About the Annapolis Child and Family Therapy Team

Dr. Persampiere is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Maryland who specializes in working with children, teens, and adults with different mental health and behavioral concerns. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

He also completed a doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute's Child and Family Therapy Clinic and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After completing fellowship, Dr. Persampiere was hired by the Kennedy Krieger Institute and served many leadership roles in the Department of Behavioral Psychology before starting his own mental health center in Annapolis.

Dr. Persampiere was previously a full-time faculty member at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Previous leadership positions included Associate Director of a large multi-site Child and Family Therapy Clinic, Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Director, Doctoral Internship Program Director, and department training committee member.

Dr. Persampiere is a frequently requested speaker by schools, hospitals, primary care doctors, and outpatient mental health providers. He talks to parents, teachers, and healthcare providers on a wide range of mental health concerns facing individuals, children, couples, and families. Dr. Persampiere is passionate about direct client care and aims to help families increase their strength, resilience, and skills in dealing with a range of challenges. It is his mission to ensure parents are aware of the best mental health treatment options for their children and families. Dr. Persampiere also serves as a part-time assistant professor for UMBC's Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, teaching the next generation of future Clinical Psychologists on evidence-based treatments.

Outside of psychology, Dr. Persampiere enjoys spending time with his wife, two children, and adorable Labrador Retrievers in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He is also an avid bass guitar player who enjoys reading and going to museums with his family.

Amy Ackerman (Altszuler), Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who specializes in the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and related learning and behavioral challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Ackerman completed her graduate and post-graduate training at Center for Children and Families at Florida International University (FIU) under the mentorship of Dr. William E. Pelham, a nationally recognized ADHD expert. Dr. Ackerman later joined the faculty at FIU, where she served as the Assistant Clinic director and oversaw clinical services for youth with ADHD and behavior concerns. Services included the nationally acclaimed Summer Treatment Program, an intensive behavioral intervention aimed at improving functioning across home, school, and peer settings.

Dr. Ackerman has extensive experience providing evidence-based treatments for ADHD including behavioral parent training, behavioral classroom management and school consultation, behavioral peer interventions, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and organizational skills training (OST). Dr. Ackerman is also experienced working as part of an interdisciplinary team to provide combined behavioral and pharmacological treatments when indicated.

Dr. Ackerman also has broad training working with individuals with a wide range of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, and stress related to family conflict. Dr. Ackerman developed expertise in cognitive-behavioral and family therapy approaches during her doctoral internship, which she completed at the Kennedy Krieger Institute's Child and Family Therapy Clinic and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Ackerman is also passionate about educating others about ADHD. Dr. Ackerman regularly provides professional development training for educators, as well as workshops for parents and mental health professionals. Dr. Ackerman has also published many research papers, book chapters, and magazine articles on ADHD and its treatment.

Outside of work, Dr. Ackerman enjoys Pilates, being on the water, and spending time with her family and rescue kitten, Walter.

Tony Bonadio, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of Maryland who works with children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Bonadio earned his doctorate from Bowling Green State University and completed his doctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University where he trained and provided consultation to school and community-based counselors on an evidenced-based cognitive behavioral intervention for anxiety, depression, trauma, and behavioral problems in children and adolescents.

Through his training, Dr. Bonadio gained experience treating a wide range of presenting concerns including: disruptive behaviors, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, and ADHD. He utilizes multiple evidence-based interventions including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance commitment therapy (ACT), and parental behavior management interventions such as parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT). He strives to develop collaborative treatment goals and utilizes a measurement-based care approach to track progress towards those goals.

Prior to joining the Annapolis Child and Family Therapy Center, Dr. Bonadio was on the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Social Work where he conducted research and evaluation activities aimed at improving the delivery of evidence-based interventions in public mental health systems. When not working, Dr. Bonadio loves to stay active through running, weight training, and hiking with his wife and two children. He also looks forward to football season every year!

Dr. Fadely is a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Maryland who works primarily with children, adolescents, and their families. She completed her Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology at Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus. Following her doctoral internship at the University of Michigan Institute for Human Adjustment, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Center for Human Development at William Beaumont Hospital.

Before joining the Annapolis Child and Family Therapy Center, Dr. Fadely provided therapy services to children, adolescents, and emerging adults with a wide variety of mental health concerns at the Kennedy Krieger Institute Psychiatric Mental Health Program, a multi-disciplinary outpatient clinic. She values using evidence-based approaches while also considering the individual needs of her clients. Dr. Fadely strives to engage collaboratively with clients and others involved with their services. She works with clients to address concerns such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), body-focused repetitive behaviors, depression, tics, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), disruptive behaviors, and adjustment difficulties.

In her leisure time, Dr. Fadely enjoys hiking, exploring various cuisines, traveling, spending time with friends and family, and teaching her cat tricks.

Dr. Haile is a licensed psychologist in the state of Maryland, who specializes in working with children, teens, and young adults with a range of mental health concerns. She completed her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology at The Catholic University of America with a specialization in children, families, and cultures.

Dr. Haile developed expertise in cognitive-behavioral and family therapy approaches across several nationally recognized children's hospitals, including Children's National Hospital, Pediatric Specialists of Virginia, and Kennedy Krieger Institute. She completed a doctoral internship at Nemours Children's Hospital and postdoctoral fellowship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute's Child and Family Therapy Clinic and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Haile is passionate about providing evidence-based mental health care and empowering children and families to cope with a range of challenges. Dr. Haile specializes in treating children, adolescents, and young adults who present with a range of concerns, including anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), emotion dysregulation, sleep difficulties, and behavior challenges.

Outside of work, Dr. Haile enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and baking. She also loves exploring local coffee shops and spending time outdoors by the water with her loved ones.

Amanda Jornd, Psy.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of Maryland who works with children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Jornd received her doctorate from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology and completed her training within multiple settings specializing in child and adolescent psychological services, including hospitals, community mental health centers, schools and private practices. (Dr. Jornd completed her internship with Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health in Canton Ohio, and she completed a fellowship at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore Maryland.)

During her time in training, Dr. Jornd focused on specializing her skills to treat a range of mental health concerns including management of symptoms related to anger concerns, anxiety, depression, ADHD, gender dysphoria and trauma. Dr. Jornd is trained in gender-affirming care, is on her way to be certified in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), and utilizes multiple evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and parent skills training methods such as parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) and Positive Parenting Program (Triple-P).

Additionally, Dr. Jornd proudly strives to create a warm affirming therapeutic experience for sexual orientation and gender identity minorities (commonly known as the LGBTQ+ community.) Therapeutically, it is her belief and goal to create an environment centered around trust, support, empathy and openness to help clients and families overcome difficulties and be the best versions of themselves. Dr. Jornd believes that utilization of multiple skills is ideal for working with clients as she believes there is not a "one size fits all" approach.

Outside of her work, Dr. Jornd is a self-proclaimed cat lady and a passionate Law and Order: SVU fan. She further enjoys spending time with her wife and fur babies, Nala the cat and Pancake the rabbit, playing Animal Crossing and attempting to succeed at various PC games.

Eryn Kruger, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist in Maryland who works with children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Kruger received her doctorate from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and completed her doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital. Throughout her training, Dr. Kruger gained experience working at many nationally recognized children's hospitals, community clinics, and outpatient centers.

Dr. Kruger is passionate about working with clients and their families on a range of mental health concerns, providing care ranging from behavioral management to serious mental illness. With extensive training in evidence-based treatments, Dr. Kruger individualizes her treatment plans to maximize coping and resiliency for each family.

Dr. Kruger also has extensive experience providing developmental, psychoeducational, and psychological evaluations. From brief evaluations for diagnostic clarification to more comprehensive evaluations, including assessments for academic difficulties, autism spectrum disorder, and more serious psychopathology, Dr. Kruger provides a variety of assessment options designed to bring clarity to presenting concerns.

Outside of work, Dr. Kruger enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters, and goofy English bulldog in Severna Park, Maryland. She is also an avid Baltimore sports fan and enjoys hiking throughout Maryland with her family.

Sarah Mealy, Psy.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of Maryland, who specializes in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Mealy completed her training at several local, nationally recognized children's hospitals and outpatient centers, to include Children's National Hospital, the Kennedy Krieger Institute, and Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital.

Prior to joining the Annapolis Child and Family Therapy Center, Dr. Mealy was a faculty Psychologist at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, where she was actively involved in the training program. She additionally served as the Coordinator of Outpatient Assessment Services, as well as continues to be the Coordinator of Psychology Services in the Developmental Evaluation Clinic (DEC) at Rogers. Dr. Mealy has further experience as the director of a group psychology practice.

Dr. Mealy believes in the power of a collaborative treatment process in order to maximize one's well-being. She emphasizes the importance of a genuine therapeutic relationship, in pair with evidence-based treatments to empower children and families to cope with a range of challenges. Dr. Mealy additionally enjoys sharing empirically supported behavioral strategies with caregivers of young children via parent coaching.

Dr. Mealy is passionate about the early identification of autism spectrum disorder and developmental differences, in addition to the importance of providing neurodiversity-affirming care. She additionally has extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of anxiety, mood disorders, behavioral challenges, learning disabilities, ADHD, and social difficulties.

Outside of her role as a psychologist, Dr. Mealy enjoys spending time with her spouse and daughter, as well as exploring local eateries and watching college football.