Dr. Irvin earned a bachelor’s degree in health administration from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL, which prepared her for an administrative career in health care services. Soon after graduation, she accepted a position as a care coordinator at the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County. She helped secure healthcare providers and payer sources for uninsured and underinsured pregnant women and provided maternal education and counseling for high-risk clients, with a primary aim of promoting health, safety, and self-sufficiency. Inspired by this work, Dr. Irvin’s interests evolved from administration to intervention, prompting her to transition to clinical work. She subsequently earned an M.A. and Psy.D. in clinical psychology at Spalding University in Louisville, KY.

In her doctoral work, Dr. Irvin studied and trained in dual emphasis areas: advanced clinical psychology and forensic psychology. She gained expertise in psychological assessment and evidence-based treatments for complex cases involving attachment, trauma, and disordered personality development. Her research interests have centered on the need for culturally relevant treatment approaches for minoritized and underserved populations, which has informed her therapeutic work with women, veterans, justice-involved African American males, individuals from the LGBTQ community, and individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Dr. Irvin completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus, OH, where she received extensive training in comprehensive trauma assessment and treatment, and long-term therapy for depression, anxiety, and personality-related issues. She completed post-doctoral clinical residencies at Psychiatric Wellness Center, P.A. and K A Comprehensive Medical and Psychiatric Services, LLC, both psychiatric private practices located in Greenacres, FL. During her residencies, Dr. Irvin developed advanced skills in psychological assessment and evidence-based treatments for mood disorders, anxiety (including agoraphobia and panic), trauma, body-focused repetitive behaviors, dementia-related caregiver stress, and long-standing interpersonal difficulties.

In addition to clinical practice, she continues to provide clinical consultation and didactic instruction for doctoral students training in correctional settings to help broaden their understanding of personality, mental health, substance use, and criminality as intersecting correlates.

Dr. Irvin has been twice featured as a guest on local live radio to discuss topics relating to her research on representations of Black women on reality television and to expand on her article about the compounding effects of simultaneous exposure to pandemic- and race-related stress (read here). She has been interviewed on live social media about managing caregiver stress for caretakers of aging parents diagnosed with dementia. She is an avid writer who enjoys writing about mental health, wellness strategies, women’s issues (read here), and human flourishing.

Aside from psychology, Dr. Irvin is a proud veteran of the United States Air Force who has lived and traveled in East Asia. She indulges her interests in philosophy, world religions, culture, and travel. She is a native Floridian who enjoys the great outdoors and can often be found on a hiking trail or beach, honing her skills in amateur nature photography.