Cape Behavioral Health
302-727-9661


Dr. Wisely has over ten years experience providing psychotherapy services in a variety of treatment settings. In addition to her training in cognitive behavioral therapy, Dr. Wisely also has extensive DBT and trauma treatment experience with teens and adults. For the past few years she has primarily focused on her outpatient psychotherapy practice working with adults, children & adolescents struggling with depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and high conflict relationships. Dr. Wisely graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the State University of NY at Albany and received her doctorate in psychology from C.W. Post, Long Island University.
"Rather than seeing my clients as having disorders or suffering from mental illness, I believe that every person has a combination of temperament and life experiences that interact to develop their own unique ways for coping in life. Sometimes a coping style that worked earlier, or in a previous relationship, can cause problems for you now. Sometimes a stressful or traumatic event can cause one to adopt ways of coping that create difficulties in other areas of functioing. I work together with my clients to identify these problem areas, and to develop and practice new ways of thinking, behaving, and relating in order to improve their overall quality of life." 
Dr. Wisely works primarily from a cognitive-behavioral treatment perspective (see more on CBT under "resources"). According to the CBT model, our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are interconnected, each affecting one another. From this perspective, interventions focus on identifying and then working to change an individual's problematic thoughts and reactions. Once these are identified, there are a wide variety of skills that can be learned for changing thought patterns, withstanding negative emotional states, stopping impulsive or harmful behaviors, and improving relationships. 
Treatment is usually time-limited (two to six months), once per week, and consists of learning and practicing these skills in session and as "homework" assignments.  There is greater flexibility in this treatment approach, as it is tailored to each individual. CBT uses a collaborative relationship between therapist and clients across all phases of treatment. 
Lauren R Wisely, PsyD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist