Kay Middleton
Bridging clinical expertise and policy to protect the next generation’s mental well-being.
Kay Middleton is the founder of NJ STAT! Alliance and a Doctoral Psychology Intern at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where she provides evidence-based assessment and psychotherapy to Veterans across clinical settings. She is completing her Psy.D. in Combined School and Clinical Psychology at Kean University, an APA-accredited program grounded in a scientist-practitioner model.Before entering healthcare, Kay worked as a K–12 teacher and administrator, an experience that continues to inform her understanding of child development, family systems, learning models, and the broader environmental factors currently shaping child development and psychological well-being.As a mom, clinician, and researcher, Kay is on the frontlines of the escalating mental health crisis among children today. Kay is passionate about defending families and committed to protecting adolescents from the harms associated with excessive screen use, social media, and emerging AI technologies. As founder of NJ STAT! Alliance, Kay works with key stakeholders to advance awareness, education, and policy solutions that promote healthier developmental environments for future generations.Kay’s clinical training emphasizes cognitive and behavioral therapies, with specialized experience in psychosis assessment and treatment. She has trained at leading institutions including Mount Sinai Hospital, where she provided cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp), co-led therapeutic groups, and contributed to research initiatives. She is certified as an international administrator of the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS) through the PRIME Clinic at Yale University School of Medicine. Her additional training includes Trauma-Focused CBT, Compassion-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (CFACT), and suicide risk assessment.At Kean University Psychological Services, Kay has conducted diagnostic intakes, comprehensive psychological assessments, and evidence-based psychotherapy for both adolescents and adults experiencing depression, anxiety, ADHD, and trauma-related conditions. She has also completed school-based clinical training, providing assessments, risk evaluations, and therapeutic support in educational settings. Kay’s expertise and partnership with other community members continues to inform the work she is doing in the non-profit and policy sectors.Kay is a graduate of Montclair High School and Yale University, where she was an Ivy League Champion in Women’s Lacrosse.