About
Sabal Palm’s Philosophy
Initiating therapy and finding the right therapist can feel overwhelming. No matter where you are in your therapy journey, we are so glad you are here. We dedicate ourselves to creating a warm, non-judgemental, and collaborative (and fun!) environment where children, teens, and young adults can feel safe to express and explore their feelings and thoughts. Each client will be met where they are and will be given the tools necessary to overcome challenges and meet their therapy goals. Whether the concern is depression, anxiety, life transition, phobia, or challenges related to illness, school, family, or friends, therapy may be a helpful step in developing coping skills to overcome these challenges and to build resilience. We practice evidence-based therapy and utilize a strength-based approach. At Sabal Palm, we will uncover and highlight your personal strengths that will help build resilience, increase self-esteem, enhance self-efficacy, and help you cope with challenges.
About Dr. Wilcocks
Welcome! I am Dr. Chelsea Wilcocks, the founder of Sabal Palm Psychological Services and I am so happy you are here.
I am committed to providing client-centered, culturally competent services and ensure you are provided with quality care and evidence-based psychotherapy. Before diving into the deep end, I take time to build rapport and trust, knowing the therapeutic alliance is important in the therapy process. I meet each client where they are and tailor therapy to their interests and strengths to make growing and learning enjoyable and fun. I take a warm, positive, and empathetic approach and strive to curate the best possible experience for each individual client.
Areas of Expertise
I am a licensed clinical psychologist (PY 11275), specializing in pediatric health psychology. I specialize in working with children, teens, and young adults diagnosed with chronic illness, such as diabetes, cancer, transplant, and GI issues, as well as those who are striving to make healthy lifestyle changes. I have extensive clinical experiences working with children with various chronic conditions and utilize interventions to improve adherence, adjustment, coping, post-surgical outcomes, and family functioning and decrease high-risk health behaviors. I provide evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) while assessing specific client needs and tailoring treatment accordingly. I also offer therapy for families of youth diagnosed with a wide range of emotional and behavioral difficulties with and without medical diagnoses.
Education
I graduated from Nova Southeastern University’s APA-accredited clinical psychology doctoral program and completed my APA-accredited psychology internship at Broward Health Medical Center/Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital. I also completed a clinical postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Nemours Children’s Hospital Delaware with an emphasis on Adherence within Interdisciplinary Diabetes and Weight Management Clinics. Prior, I earned my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!).
A Bit More About Me
I was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale and I am proud to be starting this practice in my hometown! I love the sunshine, water, beach, and anything South Florida related. I spend the majority of my free time with family, friends, and my dog, Macklin (named after Burt Macklin, FBI for any of my Parks and Recreation fans out there). In the years I have spent working with children, I have been honing in on my skills in the areas of Jenga, Connect 4, and UNO. Consider yourself warned :).
I absolutely love getting to work with youth. I am constantly surprised by their resilience and wisdom. Getting to see my clients overcome obstacles, achieve their goals, and excel in areas that once had them feeling anxious reminds me why I work so hard to be in this field. Hearing from families that they see their children growing and thriving in the face of transgressions is beyond rewarding. I appreciate every family that trusts me to work closely with their loved ones. I look forward to getting to know many more clients and watching them flourish.
Publications
Wilcocks, C.P., Enlow, P., Wasserman, R., Wysocki, T., Lee, J., Aroian, K., & Pierce, J. (2022, June). Development and Evaluation of the Pediatric Diabetes Routine Questionnaire for Parents of Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings.
Wilcocks, C.P., Valenzuela, J.M., Stellway, J., Yee, S., & Duro, D. (2021, October). Significant stress in parents of children with short bowel syndrome: Considerations for care. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology.