Clinical and Forensic Psychologist

Dr. Farshid Afsarifard is a clinical and forensic psychologist. He received his master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Cleveland State University and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara, California. Dr. Afsarifard was trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) by Dr. Marsha Linehan, at University of Washington. He has been utilizing this approach in treatment of a variety of mental health disorders since 1998. He has developed many programs over the years based on this approach. He works with children, adolescents, adults, and geriatric patients. Dr. Afsarifard specializes in performing diagnostic assessments and developing effective treatment plans. His therapeutic interests include treatment of borderline personality disorder, mood disorders and addictions. He conducts psychological evaluations for clinical and forensic purposes utilizing standardized psychological tests and diagnostic interviews.

As a forensic psychologist Dr. Afsarifard serves as an expert witness in state and Federal courts providing testimony on criminal and civil cases. He specializes in child custody evaluation as well as civil and criminal competencies.

He has extensive experience in healthcare administration and program development. He was the President and Chief Executive Officer at Laurelwood Hospital for 11 years. He started PBHS in 2006 with the goal of providing evidence-based outpatient mental health and addiction recovery treatment in a validating and respectful setting.

Dr. Afsarifard has co-authored several book chapters on clinical and forensic aspects of methamphetamine use. He has also co-authored a book on equivocal child abuse cases. His doctoral dissertation is on the effect of abuse of children of alcoholics. He lectures on ethical and legal issues in psychology; mindfully based stress reduction; use of meditation in treatment of psychological problems; and topics related to psychological development throughout the life span.

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Clinical Director
Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Dr. McMahon provides clinical and forensic services to children, adults, and families. He has worked in both outpatient and inpatient capacities and has experience treating a variety of needs including depression, anxiety, marital/family discord, parenting concerns, complex trauma, and personality disorders. He completed his doctoral internship at Hawthorn Center, the only state-run child psychiatric hospital in Michigan, where he worked closely with children and families struggling with severe mental illness.

Dr. McMahon has received training in Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. He is a fervent advocate of destigmatizing mental illness and promotes the use of science-based interventions in psychology and the treatment of mental health. To this end, Dr. McMahon also adopts a systems and solution-focused approach to help patients identify which areas of their lives are not working, collaborating with them to develop mastery of skills so that they might increase their sense of self-worth and independence.

Dr. McMahon completed his undergraduate education in Psychology and Religion at Heidelberg University and obtained his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Detroit Mercy. His doctoral dissertation examined the intersection of personality, emotion, and moral judgment.

Dr. Gorjanc provides clinical psychiatric services including medication prescription, medication management, and psychotherapy to teens and adults. He favors the use of psychotherapeutic interventions partnered with non-addictive medications. He has worked in both outpatient and inpatient capacities and has experience treating a variety of conditions including depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. 

Dr. Gorjanc has experience in psychodynamic psychotherapy, which may be brief or more prolonged. He believes that psychotherapy, coupled with medications when appropriate, can lead people forward on their own path to mental health. Being new to PBHS, Dr. Gorjanc looks forward to working in concert with his new colleagues.

Dr. Gorjanc received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Case Western Reserve University here in Cleveland after completing the required science coursework at The Ohio State University. Prior to his medical training, Dr. Gorjanc received his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Texas – Houston. Research for his master’s degree was conducted at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, resulting in publication as a first author in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Before obtaining his master’s degree, Dr. Gorjanc worked as a teacher in fine arts and special education and served as a volunteer in the Peace Corps in South America.

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Clinical Psychologist
Clinical Supervisor
Internship Coordinator
Compliance Officer

Dr. Burns is a licensed psychologist who offers clinical services to adult and geriatric populations. She completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in the Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program at the Cleveland Clinic. Her doctoral dissertation examined the impact of patient perception of mental health diagnosis on medication adherence.

Dr. Burns has clinical experience in providing clinical services including chronic pain, trauma, depression, anxiety, grief related to various losses. She has worked in both in- and outpatient settings. Dr. Burns is trained in both Cognitive Behavioral and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy methods. She utilizes outcome-based approaches and strength-based methods to work with patients to identify areas of their lives that they would like to change to build a sense of empowerment and mastery to create a life worth living. She provides clinical intake assessments, psychological evaluations for various procedures and individual therapy.

Dr. Burns completed undergraduate and master level training at John Carroll University and received her Ph.D. from Cleveland State University. Her dissertation examined the subjective response of being diagnosed with a mental health condition and being prescribed psychotropic medication. She is currently a member of the American Psychological Association and the Ohio Psychological Association. She is the Vice President of Science and Education on the Ohio Psychological Association Board of Directors. She also served on the Advisory Board for the Clinical Mental Health Program at John Carroll University. Dr. Burns is passionate about advocacy and is actively involved in efforts to de-stigmatize mental illness, and for access for all marginalized populations seeking mental health services.