Dr. Rachael Wittern '08

Education:
Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary
M.A. in Christian Leadership, Fuller Theological Seminary
M.A. in General Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary
B.A., Northwestern College

712-707-7077
rachael.wittern@nwciowa.edu

Dr. Wittern graduated from Northwestern College in 2008 with bachelor's degrees in psychology and sociology. She pursued graduate and doctoral studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, earning a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. While serving as a commissioned U.S. Army officer, Dr. Wittern completed an internship in clinical psychology at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. For her postdoctoral residency, she was stationed at Wahiawa, Hawaii, where she specialized in trauma and military psychology.

She has received extensive training in various psychotherapy techniques, including trauma informed guilt reduction therapy (TrIGR), interpersonal psychotherapy for depression (IPT-D), eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Prior to joining Northwestern's faculty in 2022, Dr. Wittern worked as a clinical psychologist with Veterans Affairs.

+ScholarshipJacobson, D., Wittern, R., & Ona, C. (2019). Impact of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on cortisol levels and neuropsychological functioning in a mental health outpatient setting. The Military Psychologist, Fall 2019 issue.Mitchell, W., Wooten, A., O'Neil, S., Rodriguez, J., Cruz, R., & Wittern, R. (2015). Effect of increased immunosuppression on developmental outcome of opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome (OMS). Journal of Child Neurology, 30, 976-982. doi:10.1177/0883073814549581Heilbrunn, B., Wittern, R., Lee, J., Pham, P., Hamilton, A., & Nager, A. (2014). Reducing anxiety in the pediatric emergency department: A comparative trial. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 47, 623-631. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2014.06.052

+Professional experienceClinical psychologist, South Hillsborough Outpatient Clinic, James A. Haley VA Hospital, 2019- 22Adjunct professor, Kingdom College, 2018-22Clinical psychologist, U.S. Army Reserves, 326th Combat Operational Stress Control, 2019-20Clinical psychologist, U.S. Army, Lyster Army Health Clinic, 2017-19Resident, U.S. Army Residency, Schofield Barracks, 2016Intern, U.S. Army Internship, Tripler Army Medical Center, 2014-15

+HonorsArmy Achievement Medal, U.S. Army, 2018Army Commendation Medal, U.S. Army, 2016 & 2019Clare W. Headington Memorial Scholarship, Fuller School of Psychology, 2011