Charissa Pizarro, PsyD
Toggle speaker biography
Dr. Charissa D. Pizarro is a bilingual (English/Spanish) licensed clinical psychologist with over 15 years of clinical experience working with diverse clinical populations. She has devoted her career to working with the underprivileged and most needy populations. At present, she heads two grant funded child protective services programs. Dr. Pizarro has a private practice where she treats presenting concerns such as depression, anxiety, trauma and adjustment disorders. In her private practice, Dr. Pizarro works with many undocumented individuals via immigration evaluations. Often individuals seek evaluation for hardship and pardon. The evaluations are often a determining factor in staying or leaving this country and in maintaining or dissolving a family unit.
Dr. Pizarro is an advocate for immigrant rights and belongs to the APA: Immigration Advocacy Working Group, in Washington, DC. This group works on advocating for policy changes related to immigration. Through her membership in the Latino Mental Health Association of NJ, Dr. Pizarro presented a pro bono workshop titled "Working with Latinx Populations: Special Considerations for Undocumented Immigrants and Survivors of Trauma." Dr. Pizarro is also a member of APA's Div 37 Diverse Racial Ethnic and Multicultural Special Interest Group (DREAM SIG). In November 2019, Dr. Pizarro was a delegate of the APA in Portugal.
Dr. Pizarro has been awarded multiple awards for her work with children and families as well as her work in social justice.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Charissa Pizarro maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Alliance Community Healthcare, and Mariposa Healing Alliance. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Charissa Pizarro is a member of the American Psychological Association, the New Jersey Psychological Association, the Postpartum Support International, and the Association for Play Therapy. She is journal reviewer with Psychological trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy.
