About
Supporting women to live their truth with authenticity and integrity.
You don't have to navigate the unspoken rules alone.
Find your way without losing your integrity.
My Story
I have been providing therapy to individuals, families, and community groups since 1999. Think Forward Therapy opened independently in Maryland in 2026, although I continue to provide services through Live Oak Behavioral Health in Maitland, FL.
With 3 masters degrees, a PhD, and a postdoc fellowship, I have a lot of letters - I call it my alphabet soup. I jokingly say that my libra nature couldn't decide, but the truth is that I love learning and took every opportunity that came along... the chance to study overseas, the opportunity to do more during my fellowship, even every rotation in any department of the hospital- I wanted to see it all. I am very privileged to have had these doors opened for me, and never take that for granted.
If you have questions about life in academia- I've been there. If I don't know the answer, I can probably figure out who does. Let me help open doors for you.
In my heart, I am a clinician-scientist with a focus on community-engaged outcomes. My specialties are in trauma-informed care for women, aging, dementia caregiving, public health, community empowerment, immigration, and healthcare access.
For 3 years, I served with the National Network of Public Health Institutes as the Principal Research Scientist for the Washington D.C. office. As a federal contractor and implementation partner managing nearly $7million in federal funding, my team and I brought communities together across 208 counties in 45 languages to identify community-based solutions and actions for health equity. Please check out the Guide to Advancing Health Equity that our team published together.
Previous to joining NNPHI, I was a tenured Associate Professor of Social Work and Coordinator of the Social Work/ Public Affairs PhD at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, with a secondary joint appointment to the UCF College of Medicine and affiliate appointment to the Disability, Aging, & Technology Faculty Cluster.
You can check out an article about my values here- https://executivesdiary.com/2026/07/07/tracy-wharton/
Interested in learning more?
Tracy Wharton, PhD, MSc, MSW, MEd, LICSW/LCSW-C, QS
Interested in my academic creds and all the details? www.TracyWharton.com
Dr. Tracy Wharton, PhD, LICSW/LCSW-C
Dr Tracy (she/her) is a psychotherapist, public health scientist, and proud social worker. She has published 45 peer reviewed articles, 7 book chapters, 2 practice manuals, and nearly 100 federal reports, toolkits, blogs, newsletters, and media engagements. She has had more than $7 million in research and program funding, and has built her career by bringing together partners with respect and humility for our unique perspectives and strengths. She is the recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving award, an Emerging Scholar Award from the International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities, & Nations, and a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow.
Tracy is committed to the concept that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just an acronym or flag to wave, but a meaningful ideal to hold to.
Degrees and Training
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Postdoctoral Fellow: NIH/NIMH funded, Geriatric Psychiatry, Univ of Michigan Medical School and Veterans Administration (VA) GRECC
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PhD: NIH/NINR supported, Social Work, Implementation Science minor, Univ of Alabama
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MSc: Evidence Based Social Intervention, Univ of Oxford (Barnett House & St. Cross College)
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MSW: NIH funded, Interpersonal and Medical Social Work, Univ of Michigan; Hospital internship
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MEd: Counseling Psychology, Family & Community Systems minor, Cambridge College
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BA: Psychology, Community Systems minor, Cambridge College
Advanced Training and Experience
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Trauma Management Therapy
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Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
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Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT)
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Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
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CBT-I (Insomnia)
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Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)
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Motivational Interviewing (MI)
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Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy (EF-CPT)
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Adlerian therapy
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Structural Family Therapy
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Firefighter Culture & First Responders clinical training
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Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias
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Dementia Caregiver Support (REACH, Savvy, creator of FL-REACH/TeleREACH)
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End-of-Life Nursing Education Curriculum (ELNEC)
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End-of-life Physician Integrated Care (EPIC)
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Certification for Alcohol & Drug Addiction Counseling (CADAC) training
Social Work Licensure
State of FL- LCSW SW12849;
State of AL- LICSW 3641C;
State of MD- LCSW-C 32755;
State of MA- LICSW 1140807
Florida: Qualified supervisor for SW, MHC, MFT
Massachusetts: Qualified supervisor for social work
NPI National ID: 1780103440
Maryland Medical Reserve Corps volunteer (MD Responds)