Hello, I'm Dr. Sternberg

About Dr. Sternberg

Adam W. Sternberg, Psy.D. earned his B.S. in Psychology from Georgetown University in 1989, his Masters in Psychology from The Catholic University in 1994, and his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology in 2000.  His clinical and research interests have focused on Violence Prevention and Early Intervention as well as Home Visiting programs.

Dr. Sternberg has held a number of positions during his training including 3 years in a long-term psychiatric hospital where he practiced Operant Conditioning with severely mentally ill adolescents and adults.  Practicum experiences include assessments with the Virginia Beach Public School System as well as Eastern Virginia Medical School Neuropsychology Department, working with court-ordered paroled sex-offenders and sex addicts through the Virginia Beach Department of Mental Health, and a 2-year Structural/Strategic Family Therapy specialization in rural Virginia.  In 1999-2000, Dr. Sternberg completed an APA-Accredited year-long Internship at Didi Hirsch CMHC in Culver City, CA providing therapy to children and families from low SES and culturally diverse populations, running groups for children with impulse control disorders and anger management issues, and developing a treatment protocol for adolescent sex-offenders.

Dr. Sternberg currently wears several different hats working at Wellnest, a DMH contracted community mental health clinic.  He is currently the Outpatient Director at their Exposition Park site managing 1) routine outpatient services, 2) their Access and Wellness Service program, a No-Appointment Necessary Walk-In Clinic, triage and case assignment to all Wellnest treatment programs, and 3) a grant-funded Wellness program for children with sub-clinical trauma histories.   He has established and runs a year-long pre-doctoral psychology practicum placement partnering with Alliant University/CSPP.  He is also the Evidence-Based Practices Manager responsible for managing 9 EBPs that the agency has currently adopted: TF-CBT, MAP, Seeking Safety, Triple P, CPP, CBITS, CORS, IPT, and ICBT.  Dr. Sternberg is himself certified to provide TF-CBT, CBITS, CORS, and MAP.  He is a past supervisor and provider of Functional Family Therapy.  Dr. Sternberg has presented to audiences within and outside the agency on topics including Operant Conditioning; Engaging Families in Treatment; Evidence-Based Practices; The Implementation of MAP in Community Mental Health Settings; The Clinical Utility of Collaborative Documentation; The Administration, Scoring, Interpretation and Clinical Utility of Outcome Measures; and Trauma-Informed Care in Primary Care Settings.

Dr. Sternberg is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and has maintained his own private practice in Santa Monica for nearly 20 years providing individual, couples, and family therapy to children, adolescents, and adults as well as Psychological and Psycho-Educational Assessments for disorders including but not limited to ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Sensory Processing Disorders, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Disorder of Conduct, Eating Disorders, Bipolar Disorders, Personality Disorders, and PTSD.  Dr. Sternberg is a past Adjunct Instructor in Psychodiagnostic Assessment at Alliant International University/California School of Professional Psychology and currently maintains a psychological assessment training program for pre-doctoral students.  He is also a past Contractor with UCLA completing Psycho-educational Assessments on their students and athletes.