Our Team
Ashley Hart, PhD
Dr. Ashley Hart specializes in evidence-based psychosocial treatments for anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and related conditions in youth and adults. As a licensed psychologist in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and through PSYPACT, she draws upon her expertise in cognitive-behavioral therapy and acceptance- and mindfulness-based approaches in her client-centered clinical practice and training.
Dr. Hart earned her doctoral degree in the clinical psychology PhD program at Binghamton University (State University of NY), where she conducted clinical research and received specialty training in OCD and anxiety disorders. She further developed expertise in this area and also expanded her cognitive-behavioral therapy clinical skill set to trauma-related conditions during her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at VA Boston Healthcare System. As a research psychologist at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University, Dr. Hart worked on several treatment studies for body dysmorphic disorder in adolescents and adults. Since 2013, she has been on faculty at UMass Chan Medical School and a staff psychologist in Student Counseling Services, where she currently serves as the Training Director.
Dr. Hart enjoys and engages in collaborative research aimed at improving treatment outcomes for youth and adults with OCD, anxiety, and related disorders. She has co-authored a number of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and newsletter publications. She regularly attends and presents at conferences of the professional organizations of which she is a long-standing member, including the International OCD Foundation, Anxiety and Depression Association of America and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.
In her clinical practice, supervision, and consultation, Dr. Hart draws flexibly and creatively upon evidence-based psychotherapy approaches, including traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy protocols, Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders, Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment for body-focused repetitive behavior disorders, and Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions.
Dr. Hart is the founder and owner of Willow Tree Psychology, PLLC, a clinical practice that serves youth, adults, and families affected by OCD, anxiety, and related disorders in the greater Worcester, MA community and beyond.
Alyssa Faro, PhD
Dr. Alyssa Faro brings extensive expertise in cognitive-behavioral and acceptance-based therapies, especially for anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and related disorders. Licensed in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and authorized to practice by PSYPACT, she offers national-reach clinical training and supervision.
Dr. Faro earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Clark University, where her research focused on internalizing disorders in youth and parenting. Her training at Clark provided her with both specialized expertise in treating OCD and anxiety disorders across the lifespan with ACT/CBT and rich exposure to a diversity of clients, care settings, and therapeutic modalities. She further honed her skills in delivering evidenced-based care during her APA-accredited internship at UMass Medical School/Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital where she worked with youth and adults in outpatient, inpatient and behavioral health settings. Dr. Faro completed an APA-accredited postdoctoral fellowship at Edith Nourse Rogers Veterans Hospital focused on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and transdiagnostic evidence-based care.
Dr. Faro has held leadership roles at McLean Hospital including Director of Clinical Services and Senior Clinical Consultant at the OCD Institute for Children and Adolescents (OCDI Jr.), where she oversaw clinical training, supervision, and program development. In that capacity, she helped shape clinician education and promote fidelity in the delivery of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and other gold-standard treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), ACT, and Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE).
Currently on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, she continues to supervise, train, and publish on OCD, anxiety, and parenting. Her scholarship has been published in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, with work focusing on OCD, anxiety, parenting, and emotion socialization. Dr. Faro regularly attends and presents at professional organizations including the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS).
In addition to her work training other clinicians, Dr. Faro runs True North Health, PLLC, a clinical practice based in NH devoted to treating OCD and related disorders across the lifespan.
Haven’t seen us live? Catch us in print.
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![Title page of a research article titled 'Acceptance and commitment therapy group protocol for caregivers of anxious youth: an open trial pilot study,' including author information, journal details, and introduction section.]()
Acceptance and commitment therapy group protocol for caregivers of anxious youth: an open trial pilot study
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![Book cover titled 'Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Subtypes and Spectrum Conditions,' edited by Jonathan S. Abramowitz, Dean McKay, and Steven Taylor.]()
Symmetry, ordering, and arranging. In: Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Subtypes and spectrum conditions
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![Cover of a patient guidebook titled 'to Mood and Anxiety Disorders' by the Anxiety & Depression Association of America.]()
Exposure and Response Prevention for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. In: ADAA Patient Guide to Mood and Anxiety Disorders
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![Screenshot of an academic article titled 'Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Co-Occurring Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Evidence-Based Treatments and Future Research Directions'.]()
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Co-Occurring Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Evidence-Based Treatments and Future Research Directions
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![Illustration of a woman and man, both appearing distressed, with thought bubbles showing scenarios of jealousy and couples giving attention to others, depicting emotional hurt from retroactive jealousy OCD.]()
Can’t Stop Thinking About My Partner’s Past: Understanding Retroactive Jealousy OCD
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![Page from a scientific article titled "McLean OCD Institute for Children and Adolescents: Overview, Rationale, and Description of Symptomatology and Functional Impairment" with author information, abstract, and keywords. The page includes logos for MDPI, children, and McLean Hospital.]()
McLean OCD Institute for Children and Adolescents: Overview, Rationale, and Description of Symptomatology and Functional Impairment
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![Book cover titled 'Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Advances in Research and Clinical Practice,' edited by Katharine A. Phillips, published by Oxford.]()
Comorbidity and personality in body dysmorphic disorder. In: Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Advances in Research and Clinical Practice
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![A webpage with a title about stopping intrusive thoughts, featuring a section with social media icons and an image of a groundhog holding a carrot with a speech bubble saying "WTF" and a black circle with white text that says "I FEEL...".]()
How to Stop Intrusive Thoughts From Ruining your Life
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![Colorful abstract drawing of a tree with scribbles representing leaves and branches, and a small ladder at the bottom.]()
What’s the Difference Between Impulsive vs. Intrusive Thoughts?
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![Screenshot of a webpage titled "Cosmetic Treatments and Body Dysmorphic Disorder" showing a video thumbnail of a woman with short blonde hair, wearing a blue patterned blouse, discussing her son's struggles with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).]()
Cosmetic treatments and body dysmorphic disorder
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![An article titled "How to Tell If You're Ruminating - and How to Stop" by Lauren Del Turco, with social media sharing icons below. The image includes a bowl of tomato soup with a spoon and yellow pasta letters spelling "THAT WAS MESSED UP" floating in the soup, on a green and white checkered tablecloth.]()
How to Tell If You’re Ruminating—and How to Stop
