Clinical & Pediatric Psychologist

Meet Dr. Dakhari
Psychologist for Anxiety, Overwhelm & Chronic Health Concerns

Hi! I’m Dr. Dakhari.
I’m a psychologist who provides therapy for children, teens, parents, and adults who are anxious, overwhelmed, hard on themselves, or simply feeling stuck—especially when anxiety is beginning to interfere with school, relationships, health, confidence, or everyday life.

My areas of specialty include child and teen anxiety, adult anxiety, OCD, panic, perfectionism and overthinking, medical anxiety, chronic illness, chronic pain, and the emotional and behavioral challenges that can come with health concerns.

But regardless of what brings you in, my approach to therapy is very practical.

I don’t want you to simply feel supported while you’re in my office. I want you to understand what is happening, why it is happening, what you can do about it, and how to use those strategies in real life.

When things feel complicated, we make them manageable.

Maybe your child worries about everything, gets overwhelmed by big emotions, is afraid of making mistakes, or suddenly seems to be struggling with school.

Maybe you’re an adult who looks like you’re managing everything on the outside but inside you’re overthinking, stressed, anxious, or exhausted from trying to keep it all together.

Or maybe anxiety has become tangled up with physical symptoms, chronic illness, pain, eating, or medical experiences and you’re not quite sure where one ends and the other begins.

Those are exactly the kinds of problems I enjoy helping people untangle.

Together, we break what feels overwhelming into clear, manageable next steps. I’ll explain the why behind the strategies we use so that you—or your child—can become an active participant in treatment rather than simply showing up and hoping therapy works.

Therapy where we actually do something with what we discover.

You can expect our sessions to be warm, comfortable, collaborative, and nonjudgmental—but also very action-oriented.

We will absolutely talk, but we’re also going to do something with what we discover.

You’ll leave with strategies you can actually try. Then we’ll look together at what worked, what didn’t, and why.

Because ultimately, I don’t want you to need therapy forever.

I want you to reach the point where you can say:

“I know what helps me. I know why it works. And I know what to do when I need it again.”

That, to me, is what successful therapy looks like.

Anxiety, OCD & Panic
For children, teens, and adults whose worries, fears, intrusive thoughts, panic, or avoidance are beginning to take up too much space in everyday life.

Overthinking, Perfectionism & Being Hard on Yourself
For people who get stuck analyzing, second-guessing, worrying about getting things wrong, or putting enormous pressure on themselves to do things “right.”

Pediatric Chronic Illness & Medical Anxiety
Helping children, teens, and families manage the emotional and behavioral side of chronic illness, medical procedures, treatment adherence, health-related fears, and the stress that can come with navigating healthcare.

Chronic Pain, FND & AMPS

In my private practice and through consultation work at a local children’s hospital, I treat children and teens experiencing chronic pain, Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), and Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS).

Treatment focuses on helping young people better understand the connection between the brain, body, stress, and symptoms; reduce patterns that can keep them stuck; and build practical skills for returning to school, activities, relationships, and everyday life even when symptoms have been disruptive.

Picky Eating & ARFID
Helping children and families when eating has become stressful because of fear, sensory sensitivities, limited food variety, avoidance, or anxiety around eating.

Children, Teens & Parents
I have extensive experience working with children and adolescents, including younger children, and helping parents understand what may be driving a behavior—not simply how to stop it.

When You’re Overwhelmed and Not Quite Sure What to Call It
You don’t need to arrive with the right diagnosis or even know exactly what is wrong. Sometimes you simply know that you or your child is more anxious, overwhelmed, irritable, avoidant, stressed, or stuck than usual. We can start there.

My professional experience has taken me through children’s hospitals, behavioral health clinics, specialty pediatric programs, research, early intervention, and academic settings—all of which have shaped the way I work with children, teens, adults, and families today.

My training included experiences at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, and the Emory Autism Center, along with other behavioral health and specialty settings. Much of my early work focused on helping children and families navigate the intersection of emotional health, behavior, development, and physical health.

I also participated in an NIMH-funded asthma research project and have worked extensively with children experiencing a variety of chronic and health-related challenges. That background continues to influence my particular interest in pediatric chronic illness, medical anxiety, treatment adherence, chronic pain, and the many ways stress and physical symptoms can become intertwined.

Earlier in my career, I trained as a behavioral health consultant for Delaware’s statewide early intervention program, supporting infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities and the families caring for them. I have also served as an adjunct psychology professor and co-authored an article for the Head Start Bulletin: Mental Health focused on recognizing post-traumatic stress in young children.

I received invaluable training at Nemours Children’s Health and beyond my clinical work, I have had the opportunity to serve as an expert reviewer for Nemours KidsHealth.org and to take on leadership roles within professional psychology organizations, including Vice President of the Executive Board of the South Jersey Psychological Association and President of the Early Career Special Interest Group of the New Jersey Psychological Association.

I was also honored to receive a Member Recognition Award from the New Jersey Psychological Association for advocacy work with fellow psychologists at the U.S. Capitol.

Across all of these experiences, one theme has remained consistent: I am most interested in helping people make sense of complicated problems and turn that understanding into practical steps they can actually use in everyday life.

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology
Pre- & Post Doctoral Internship at A.I. duPont Hospital for Children
Predoctoral Internship at Egleston Campus AFLAC® Cancer Center & Blood Disorders Service
Predoctoral Internship at Scottish Rite Campus AFLAC® Cancer Center & Blood Disorders Service
Predoctoral Internship at Emory University School of Medicine: Grady Health System
Undergraduate degree from Duke University
Early Childhood Education Certificate Program: Duke University
Certificate Program in Integrated Primary Care: Fairleigh Dickinson University

I have an admittedly quirky fascination with names, languages, and the stories people carry with them. I love learning where names come from, what they mean, how they’re pronounced, and the stories behind how people received them.

That curiosity probably connects to my love of languages, culture, and travel. I’ve always enjoyed learning how people communicate, what different words mean across cultures, and the traditions that shape how we understand ourselves and one another.

Apparently, this started early. As a child, I would actually “collect” interesting names I heard or came across. Years later, while traveling abroad with family, I even had the chance to participate in a traditional naming ceremony.

I’m also the owner of Dakhari Psychological Services, which means I get to combine another thing I love: creating a practice that feels warm, welcoming, interesting, and genuinely human—for both the people who come here for help and the clinicians who do this work alongside me.

When I’m not wearing my psychologist or practice-owner hat, you’ll likely find me enjoying time with family, planning my next trip, learning something new, or going down a rabbit hole about a word, a name, or some fascinating bit of culture.

So if your name has a story, there’s a pretty good chance I’m going to want to hear it.

What’s in a name? You tell me.