kayleigh l. hunnicutt, ph.d. - gahanna

she/her/hers

Kayleigh L. Hunnicutt, Ph.D. is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with extensive training in supporting women at various intersections of their lives in realizing their strengths and resiliency. Dr. Hunnicutt adopts a strengths-based approach to therapy that focuses on:  helping clients understand their distress; building specific coping skills for managing distress, and building resilience; improving clients' mastery in boundary setting and communication; and companioning clients in their journey to learn more about themselves, their purpose, and their own path forward in life in an independent and empowered fashion. Dr. Hunnicutt’s clinical approach is an Integrative therapeutic approach, including (but not limited to) Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Positive Psychology, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Performance Psychology, interpersonal strategies from an array of modalities, and utilization of neuropsychological principles of anxiety disorders. An integrative approach allows her clients to benefit from the valuable tools across an array of the strongest evidence-based therapies. Dr. Hunnicutt's approach is a combination of direct, action-oriented, and insight-based techniques. 

Dr. Hunnicutt earned her Bachelor’s Degree (BA) from California Lutheran University and her Master of Arts (M.A.) in General-Experimental Psychology from California State University. She went on to receive her Masters in Education (M.Ed.) and Doctorate (Ph.D.), both specializing in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Hunnicutt’s graduate research focused on at-risk youth and supervised adult populations and the effectiveness of the programs that served them. Her additional research experiences centered on factors that promoted or inhibited multi-cultural youth’s experiences. The diverse populations with which Dr. Hunnicutt has worked include perinatal women, those experiencing co-occurring disorders, emerging adults, athletes, high achievers, adults and youth with chronic mental health disorders, as well as elementary, middle and high school students in educational environments. Dr. Hunnicutt completed her postdoctoral training with Columbus Women’s Wellness where she advanced her training in women’s behavioral health, perinatal mental health, and clinical interventions for those who have experienced trauma. Dr. Hunnicutt has presented at numerous psychology conferences and has published research in peer-reviewed journals such as American Journal of Community Psychology, Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, and The Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation. She also serves as Board Member to Groveport Community Schools and Edheads.

Clinical Interests/Focus: Women’s Behavioral Health, Mood & Anxiety Disorders, Life Transitions/Adjustments, Perfectionism, People Pleasing, Performance Anxiety, High Achievement Stress, Imposter Syndrome, Interpersonal Stress (e.g., relationships, families), Identity Exploration (e.g., purpose, values), Self Esteem Issues, Burnout, Parenting Stress