About Our Center
Anxiety is part of the normal human condition, but significant, ongoing distress or life interruption is not. A respected treatment, training, and research facility for over two decades, KCCAT offers responsive assessment and treatment services based on the latest advancements in the science of treating anxiety disorders and OCD.
Specialized care in Kansas City
Specializing in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), we are one of only a few team-based resources nationwide offering closely tailored care for children and adults. Whether you're seeking a consultation, brief skill-building, individual or group outpatient treatment, or an individualized intensive outpatient treatment, our team is committed to effective, efficient, and compassionate care aimed at managing symptoms and reclaiming your life.
Meet Our Team
While there are numerous mental health providers in our region, our team’s level of training, experience, and coordinated approach to care sets us apart. As emphasized through our mission to serve as a trusted and scientifically-sound resource, KCCAT staff have specialty backgrounds consisting of supervised training and research in anxiety, trauma, mood, behavioral medicine, and OCD and spectrum conditions.
While each of our team members contributes in their own unique way, our team-based approach ensures that no matter who leads your individual treatment, you will receive expert-guided care.
Board Certified in Behavioral & Cognitive Psychology
KS LP #2351, MO LP #2020031488, APIT #6237
Dr. Kriegshauser (she/her) received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Saint Louis University, with a clinical and research emphasis in anxiety disorders. She completed an APA-accredited internship in Clinical and Health Psychology at Charleston Area Medical Center/West Virginia University School of Medicine and a two-year clinical research specialty fellowship at KCCAT. Dr. Kriegshauser’s clinical interests have focused on evidence-based treatments for anxiety, OCD, and associated health conditions across the lifespan—including the treatment of eating disorders, insomnia, and related health challenges. In addition to her clinical work and oversight of center operations, Dr. Kriegshauser holds an appointment as a Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and coordinates KCCAT’s research activities and training programs for psychology students and visiting trainees from other disciplines. Her research interests and publications have included examination of factors contributing to effective treatment delivery and outcomes, the impact of novel technologies in healthcare, and symptom presentations and trajectories of anxiety, OCD, and related conditions. She is a member of and regular presenter at national organizations including the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), and the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, for which she was honored as part of the 2015 class of its Career Development Leadership Program (and subsequently has served as a mentor for this program). Dr. Kriegshauser previously served on the board of the Kansas Psychological Association.
KS LP #03171, APIT #13488
Dr. Gallaway (she/her) received her Doctorate in School Psychology from Illinois State University. She completed an APA-accredited internship in Clinical Psychology with the Nebraska Internship Consortium of Professional Psychology at Boys Town, and completed a two-year specialty postdoctoral fellowship in anxiety, OCD, and related disorders at KCCAT, before joining as a Staff Psychologist. Dr. Gallaway currently holds a PSYPACT E.Passport, allowing for the delivery of services via telehealth to those living in 35+ states. Dr. Gallaway’s clinical interests focus on evidence-based treatments for OCD, Selective Mutism, Social Anxiety, severe behavioral concerns, Autism Spectrum Disorder, picky eating behaviors, Tics, Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors, ADHD and the intersection of anxious symptoms, other anxiety spectrum disorders, and depressive symptoms. Dr. Gallaway has a special interest in working with children and adolescents, though also enjoys working with those across the lifespan. With a background in School Psychology, she also has particular interest collaborating and consulting with schools. Her research interests and publications have focused on parental experiences with the special education system and how Executive Functioning skills impact overall academic performance in school-aged children.
KS LMLP #03021
Lugeine Alshurafa (she/her) is a Licensed Master’s Level Psychologist in Kansas. She earned her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Washburn University, where she completed advanced training in evidence-based assessment and treatment for children, adolescents, and adults with anxiety and mood disorders. During her graduate work, she served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in an anxiety-focused practicum, providing supervision support and training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for trainee clinicians.
Lugeine’s clinical experience spans community, academic, and specialty settings, including PACES (Wyandot Behavioral Health Network) and the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (KCART) at the University of Kansas Medical Center. At PACES, she provided CBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for youth with emotional and behavioral dysregulation. At KCART, she served as an OASIS Parent Coach, helping caregivers implement behavioral strategies for children with autism and high support needs, and also delivered Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for families seeking to strengthen relationships and reduce disruptive behaviors.
Her clinical interests include anxiety disorders, OCD, and related conditions across the lifespan. She is particularly interested in integrating CBT, ERP, and ACT approaches to enhance flexibility, coping, and overall quality of life for individuals and their families.
KS LPC #05246, MO PLPC #2026011323
Meghan Dillon (she/her) earned her M.S. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Kansas, where she provided strengths-based therapy to adolescents and adults experiencing anxiety, depression, and life transitions within the Positive Psychotherapy Clinic. She completed a year-long clinical internship at the Anxiety Center at Renew Counseling, where she led an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) group for adolescents managing anxiety, OCD, phobias, panic attacks, and mood-related difficulties, and provided individual therapy for clients across the lifespan.
In addition to her clinical training, Meghan brings more than four years of experience as a behavior technician and consultant, supporting young children and families in developing emotion-regulation and behavioral skills. She enjoys working with individuals across the lifespan and has particular interest in adolescents and young adults navigating anxiety, OCD, and related concerns.
KS LCPC #03659, MO LPC #2018039116
Sara Whelan (she/her) received a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin, and a M.A. in School Psychology from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. Sara completed a 1200-hour internship in the Leander Independent School District, where she provided comprehensive psychological services for preschool and elementary-aged students. At Texas State, Sara aided in the opening of a new multidisciplinary autism assessment clinic (CARES Clinic), and she received the Graduate Student of the Year Award (Master’s Level) from the Texas Association of School Psychologists. Sara has spent the last 17 years as a school psychologist in public and private schools in Texas, Missouri and Kansas. Sara is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)-KS, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)-MO, and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). Sara often works with children, tweens and their caregivers, but she also enjoys working with clients across the lifespan. Sara has extensive experience collaborating with school based teams and parents to support the mental health needs of children, tweens and teens. Sara’s clinical interests center on how anxiety disorders and anxiety-related behaviors intersect with disorders such as ADHD, Autism, Tic Disorder, and depression.
