(609) 924-9213 or (609) 458-0874
330 N Harrison St, Suite 6, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
Contact Me
To schedule an appointment or request additional information, give me a call or send an email. If you get my voicemail, leave a message so that I can return your call by the end of the day.
Selected Publications
Allen LA, Woolfolk, RL, Gara MA. Possible selves in major depression. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 1999;184:739-745.
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Allen LA, Woolfolk RL, Escobar JI, Gara MA, Hamer, RM. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for somatization disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2006;166:1512-1518.
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Woolfolk RL, Allen, LA. Treating Somatization: A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach. New York, NY: Guilford, 2007.
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Woolfolk RL, Allen, LA. Mental Disorders: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives. In Tech, 2013.
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Allen LA, Woolfolk RL. Somatic symptom and related disorders: Treatment. The Sage Encyclopedia of Abnormal and Clinical Psychology. Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2017.
Services Provided
Individual, couples, and family therapy. Areas of specialization include:
Depressive Disorders
Sad or blue mood
Diminished interest and joy
Low energy and motivation
Negative thoughts about self and others
Feelings of hopelessness
Suicidal thoughts
Anxiety Disorders
Panic attacks
Generalized feelings of anxiety
Social anxiety
Obsessive thinking
Compulsive behaviors
Post-traumatic stress
Phobias
Physical Symptoms
Health anxiety
Somatization
Stress-related symptoms
Chronic pain
Irritable bowel syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Multiple chemical sensitivity
Relationship Distress
Communication difficulties
Anger management problems
Trouble asserting oneself
Feeling misunderstood
About Me
I am a licensed psychologist in private practice in Princeton, NJ. My background includes an B.A. from Dartmouth College and graduate degrees (M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology) from Rutgers University. During the first 20 years of my career, I conducted research, lectured and practiced psychotherapy at Princeton University and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. I am currently Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Research Associate at Princeton Medical Institute.
I spent the majority of my academic career developing and studying the efficacy of various treatments for depression, anxiety, and somatic symptom disorders. I was awarded the Clinical Scientist Development Award from the National Institute of Mental Health for my research. I also received grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and various pharmaceutical companies to study treatments for depression, somatization, and fibromyalgia. My findings and interpretations of research outcomes have been published in numerous articles, book chapters, and books and as well as being summarized in the popular press, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post.
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I have been practicing psychotherapy, studying its impact, and training students and other clinicians for over 25 years. My academic endeavors enable me to use scientific findings to inform my clinical practice. My treatment approach is reasoned, compassionate, and practical. I collaborate with patients to facilitate deeper insight and improved well-being.
Currently, I continue to lecture and write while also practicing psychotherapy in my office in Princeton, New Jersey.
My Practice
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I work with adults and adolescents in individual, family, and couples therapy. I will listen closely to you to understand your current problems and related symptoms, thoughts, and feelings. I will work collaboratively with you to investigate the history of your struggles and to create a plan for change. Using cognitive, behavioral, and emotion-focused approaches, I aim to facilitate healing, growth, and change.
