Child & Family Psychological Associates has been serving the children, families, and adults of Summit, Cuyahoga, Portage, and Stark counties since 1989. The staff psychologists, Dr. Robert M. Brewster, Dr. David J. Coleman, and Dr. Geoffrey E. Putt, have both extensive training in and experience with offering treatment to children and their families.

The staff has significant clinical expertise in areas such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, individual therapy, family communication and conflict resolution, parenting skills training, school-related problems, sexual abuse, eating disorders, marital concerns, work-related problems, and psychological assessment/evaluation.

The Psychologists on staff are committed to improving the emotional and behavioral health of the people they serve.

Dr. Brewster, Dr. Coleman, and Dr. Putt are all licensed by the State Board of Psychology in Ohio and are recognized as approved service providers by many area insurance and managed care mental and behavioral health plans.  

Staff

Robert M. Brewster, Ph.D.   Licensed Psychologist

Dr. Robert M. Brewster received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Kent State University in 1987, has been licensed by the State Board of Psychology since 1988, and has been offering psychological services in the Akron-Canton area since 1976.

He joined Child & Family Psychological Associates and began private practice for psychological services in 1989.  Dr. Brewster has made many professional presentations related to training and practice in Psychology. He has extensive training, experience, and clinical expertise in areas such as Anxiety Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Mood Disorders, therapy with children and adolescents, outpatient and family therapy, family communication and conflict resolution concerns, parenting skill training, school related problems, marital concerns, adjustment to family changes and divorce, work-related problems, career choice and change, and psychological assessment and evaluation.

 David J. Coleman, Ph.D.   Licensed Psychologist

Dr. David J. Coleman has over 15 years experience as a psychologist working with children, families and adults in the Akron-Canton area.  A graduate of an APA  accredited program at Kent State University in 1987;  he was licensed as a Psychologist by the Ohio State Board of Psychology in 1988 and has been a managing partner with Child & Family Psychological Associates since 1989. 

He serves as the Primary Clinical Supervisor of the Child Abuse Treatment Team  in Canton for  providing assessment and therapy services for traumatized children and adolescents.  He maintains faculty and supervisory status at the Child & Adolescent Service Center for the training of child and family psychologists, has taught graduate courses at both Kent State and Walsh Universities, and is on the staff of the Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron.

Dr. Coleman's areas of specialty include the treatment of trauma victims, improvement of school performance in students, and couples' therapy.  He is an active speaker on issues that affect children and families, is published in the area of child psychotherapy and has been recognized by the Supreme Court of Ohio for his work with abused children and adolescents.  Dr. Coleman is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Ohio Psychological Association.  His credentials are also listed in the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.

Geoffrey E. Putt, Psy.D.    Licensed Psychologist

Dr. Geoffrey E. Putt received his doctorate in  Clinical Psychology from an APA-accredited doctoral training program at the University of Indianapolis. He is fully licensed as a Psychologist by the State Board of Psychology in Ohio to provide psychological assessment and treatment services to children, adults, and families.

He is the founder and Director of The ADHD Clinic (A Division of The Child & Adolescent Service Center). He developed the program as a way to provide thorough and comprehensive ADHD evaluations. He is well-versed in the latest techniques for the evaluation and treatment of ADHD.

Dr. Putt has conducted research and received specialty training in the area of Pre-Surgical Bariatric Evaluations.  As an Adjunct Professor at Walsh University, Dr. Putt teaches a number of classes at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Dr. Putt also maintains faculty status at the Child and Adolescent Service Center in Canton where he provides training for Doctoral-level interns training to become Clinical Child Psychologists. In addition to numerous guest lectures and workshops in the community and academia, Dr. Putt has served as an Adjunct Professor for a number of graduate and undergraduate courses at the University of Indianapolis.

Dr. Putt is a member in good standing with the American Psychological Association (APA), Ohio Psychological Association (OPA), The Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy (AABT), the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD).  He joined Child & Family Psychological Associates in 2003.

Erin M. Rafter, Ph.D.               Therapist

 Dr. Erin Rafter received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 2006 from an APA accredited training program from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. During her training, she provided care in multiple areas including grief & loss, pediatric palliative care & hospice, family therapy, behavioral difficulties, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder assessment and treatment, school difficulties, and psychodiagnostic assessment.

Dr. Rafter serves as a member of local and state-wide traumatized child task forces and is actively working to develop assessment batteries at a state-level to assist in the screening and diagnosis of children experiencing trauma and stressors. 

Currently, Dr. Rafter is Trauma Team Leader at Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health and provides services to children and families coping with various forms of trauma (divorce, family discord & stressors, moving, abuse, grief & loss, health issues), as well as behavioral disorders, anger management difficulties, mood disorders, and anxiety diagnoses. Dr. Rafter has developed and conducted training in grief & loss and the treatment and effects of trauma on children to Doctoral Psychology Interns. Dr. Rafter also provides service at The Gathering Place, a non-profit center supporting families and individuals coping with cancer in Northeast Ohio.