Heather E. Unrue, PhD

I’m a developmental and behavioral specialist at Fairfield Primary Care, where I specialize in infant mental health and development. I also manage early signs of mental illness and difficult childhood behaviors, such as poor sleep, feeding issues and tantrums, to prevent larger mental health problems.

I offer behavioral modification, including tools of differential attention, child-directed play, time-out and effective instructions. I also address diagnoses such as disruptive behaviors disorders, anxiety disorders, depression and ADHD using brief cognitive behavioral therapy.

I chose to be a psychologist, in part, because I have lived and studied the realities of the population I serve. I was raised by a single mother in a blended family, and I’ve had a serious chronic illness since the age of 2. My love for children, as well as having grown up in a rural community with little or no support for mental health, led me to pursue my career.

I also enjoy understanding, researching and developing better systems to address the interchange between mental and physical health. I believe that early intervention is important, as well as having tools for overstressed families to use every day to make positive changes.

I approach patient care from a global model that considers the environmental, medical and mental health of each child. I apply evidence-based interventions that can work to create change as quickly as possible for each diagnosis and situation. I believe that providing treatment when symptoms first start is far better than waiting for the major or diagnosable problems that will follow. This early intervention, along with encouraging medical compliance at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Primary Care Clinic, are key to childhood health.

In addition to seeing patients, I also contribute to research. I am currently working on a MedTAPP grant that is seeking to demonstrate the value of my approach to third-party payors and setting up an ideal format for completion of services to best serve patients in a cost-effective way.

In my free time, I love swimming and spending time with my family, which includes two young children. I’m also active in my faith community.