Dr Sally Phillips, PhD, LP

Dr. Phillips earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Miami University, 2003. She completed her internship and post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Psychology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 2003-2004. She is a Licensed Psychologist in Minnesota.

Areas of Practice include: Psychotherapy with adults, adolescents, and children (aged 6+). Insight oriented psychoanalytic therapy, short-term, problem focused therapy, adoption. Sally has extensive experience supporting transcultural adult adoptees.

Dr. Phillips has completed her master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation in the area of adoption and has graduated from the Permanency and Adoption Competency Certification (PACC) training at The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society and former Board Member of MN ADOPT.

Philosophy of Practice:
“My theoretical orientation as a psychologist/therapist is based on attachment theory and psychoanalysis and existential/constructivist theories. I approach adoption from a blend of developmental, psychoanalytic, attachment, and family systems perspectives.

I view adoption as affecting the adoptee, adoptive parents, and birth parents throughout the life-cycle. The experience of loss and grief, and attachment disruptions have different impacts at different points in each member of the adoption triad’s life. They must be understood and dealt with sensitively.
Often times behavioral or emotional difficulties can be ameliorated through understanding and working-through the complexities of the adoption experience at various points in time, so that feelings can be understood, honored, and worked-through, rather than acted out.”