Our Team
Dr. Anna Craig, PhD
Founder, Licensed Psychologist
To contact Dr. Craig directly, please email her at anna@bullcitybehavioralhealth.com
Not accepting new therapy patients
Next availability for evaluation/testing - 3-4 month wait
Dr. Craig received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Duke University, and a joint doctoral degree in Clinical and Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She then returned to Duke University Medical Center to complete her clinical internship, with an emphasis on pediatric psychology.
Prior to founding Bull City Behavioral Health, Dr. Craig was a clinical associate in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC). Within the division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, she worked closely with children, youth, and young adults undergoing cancer treatment, providing neuropsychological and psychological evaluations, and delivering short-term interventions to manage stress, anxiety, and physical symptoms associated with treatment (e.g., pain, nausea, sleep disturbances). Through this role she was also involved in the development of the Teen and Young Adult Oncology program at DUMC, and in the coordination of psychosocial services for oncology patients where she led monthly clinical and quarterly educational rounds for providers within the division. In the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, she worked extensively with the Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic, providing comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations for youth with varied medical diagnoses.
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During her tenure at DUMC, Dr. Craig pursued additional formal training in biofeedback and neurofeedback, completing two 40-hour workshops on these techniques through the STENS corporation in 2017 and 2018. This additional training enhances her ability to equip clients with a number of tools designed to increase physiological awareness and somatic control.
Outside of her clinical work, Dr. Craig has published scientific journal articles, and presented at conferences on research topics including the impact of pediatric chronic illness on cognitive and psychosocial functioning as well as genetic and environmental influences on behavior. Additionally, she served as a coinvestigator for a federally funded grant exploring behavioral interventions to prevent syncope associated with immunizations during well-child visits.
In addition to being a clinical psychologist, Dr. Craig is also a certified yoga teacher. She completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training through OM yoga. Since receiving this certification, Dr. Craig has taught mindfulness-based yoga at a residential treatment facility for youth with eating disorders, and integrates yoga into her therapy practice when requested.
Outside of work, Dr. Craig enjoys spending time with her husband and children, practicing yoga, cooking and baking, and gardening.
Dr. Kyla Blalock, PhD
Licensed Psychologist
To contact Dr. Blalock directly, please email her at kyla@bullcitybehavioralhealth.com
Not accepting new therapy patients
Next availability for evaluation/testing - 3-4 month wait
Dr. Blalock has been working with children and families since 2012. Her areas of expertise include the treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and mood disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Blalock also specializes in neuropsychological assessment and has a background in working with youth with complex medical illnesses.
Dr. Blalock received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Georgetown University, and a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from George Mason University. She completed her clinical internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Duke University Medical Center (DUMC), and went on to a faculty position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at DUMC. Dr. Blalock is especially passionate about increasing access to evidence-based mental health treatments and has a background in research aimed at this goal.
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Outside of work, Dr. Blalock enjoys spending time with her husband and children and exploring the mountains and beaches of NC.
Dr. Sam Brotkin, PhD - joining on October 15th, 2024
Psychologist
To contact Dr. Brotkin directly, please email him at sam@bullcitybehavioralhealth.com
Immediate openings for new therapy patients
Next availability for evaluation/testing - 1-2 month wait
Dr. Brotkin earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Duke University. He completed his clinical internship at the University of Florida Health Sciences Center, specializing in pediatric psychology, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Children’s National Hospital in the Divisions of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplant. During his fellowship, Dr. Brotkin provided assessment, consultation, and brief targeted intervention for children, adolescents, and young adults across the illness trajectory.
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Dr. Brotkin is particularly passionate about supporting adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with cancer and other chronic medical conditions. For almost a decade, he has developed and led group-based programming initiatives for AYA patients aimed at addressing their unique psychosocial needs. Outside of his clinical work, Dr. Brotkin has conducted research focused on promoting optimal psychosocial outcomes for AYAs with chronic medical conditions, including co-developing a peer support intervention for AYA patients at Duke University Medical Center.
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In his free time, Dr. Brotkin enjoys spending time with family and friends and cheering on his beloved New York Mets.
Dr. Madeline Farber, PhD - joining on November 1st, 2024
Licensed Psychologist
To contact Dr. Farber directly, please email her at madeline@bullcitybehavioralhealth.com
Accepting new therapy patients
Next availability for evaluation/testing - 2-3 month wait
Dr. Farber (she/her) enjoys working with children, adolescents, young adults, and families using a trauma-informed, strengths-based lens. She received a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University, a Postbaccalaueate Intramural Research Training Fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Duke University. She completed her clinical internship at Central Regional Hospital on the Child & Adolescent Units before taking a clinical faculty position at UNC School of Medicine - Department of Psychiatry, where she served as sole psychologist on the UNC Child & Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry Units. After four years in the inpatient setting training & working with children & adolescents in acute crisis, she recently shifted her focus to providing care at the community level in outpatient and school settings.
Dr. Farber’s clinical approach is warm & authentic, and she treats each client in front of her as unique & capable. Her clinical care is grounded in evidence-based principles, leaning heavily on a blend of third-wave cognitive behavioral (e.g., CBT, DBT, ACT) and trauma-informed (polyvagal theory, tfCBT) modalities. Her particular areas of clinical interest include traumatic stress exposure, anxiety & mood disorders, self-injurious behaviors, emotion dysregulation, and exploration of sexuality and gender identity.
Dr. Farber is passionate about mental health equity and practices personally and professionally from a politics of care. With that, her clinical practice is rooted in principles of anti-oppression and understanding each individual client within the context of the multi-faceted and dynamic systems (familial, multicultural, & structural) in which they are embedded.
In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Farber works with UNC School of Education on a school-based preventative mental health intervention called Tealeaf (Teachers Leading the Frontlines).
Outside of work, Dr. Farber enjoys: exploring nature with her horse-sized dog, reading & writing poetry, gardening & woodworking, and complaining about North Carolina humidity. Other things Madeline cares deeply about include: liberation for all, intersectional feminism, anti-racism & anti-oppression, LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, & laughter turning to tears & vice versa.