Psychologists

Patrick J. Nisco, II, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
President and Clinical Director

Dr. Nisco is a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and adults, addressing concerns such as ADHD, Autism and Asperger's, depression and anxiety, bipolar disorder, trauma, personality disorders, and addictions. He provides psychological testing to help clarify diagnoses, assist with medication considerations, and offer treatment recommendations.

Dr. Nisco received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Pacific Graduate School in Palo Alto, California, and obtained both his Masters in Clinical Psychology and Bachelors in Psychology from Loyola University in Maryland. He has trained at the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Menlo Park, CA, Stanford University School of Medicine, and Veteran Administration (VA) Hospitals in Palo Alto, CA and Baltimore, MD; providing psychological evaluations, and individual and group psychotherapy. He completed his internship at the Spring Grove Hospital Center working with adolescent and adult inpatients conducting psychological evaluations for admission and forensic wards. His postdoctoral residency with the Patuxent Institution minimum security prison included administering psychological evaluations and group psychotherapy with inmates addressing anger management, developing positive social skills, and substance abuse treatment.

Prior to joining SBHS, Dr. Nisco has been on staff as a psychotherapist with outpatient community mental health centers providing psychological testing, individual, family, and couples psychotherapy with all ages, addressing communication skills, behavioral concerns, addictions, and serious mental illnesses. In private practice, Dr. Nisco uses an approach based primarily on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and will also utilize other styles of treatment to include a client centered, strength based, solution focused approach.

Roy Wilensky, Psy.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Wilensky was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he graduated from an experimental high school, played percussion in a community orchestra, and attended an arts camp on scholarship. He came to the Washington area to attend George Washington University; during his undergraduate years there he joined an archaeological team in Ecuador and eventually received a BA in anthropology. Since then he has traveled and studied extensively in Latin America, Europe, and Asia, and his encounters with diverse peoples along the way has inspired him to seek a more direct application of his social-science and natural-science backgrounds. He has therefore continued on to receive an MSW degree, a Psy.D. degree in clinical psychology, and a postdoctoral MS degree in clinical psychopharmacology while also gaining fluency in Spanish.

As a doctoral student, Dr. Wilensky completed advanced coursework in forensic psychology and in family and couples psychotherapy. He has also completed advanced training in clinical hypnosis. He was chief psychology intern at the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute in Salt Lake City, and completed his post-doctoral training with Forensic Health Services, Inc., in Washington, DC. Having worked in outpatient, inpatient, partial-hospitalization, correctional, and court settings, he offers psychological testing for children, adolescents, and adults; individual, family, and couples therapy for adolescents and adults; and forensic and disability evaluations of juveniles and adults. He currently works, on a pro-bono basis, with the Washington-based Torture Abolition and Survivors and Support Coalition (TASSC) and Healthright International (formerly Doctors of the World), providing evaluations and documentation for asylum seekers alleging a history of torture and other human-rights abuses in their home countries. Dr. Wilensky has received media recognition as well as several awards and honors for his work, including one from the Commonwealth of Virginia for his grant-funded work developing and implementing community-based assessment and stress-management programs in the aftermath of September 11 and related events. Dr. Wilensky is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

Madhu Boland, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Madhu Boland is a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive experience working with a diverse group of adolescents and adults representing a broad spectrum of mental health disorders such as major thought and affective disorders, personality disorders and substance abuse/dependence issues. She has worked as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team in both outpatient and inpatient settings.

She completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in Palo Alto, CA. While there, she completed extra coursework to become proficient in neuropsychological testing. She has trained at the Fair Oaks outpatient community mental health center in Santa Clara, CA, Brain Injury Rehab Unit (BIRU) at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration, and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) unit at the DC VA Hospital. She completed her internship at South Florida State Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and then worked as a Psychologist at the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute (NVMHI) in Falls Church, VA, both inpatient facilities where she provided individual and group psychotherapy to clients with severe psychopathology and worked closely with individuals committed by criminal courts. She developed and implemented behavioral treatment plans, administered and evaluated full neuropsychological batteries, court ordered forensic evaluations, as well as cognitive and personality assessments to aid in diagnostic formulation and/or assist with treatment recommendations. She has also worked with children diagnosed with the Autism spectrum of disorders and provided treatment based on the Lovaas technique of early intervention behavior modification which teaches language, self-help and social skills to these children with the goal of successful integration into a classroom setting. For the last two years, she has been teaching Introduction to Psychology courses at the Northern Virginia Community College.

Dr. Boland is of Indian ancestry. She is fluent in Hindi and is very aware of cultural diversity issues in mental health. She works primarily from a Cognitive Behavioral perspective and firmly believes in a client centered approach to therapy.

Ruth B. Gross, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Ruth Brill Gross has a long and varied career as a clinical-, counseling,-, and neuropsychologist. She has a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling and a PhD in clinical psychology, both from West Virginia University. Dr. Gross interned under the supervision of Menninger faculty in Topeka, Kansas. In Topeka and as a faculty member of the University of Cincinnati (Ohio) Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, she received advanced training in psychoanalytic, supportive, and cognitive therapies. Training in neuropsychology was later received at the Washington, D.C., Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Dr Gross worked in the student counseling services of West Virginia University, the Ohio State University (where she was also Director of Clinical Counseling), and Xavier University (Cincinnati). While a faculty member and practicing psychologist in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, she directed the psychology traineeship program and the Day Treatment Center of Cincinnati General Hospital. She also directed a major research project having to do with early childhood education as well as directing her own research into children's creativity. Other university faculty appointments included Xavier of Cincinnati and George Mason of Fairfax, Va.

Dr. Gross's more recent major service commitment has been with the VA Medical System, first at the Washington D.C. VA Medical Center as staff psychologist and neuropsychologist on the Alcohol Treatment Unit and later the Martinsburg WV VA Medical Center. At the VA Martinsburg, she served as center neuropsychologist and Director of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program. She later returned to do disability evaluations for VA Central Office. Since leaving government, Dr. Gross has worked part-time in several settings as a substance abuse counselor and therapist serving individual, couples, teens, and others. She is also interested in working with "older" adults. As a VA psychologist Dr. Gross's special interests were brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Gross is listed on the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology and on several Who's Who lists. She is a member of Sigma Xi, a research honorary, and other professional organizations. In the past, she co-authored a book on psychological evaluation, developed and published a test of children's creativity, and wrote an extensive report of her research on early childhood education. She also authored/coauthored several journal articles.

Dr. Gross is a student of Yoga and does volunteer work as a Virginia Master Naturalist.

Laurie J. Cummings, Psy.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Cummings earned a B.S. in Psychology cum laude with a minor in Philosophy from Union College in Schenectady, New York. She completed her M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling at The University at Albany in Albany, New York. She obtained her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire. Dr. Cummings completed the Vanderbilt University - Department of Veterans Affairs Internship in Professional Psychology in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. Cummings has a wealth of experience with individuals, groups, and families from diverse backgrounds. She works comfortably with children, adolescents, adults, elders, and families. Dr. Cummings strives to achieve the highest standard of care for all clients, providing case management and coordinating with all service providers as needed. She has a strong commitment to providing mental health services to veterans and their families. Dr. Cummings has worked in outpatient, inpatient, juvenile corrections, day treatment, and hospital based, in-home, and private practice settings. She provides psychological assessment services to children and adults, including intellectual, personality, and projective testing.

Dr. Cummings' approach to therapy is not tied to a single theory. She recognizes the importance of tailoring interventions to the unique needs of clients and works to select interventions that will most effectively alleviate distress and maximize the functioning of each client. Dr. Cummings has specialized training and experience with dissociation, trauma, behavioral concerns, serious mental illness, parenting skills, and crisis management.