Our Team
Brandi D. Smith, Psy.D Licensed Psychologist and Practice Owner
Brandi D. Smith, Psy.D. is a Georgia licensed clinical psychologist who enjoys working with children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Smith specializes in clinical child and pediatric psychology and the evidence-based assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. She has experience evaluating for autism in children 12 months of age through adulthood and is clinically trained to administer the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – Second Edition (ADOS-2). Her assessment experience also has included training and work in a range of settings including hospitals, universities, specialized treatment and evaluation centers, community mental health centers, and private practice. She has a passion for working with individuals with complex or atypical presentations of autism and regularly completes evaluations for the female phenotype and PDA presentations of autism.
While her primary interest is in the assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders, Dr. Brandi also has experiencing assessing for and treating a variety of medical, behavioral, emotional, and psychiatric concerns. This has contributed to her ability to address co-morbid difficulties commonly associated with ASD (e.g., feeding and nutrition, sleep, toileting, challenging behaviors) and to assist with connecting autistic individuals and their families with community supports and resources tailored to them.
Dr. Brandi earned her Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology and Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology through the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Atlanta. She completed an American Psychological Association accredited internship in clinical pediatric psychology with the May Institute in Massachusetts and her Postdoctoral Fellowship at Georgia Pediatric Psychology. Dr. Brandi has worked in private practice since 2018. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, Georgia Psychological Association and Society of Pediatric Psychology.
Dr. Brandi’s passion for working with autistic individuals emerged while she was an undergraduate student earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Georgia State University. There, she received her initial introduction to assessing for autism and contributed to research for early developmental screening. As she went on to become a graduate student, she continued training in the assessment of pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and evaluated children with genetic conditions, epilepsy, cancer, traumatic brain injury, brain tumors, spina bifida, and congenital heart conditions. While in graduate school, she worked at Emory University for several years evaluating children exposed to substances neonatally as part of a research study investigating the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and provided intervention services at Marcus Autism Center.
In her spare time, Dr. Brandi enjoys traveling, hiking, kayaking, and paddle boarding. She also likes reading, learning, and spending time with her family, dog (Zalla), and friends.
Savanna Duley, Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist
Dr. Savanna Duley is a licensed pediatric psychologist specializing in the diagnostic assessment of developmental, social/emotional, and behavioral concerns presenting in early childhood. She has a special interest in working with children who have a history of genetic and associated medical conditions.
Following fellowship, Dr. Duley returned to her hometown of Atlanta, GA, and subsequently joined Dr. Smith at CAAC. She continues as a longstanding member of the American Psychological Association (APA), as well as the Society for Pediatric Psychology (SPP), and is committed to bettering the psychological and overall wellbeing of her patients and their families. In her free time, Dr. Duley enjoys re-discovering the Atlanta area alongside her husband, daughters, and their dog, Buck.
Shruti Prathip, Psy.D. Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr. Shruti Prathip is a Postdoctoral Fellow whose clinical experience has been child-focused, with a key interest in neurodevelopment and pediatric psychology. She obtained her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology at Mercer University and completed her APA accredited internship at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, an affiliate with Johns Hopkins Medicine and University of Maryland Medical System, in 2022. Dr. Prathip has worked with numerous patients, ranging from infants to adolescents.
During her year-long internship, Dr. Prathip provided outpatient therapy and assessment with children who have chronic illness and social/emotional/behavioral needs. She worked in various settings and treatment specialties including integrated primary care and specialty clinics, autism assessment, feeding therapy, and inpatient consultation/liaison. The vital role of psychology in multiple settings and interdisciplinary care teams has been a crucial training experience for Dr. Prathip to provide the utmost and comprehensive care for her patients.
Prior to internship, Dr. Prathip completed her advanced practicum training at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), where she conducted outpatient neurodevelopmental evaluations and therapeutic services for children with congenital heart disease; assessing for developmental delays and aiding children to cope with chronic medical conditions. Additionally, she provided consultation-liaison services to patients and their families on the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Acute Care Unit at CHOA Egleston Hospital.Since the beginning of her doctoral training, Dr. Prathip had a passion for providing specialized assessment and intervention for children and their families. Her child-focused practicum experiences provided dedicated training in the assessment of common childhood presentations such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Learning Disorders, Intellectual Disabilities (ID), Anxiety, and Depression. Dr. Prathip also provided evidence-based interventions, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) for children, adolescents, and young adults with a range of neurodevelopmental, emotional, and behavioral differences.
Working in collaboration with the child, their families, and the ecological system has been important in her clinical work. Dr. Prathip emphasizes the importance of identifying areas of strength to augment weaknesses while working with children and their families. As a proud first generation Indian-American, it has been her main focus to work with individuals of diverse backgrounds, including underserved racial/ethnic populations, through culturally sensitive assessment and intervention.
Dr. Prathip enjoys spending time with her husband, family, friends, and kitty. She is actively involved in her ethnic community within Atlanta. She is a trained Bharatanatyam (classical-Indian) dancer and frequently performs on stage.
Rachel Matthews, B.S., B.A. Office Manager
Rachel is one of CAAC's most important people. She does a fantastic job maintaining a warm and inviting environment as the Office Manager of the clinic. Rachel was born in Gainesville, Georgia and still loves visiting her family farm. She also enjoys walking around the beautiful city of Atlanta. Like the rest of her family, she is passionate about sciences and arts and completed her Bachelor’s of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a Bachelor’s of Art in Design and Painting at Piedmont College. She has over 8 years of customer care experience and loves connecting with people to create trusting relationships and support systems. She hopes all the patients and parents feel like they are at home when they visit CAAC. If you have any questions, concerns, or just need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out to her via email or phone.
Outside of work, Rachel enjoys all kinds of activities and loves to stay busy! Most of her time is spent playing with her dogs, Daisy, Max, and Clay, or painting, drawing, and sculpting. She also spends a great deal of her time volunteering at Save the Horses in Cumming, GA and appreciates any one wanting to learn more about horses and the other animals at the rescue. Rachel also loves renovation projects, dancing, hiking, eating, and exploring.
KaShara Lamar, M.S. Psychometrist