How Dr. Alissa Finds Joy
— Her family and cats, reading, the beach, exercise, crochet, needlepoint, unrealistic reality TV
 
 

Dr. Wigdor grew up in the DC Metro Area and attended the University of Maryland, where she graduated Summa cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2007. After graduating from college, Dr. Wigdor worked in a child development lab for two years at the University of Maryland, contributing to a longitudinal research project investigating the peer relationships of children and adolescents. Following her post-baccalaureate work, Dr. Wigdor attended Duke University and completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Further, Dr. Wigdor completed her internship at Duke University Medical Center, with a focus in Pediatric Psychology. 

During her education and internship at Duke, Dr. Wigdor was trained in assessing and treating children, adolescents, young adults, families, and couples. She was also trained in performing cognitive and psychoeducational assessments of children and adolescents, and conducted evaluations through the Pediatric Neuropsychology Service for three years. Following the completion of her internship, Dr. Wigdor remained at Duke University Medical Center as a Clinical Associate, and was engaged in numerous clinical and administrative roles, including clinical triage and care coordination for patients in Child Psychiatry. 
 
As a senior clinician at Peak City Psychology, Dr. Wigdor has over 15 years of experience providing care. She utilizes evidence-based treatments, and engages in an integrative approach that is tailored for an individual’s or couple’s need. She draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), and Gottman methods. Dr. Wigdor exhibits a warm and client-centered approach to care, and believes a good therapeutic relationship is important to achieving the goals of therapy. She has a particular interest and expertise in cognitive and psychoeducational assessment (including executive functioning, ADHD, and learning disabilities), and adolescent and young adult adjustment, including coping with anxiety, depression, family, peer stress, identity exploration, and life transitions and challenges. Dr. Wigdor also enjoys working with couples, aiming to improve communication, connection, and conflict resolution. She is LGBTQIA+ affirming and works with both monogamous and non-monogamous couples. 
 
Dr. Wigdor is a proponent of collaborating with family, schools, and other providers where appropriate, in order to provide comprehensive care for individuals. She appreciates the difficulties involved in asking for help, and aims to provide a positive therapeutic experience with the goal of enhancing individual, couple, and family functioning. In addition to her licensure in North Carolina that allows her to see clients in-person at the Apex office, Dr. Wigdor is also a member of PSYPACT, which allows her to provide telehealth services in over 40 states.