Provider Type: Psychologist
Serving: Adolescents 13-17, Adults 18-59, Adults 60+, Children 6-12
Dr. Athena Dacanay is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist providing psychological treatment for child, and family concerns. She received her Doctoral degree in Educational Psychology with a specialization in School Psychology from Ball State University in Muncie, IN. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Integrated Behavioral Health Consortium of Indiana and post-doctoral internship at Psychology Specialists.
Dr. Dacanay has experience in administering psychoeducational and psychological assessments and conducting therapy with individuals, families, and groups in outpatient and school-based settings. Additionally, she has worked with a wide variety of social, emotional, behavioral, and psychological health issues and diagnoses, including neurodevelopmental, anxiety, depressive, personality, and impulse-control disorders.
Dr. Dacanay’s primary areas of professional interest include working with individuals and families who are adjusting to life changes (such as loss, illness, or divorce), struggling to cope with anxiety and depression, needing of behavioral planning, or seeking couples/ family therapy. She utilizes play therapy to help young children express their thoughts and feelings about what is troubling them. She promotes understanding and collaboration among family members in order to solve the problems of one or more individuals, especially with children and adolescents.
Dr. Dacanay uses a combination of cognitive behavioral, acceptance-based, and strengths-based strategies as her approach to treatment. She believes past and current social and cultural forces shape one’s values, thoughts, and expectations about how the world works. The focus of treatment is learning to identify and change debilitating thought patterns, and if there is a struggle in committing to change, to consistently choose to act effectively in the presence of difficult life events.