Dr. Cassia Mosdell child therapist play therapy

Dr. Cassia Mosdell began her career as a special educator in Head Start programs, where she immersed myself in the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. This philosophy views children as active, curious co-creators of their learning. She learned to work alongside children, listening closely to their questions and carefully introducing experiences which would extend their thinking and guide further exploration and discovery. 

It was in this environment that she learned the beginnings of play therapy, spending hours sitting on the floor with children, deeply attuned to their emotional lives.

Through her work in child care and infant mental health, Dr. Mosdell developed a profound respect for families, recognizing the challenges they face in a society full of systemic inequalities. She approaches each family with a nonjudgmental stance, believing that they are doing the best they can within the constraints of a world that often feels overwhelming. This belief shapes her approach as a child therapist, which is grounded in principles of liberation and community psychology. 

• Dr. Cassia Mosdell received her Bachelors from Columbia University in Anthropology and her Masters in Special Education with a specialization in Infant Mental Health from the University of Colorado, Denver. 
• Dr. Mosdell received her doctorate from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University, where she was a Ruth and Mel Schulman Endowed Fellow. 
• Dr. Mosdell completed externships at the Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis (CPPNJ) and Youth Consultation Service. 
• Dr. Mosdell completed her APA internship at North Central Bronx Hospital. 
• Dr. Mosdell worked on the Rutgers Assessment Team and completed a Neurodevelopmental Assessment rotation at Jacobi Medical Center. She has expertise in autism testing and evaluation. 
• Dr. Cassia Mosdell worked as part of the Child Development Team at the Boulder Mental Health Center, providing mental health consultation to child care centers, schools, and families. 
• As part of her background in infant mental health and dyadic work with mothers and infants, she has published scholarship in the area of maternal substance use and the harms of child removal.