
