Explorers for a lifetime…
Dr. Tracey Ward
Director and Founder
Dr. Tracey Ward received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Seattle Pacific University and completed her pre-doctoral internship in the Child Track at Seattle Children's Hospital within the University of Washington, School of Medicine.
Dr. Ward specializes in evidence-based treatments that include cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure-based therapies, and behavioral parent training. Her training includes inpatient settings, intensive outpatient treatment programs addressing selective mutism and OCD, and outpatient and assessment clinics at Seattle Children’s Hospital Psychiatry Department and Autism Center, University of Washington, Center for Human Development and Disability, and Advanced Therapeutic Solutions for Anxiety in Chicago, Illinois.
Dr. Ward specializes in treating children with selective mutism and has trained extensively in both Seattle and Chicago with leading experts in the field, co-developed a Selective Mutism treatment group at the Seattle Children’s Hospital, led intensive treatment sessions and camps, and provided outpatient therapy. Selective mutism requires a specific treatment approach that includes gradual exposure to speaking that enables children to become comfortable speaking, as well as parent-child interaction therapy adapted for selective mutism (PCIT-SM). She works extensively with parents and teachers to provide behavioral parent training.
Her clinical approach focuses on empowering patients with individualized and collaborative treatment. She places a strong value on fun, humor, bravery, emphasizing unique strengths within each young person. Dr. Ward loves to teach kiddos how to build their brave muscles, help teens identify and conquer fears, and support parents in helping their children and teens overcome challenges and live more joyful lives.
Dr. Ward is affiliated with the Seattle Clinic.
Dr. Kaitlin Patton
Affiliated Member
Dr. Kaitlin Patton is currently acting as a consultant for Brave Seattle. She owns and operates her own private practice in southern California. She was pivotal in the creation and implementation of Brave Explorers Camp from 2020-2022 and has transitioned to a consultant role.
Dr. Patton received her doctorate from Seattle Pacific University in clinical psychology and completed her predoctoral internship training and postdoctoral fellowship at the Southwest Consortium and Veterans Affairs Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico, respectively.
Dr. Patton’s clinical focus and areas of specialization are centered upon lifelong adjustment to serious mental health concerns, focusing on cultivating meaning and thriving within the life of her patients, and continuation of care across the lifespan. She values and has been trained extensively in evidenced-based practices including motivational interviewing, dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive processing therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy (for psychosis, for anxiety and depression, and for insomnia). This training is built upon expertise and focus of behavioral change principles and the impact that emotions and thoughts have upon our behaviors, well-being, and a person’s ability to flourish.
With a strengths-based perspective, Dr. Patton approaches her clinical work and collaborations with an eye for sustaining best practices, supported by evidence, for the good of those receiving mental health services and care. Her postdoctoral fellowship focused on serious mental illness and systems redesign, which fed a desire to see efficient systems in place to deliver the care that patients need. With this lens, she has co-founded the Brave Explorers to cultivate program development and sustainable systems for change for children with selective mutism.
One of Dr. Patton’s core values is “courage” — a central component of the Brave Explorers Camp Experience. When asked about her role in co-founding Brave Explorers, she stated, “It is such a privilege to work with children who display such courage and bravery in their day-to-day lives. It’s humbling and rewarding, and so fun! Each win feels like a celebration, knowing that the hard work done now will support lifelong well-being”.
Dr. Patton runs a private practice in Washington State and California.
