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Cassandra J. Holinka, PsyDAssistant Professor of PsychiatryClinical Psychologist
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- Overview
- Education & Training
- Clinical Interests
- Teaching
- Committees & Organizations
- Publications
- Presentations
Dr. Holinka is the Director of the Outpatient Addictions Psychotherapy Services. These services are comprised of a number of psychotherapy options for patients seeking collaborative, person-centered and goal-oriented treatment for problematic substance use and related issues. Currently, psychotherapy options offered include: standard individual psychotherapy, brief individual psychotherapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD, Relapse Prevention group, and Seeking Safety group. New offerings may be developed in the future. Clinicians may include: Clinical Psychologists, Clinical Psychology trainees (PhD students in their 4th year+, Clinical Psychology interns (PhD students in ther last year of training), and Psychiatry Residents. Additionally, patients may be referred to any number of other psychotherapy or adjunctive services outside of the addictions clinic if collaboratively determined to be in their best interest.
| Degree | Institution | Major |
|---|---|---|
| BA | University of Connecticut | Psychology |
| MA | Southern Connecticut State University | Psychology |
| MA | University of Hartford Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology | Clinical Psychology |
| PsyD | University of Hartford Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology | Clinical Psychology |
Post-Graduate Training
| Training | Institution | Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| Internship | Yale School of Medicine | Connecticut Mental Health Center Adult Outpatient/Forensic Drug Diversion Clinic |
| Fellowship | Yale School of Medicine | Forensic Drug Diversion Clinic |
| Professional Training | CPT for PTSD | Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD (Workshop & Follow-up Phone Consultation) |
Awards
| Name of Award/Honor | Awarding Organization |
|---|---|
| 2025 General Adult Psychiatry Residency Psychology Supervisor Award | UConn Health |
| 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award | Psychology Doctoral Internship, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine |
| 2023 Outstanding UCHC Externship Supervisor of the Year | UConn Department of Psychological Sciences |
| 2023 General Adult Psychiatry Residency Psychology Supervisor Award | UConn Health |
| 2022 General Adult Psychiatry Residency Psychology Supervisor Award | UConn Health |
| 2021 General Adult Psychiatry Residency Psychology Supervisor Award | UConn Health |
| 2020 General Adult Psychiatry Residency Psychology Teaching Award | UConn Health |
| Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology | University of Hartford |
| New England Scholar | University of Connecticut |
| Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society | University of Connecticut |
Dr. Holinka enjoys drawing from evidence-based cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based psychotherapies. She has a particular interest in co-occurring substance use disorders and trauma/PTSD, and is a trained Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD provider. She seeks to engage many of her patients in time-limited, collaborative, and person-centered therapeutic work in order to facilitate a sense of self-efficacy and recovery. Dr. Holinka also has experience working with patients involved in the legal system.
In addition, Dr. Holinka is interested in improving clinician well-being and reducing burnout, while encouraging clinicians to take a critical look at how systems of care and institutions can change policies and procedures to do the same.
Seminars/Courses taught: The Psychology of Substanse Use: Helping Patients with Behavior Change (Medical & dental students), Personality Disorders Conference (Medical students), Evidence-based Psychotherapies for Substance Use Disorders (Psychiatry residents), Cognitive Processing Therapy (Psychiatry residents), Mindfulness (Psychiatry residents), Forensic Addictions (Psychiatry residents), Substance Use Assessment (Psychiatry residents), Person-Centered Recovery Planning (Psychology interns)
Psychotherapy supervision provided: Clinical psychology (PhD) clerkship supervisor, Outpatient Addictions rotation offered in the Greater Hartford Clinical Psychology Internship Consortium, Cognitive Behavior Therapy supervisor for PGY-3 psychiatry residents, on-site supervisor for PGY-2 psychotherapy clinic
| Name & Description | Category | Role | Type | Scope | Start Year | End Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Competency Committee, UConn Health Psychiatry Residency Program | Member | UConn Health | University | 2024 | ||
| Psychotherapy Planning Committee, UConn Health Psychiatry Residency Program | Education Committee | Member | UConn Health | University | 2023 | |
| Grand Rounds Planning Committee, UConn Health Department of Psychiatry | Education Committee | Member | UConn Health | University | 2020 | 2024 |
| Admissions Committee Member, UConn School of Medicine | Other | Member | UConn Health | University | 2019 | |
| Psychotherapist, Student Behavioral Health | Other | Psychotherapist | UConn Health | University | 2017 | 2019 |
| Admissions Committee Interviewer, UConn School of Medicine | Interviewer | UConn Health | University | 2017 |
Other
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Re-evaluating the Volitional Test for Criminal Responsibility
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 2016 Mar;44(1):126-128
| Title or Abstract | Type | Sponsor/Event | Date/Year | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physician Suicide | Talk | Rush Medical College Dept. of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health's Grand Rounds | 2025 | Chicago, IL (Virtual) |
| Physician Suicide | Talk | OBGYN Department, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital | 2025 | Chicago, IL (Virtual) |
| Breaking Free from Burnout: More than Just Stress | Panel Discussion | Root Center Community Forum | 2025 | West Hartford, CT |
| Preventing and Treating Clinicians' Empathy-Based Stress | Talk | Root Center's Social Work Appreciation Day | 2024 | Manchester, CT |
| Physician Suicide | Talk | TriStar Centennial Psychiatric Residency Program Grand Rounds | 2024 | Nashville, TN (Virtual) |
| Mind Over Mood: Gratitude as your Mental Health Superpower | Panel Discussion | UConn Health Human Resources, World Mental Health Day | 2024 | Farmington, CT |
| Physician Suicide | Talk | Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Health Centers, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology | 2024 | Concord, CA (Virtual) |
| Managing Burnout in Clinicians Working with Substance Use Disorders | Talk | Root Center's Clinical Grand Rounds | 2023 | Connecticut (Virtual) |
| Physician Wellness: Attending to Issues of Burnout & Mental Health | Talk | Jefferson Health, Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds | 2023 | Philadelphia, PA (Virtual) |
| Psychologists as Medical School Educators: Opportunities to Impact Future Physicians | Talk | Connecticut Psychological Association, 37th Annual Convention | 2023 | New Haven, CT |
| Co-occurring PTSD and Substance Use in Transitional Age Youth: Assessment and Treatment Planning | Talk | American Psychological Association 2023 Annual Convention | 2023 | Washington DC |
| Motivational Interviewing: Skills & Considerations for Family Medicine (parts 1 & 2) | Lecture | Family Medicine Residency Program, Trinity Health | 2022 | Hartford, CT |
| A Co-occurring Conundrum: Treating PTSD in Transitional Aged Youth with Active Substance Use | Talk | Connecticut Psychological Association, 36th Annual Convention | 2022 | New Haven, CT |
| Suicide | Talk | UConn Health DOEM Colloquium Series | 2022 | Farmington, CT |
| Facing Our Fears: Treating PTSD in the Context of Active Substance Use | Talk | Dept. of Psychiatry, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital | 2022 | Park Ridge, IL (Virtual) |
| Psychological Interventions for Chronic Pain in a Medical Setting | Talk | UConn Health DOEM Colloquium Series | 2021 | Farmington, CT (Virtual) |
| Self-Care for the Trauma Therapist: Turning Our Therapeutic Tools Inward | Talk | Uplifting Voices: Conversations on Trauma & Recovery with the Consortium | 2021 | Hamden, CT (Virtual) |
| Surviving and Thriving: Resilience-Building in Academia | Talk | UConn Health Postdoc Research Week | 2020 | UConn Health, Farmington, CT |
| The Psychology of PTSD and Substance Use in Medical Practice: What You Need to Know | Talk | UConn Health Internal Medicine Grand Rounds | 2020 | UConn Health, Farmington, CT |
| Co-Occurring Posttraumatic Stress Disorder & Substance Use Disorders: Clinical & Treatment Implications | Talk | Western Connecticut State University Addiction Studies Graduate Program | 2020 | Western CT State University, Danbury, CT (Virtual) |
| Beyond Bubble Baths and Beaches: Practicing Evidence-Based Self-Care | Talk | UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity | 2020 | Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, Hartford, CT (Virtual) |
| Facing Clinician Fears: Treating PTSD in the Context of Active Substance Use | Talk | Office of Community & Continuing Medical Education & Dept of Psychiatry | 2020 | UConn Health, Farmington, CT |
| Face Your Fears: Treating PTSD in the Context of Active Substance Use | Talk | CT Women's Consortium's 2020 Trauma & Recovery Conference | 2020 | CT Women's Consortium, Hamden, CT (Virtual) |
| Managing Mental Health and Imposter Syndrome: Considerations for Scientists | Talk | The Jackson Laboratory | 2019 | Farmington, CT |
| Barriers, facilitators, and solutions to implementation of evidenced-based practices in public behavioral health systems: A look at DBT and addictions treatment | Talk | Newington VA Psychology Department | 2019 | Newington & West Haven VA |
| Trauma, PTSD, and Treatment for Adults | Talk | UConn Health EMS Meeting | 2019 | Farmington, CT |
| Opioid Addiction in Pregnancy: Using Psychology to Enhance Care Across Disciplines | Talk | UConn Health's Opioid Use in Pregnancy Symposium | 2018 | Farmington, CT |
| Smoking Cessation Treatment in a Reentry Population | Talk | American Correctional Conference’s 146th Congress of Correction | 2016 | Boston, MA |
| Reliability of Two Measures of Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment of Female Clinicians: A Pilot Study | Poster | New England Psychological Association's Annual Meeting | 2014 | Lewiston, ME |
| Exercise, Sports Participation, and Self-Esteem in College Students | Poster | Eastern Psychological Association's Annual Meeting | 2013 | New York, NY |