"I feel honored to work with people who are invested in improving themselves, their families and their careers. My passion is people. I believe that creating a meaningful life and diving into it, is essential to personal and professional fulfillment."
Michael Vitulano, PhD
Licensed Child and Adult Psychologist
(CT PSY 003957, WA PY 60607324, CO PSY 0006009)
Executive & Business/Career Coach
A curiosity for the unknown has drawn me to the helping profession. My approach is engaging in genuine, productive dialogue, exploring challenges and helping you pursue your goals. My clients have said they appreciate that I am approachable, direct with feedback and possess a positive, open-minded attitude.
As a Psychologist, I have been involved in teaching and training graduate and undergraduate students since 2016, who have helped inform my work. Feedback from students, trainees and my own clients helps to develop my professional weaknesses (which I am happy to openly share!). I have grown to develop a holistic approach that integrates the research on the benenites of a warm, professional, therapuetic relationship with evidence-based health and psychological intervention along with your own prefences, values and interests.
As an Executive/Business Coach, I use a collaborative process of 1) goal-setting, 2) leadership development and 3) ongoing feedback from trusted colleagues to achieve sustainable results. I draw upon empirical methods such as emotional intelligence, executive functioning training (developing skills in time management and task organization) and a professional development training based on feedback from colleagues. Working with clients locally and globally, my work helps client achieve meaning and purpose in their work while navigating challenges in the workplace. This process results in improving productivity, job satisfaction and interpersonal dynamics.
I draw upon my background rich in a unique variety of experiences. My professional skills are influenced by a background in travel, volunteerism and sports. My athletic background provides me with first-hand experience in group dynamics and persistence in work ethic. Further, I obtained an abundance of experiential learning while traveling and volunteering through Central and South America. This helped me gain new perspectives: while we may come from vastly different cultures and backgrounds, we are all more alike than we realize.
Formal Education
Yale University Child Study Center, Clinical Instructor
Seattle Childrens' Hospital, Postdoctoral Fellowship & Attending Psychologist
UCLA, Predoctoral Internship, Child Psychology Track
The University of Tennessee, PhD & MA in Clinical Psychology
Wesleyan University (CT), BA in Psychology
Selected Publications
Vitulano L.A., Mitchell J.T., Vitulano M.L., Leckman, J. F. Saunders, D., Davis, N., Woodward, D., Goodhue, B. Artukoglu, B. and Kober. (2022). Parental perspectives on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatments for children. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 27, 1019-1032. doi:10.1177/13591045221108836
Vitulano, M. L., Fite, P. J., Hopko, D. R., Lochman, J., Wells, K., & Asif, I. (2014). Evaluation of Underlying Mechanisms in the Link between Childhood ADHD Symptoms and Risk for Early Initiation of Substance Use. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 28, 816-827.
Becker, S. P., Fite, P. J., Vitulano, M. L., Rubens, S. L., Evans, S. C., & Cooley, J. L. (2014). Examining anxiety and depression as moderators of the associations between ADHD symptoms and academic and social problems in Hispanic adolescents. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 36, 265-275.
Asta, L., Vitulano, L., Vitulano, M, Scandroglio, F., & Caffo, E. (in preparation). Screen time and mental health in youth. Journal of Pediatrics.
Vitulano, L., Kober, H. Mitchel, J., Vitulano, M. Leckman, J., Saunders, D., Davis, N. Goodhue, B., Artukoglu, B. & Woodward, D: (under review). ADHD Parental Survey of Traditional and Non-Traditional Attitudes and Utilization. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Vitulano, M. & Vitulano, L. (2018). How to Deal Effectively with Difficult People at Work [Review of the book The Schmuck in My Office by J. J. Foster & M. Joy. 2017. St. Martin’s Press, New York, NY]. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,
57, 982-983.
Vitulano, L., M. Vitulano, R. King and J. Leckman. (2015) Neurodevelopmental disorders: Motor disorders. In: Psychiatry, 4th ed, A. Tasman, J. Kay, J. A. Lieberman, M.B. First and M.B. Riba (Eds.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
Vitulano, M., Fite, P., Wimsatt, A., Rathert, J., & Hatmaker, R. (2012). Gender Differences in Consequences of ADHD Symptoms in a Community-Based Youth Organization. International Journal of Behavioral Development. 36, 157-166.
Fite, P. J., Wimsatt, A. R., Vitulano, M. L., Rathert, J. L., & Schwartz, S. (2012). Examination of Peer Rejection and Depressive Symptoms as Mediators of the Link between Rule-Breaking Behavior and Poor Academic Performance. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 34, 164-171.
Fite, P., Vitulano, M., & Preddy, T. (2011) The positive impact of attending a community-based youth program on child depressive symptoms. Journal of Community Psychology, 39, 804-814.
Vitulano, M., Fite, P., Rathert, J., Gaetner, A., Wynn, P., & Hill, R. (2011). The Influence of Neighborhood Safety on the Relation between Caregiver Alcohol Use and The Risk for Child Symptoms of Depression. Journal of Substance Use, 16, 359-366.
Vitulano, M., Fite, P., & Rathert, J. (2010). Delinquent Peer Influence on Childhood Delinquency: The Moderating Effect of Impulsivity. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 32, 315-322.
PhD Dissertation: Developmental Trajectories of ADHD and Substance Use (Published above in 2014): https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2869/