Child Psychologist Ali DeLizza, PhD, joined the UNMC Department of Psychiatry faculty as an assistant professor on Sept. 1, 2020.
Dr. DeLizza grew up in Plano, Texas and earned her master’s degree and PhD from Western Michigan University. She moved to Omaha two years ago after accepting an internship at the Munroe-Meyer Institute. In 2019, she joined UNMC as a Post-Doc Clinical Psychology Fellow. Dr. DeLizza said it was an easy decision to apply for a faculty position in the Psychiatry Department.
“I always knew I wanted to stay here,” she said. “I love the culture of this department. It’s exciting to see how (Department of Psychiatry Chair) Dr. Liu values psychologists and wants to build a psychology division.”
Dr. Liu calls Dr. DeLizza a skilled CBT and ACT therapist who understands the big picture for families in need.
“Dr. DeLizza is also a passionate teacher on wellness issues for students and providers and a gifted communicator of mental health wisdom to the media. I’m personally thrilled to have her on my team,” said Dr. Liu.
Dr. DeLizza credits Carolyn Black Becker, PhD, ABPR, for her passion for psychology. Dr. DeLizza took Intro to Psychology as a freshman at Trinity University and loved it.
“I realized how much I loved doing research, working with people, and studying how to help them be their best,” Dr. DeLizza said.
Dr. DeLizza’s therapy interests include adolescent depression, anxiety, OCD, and working with LGBTQIA+ youth. Additionally, she’s part of the Wellness Division with Dr. Steven Wengel and Dr. Kati Cordts.
When asked what her favorite part of being a psychologist – clinical, education, research, wellness – Dr. DeLizza answered “all of it.”
“I want to do it all. That’s a major reason I became a psychologist,” she said. “There’s so much to do in psychology and lots of ways to collaborate with others. I consider myself first a clinician, but I enjoy educating and training students.”