Diondra Straiton-Webster, PhD is a Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. She holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Michigan State University and completed her predoctoral internship in clinical psychology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Straiton-Webster is passionate about leveraging implementation science to improve community-based autism services by optimizing training for clinicians working in publicly funded settings. Most of this work focuses on caregiver-mediated naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs), a newer class of autism interventions that focus on social communication skill development in young children.
Dr. Straiton-Webster has clinical expertise in working with neurodivergent and typically developing youth in under-resourced settings, including implementing caregiver-mediated NDBIs, cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and evidence-based practices in classroom settings. Through her research and clinical work, she has trained more than 100 clinicians in various publicly funded settings in the United States, Canada, and China. This includes work in community mental health systems, Part C early intervention systems, public elementary schools, and hospitals.
As an educator, Dr. Straiton-Webster is well-positioned to teach courses related to autism spectrum disorder, child psychopathology, cognitive behavioral therapy, multicultural psychology, mixed methods, and implementation science. As a clinical supervisor, she uses a "flexibility within fidelity" approach and practices with a cognitive behavioral theoretical orientation, emphasizing cultural humility and the importance of a strong supervisory alliance.
Please browse this website for more information about Dr. Straiton-Webster's research and recommended resources for families and professionals. Feel free to contact her with any questions or comments!
Dr. Straiton-Webster has clinical expertise in working with neurodivergent and typically developing youth in under-resourced settings, including implementing caregiver-mediated NDBIs, cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and evidence-based practices in classroom settings. Through her research and clinical work, she has trained more than 100 clinicians in various publicly funded settings in the United States, Canada, and China. This includes work in community mental health systems, Part C early intervention systems, public elementary schools, and hospitals.
As an educator, Dr. Straiton-Webster is well-positioned to teach courses related to autism spectrum disorder, child psychopathology, cognitive behavioral therapy, multicultural psychology, mixed methods, and implementation science. As a clinical supervisor, she uses a "flexibility within fidelity" approach and practices with a cognitive behavioral theoretical orientation, emphasizing cultural humility and the importance of a strong supervisory alliance.
Please browse this website for more information about Dr. Straiton-Webster's research and recommended resources for families and professionals. Feel free to contact her with any questions or comments!