Candice Moran, Psy.D., PMH-C

Professional Background

I earned my Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, IL, and completed my Doctoral Internship at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, working in both the counseling center and the LGBTQ+ Center. Prior to joining CESS, I spent nine years at the University of Central Missouri providing individual, couples, and group therapy to students, and serving as the coordinator of the Safe Zone program, where I offered campus and community-wide consultation on allyship and creating inclusive environments.

As a queer, nonbinary, and AuDHD therapist, my clinical practice is grounded in an integrative theoretical framework informed by intersectional feminist therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), relational-cultural theory (RCT), and  systems theories. I work from a trauma-responsive, strengths-based, and neuro-affirmative perspective, and I am deeply committed to anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and decolonizing practices.

Clinical Interests & Specialties:

• Minoritized gender and sexual identities/expressions
• Neurodivergence and neurodivergent identities
• Intersectional identities
• Social justice
• Navigating the mental health impacts of dysfunctional systems and institutional stressors
• Perinatal mental health (including PMADs, and supporting birthing persons and non-gestational partners of all genders)
• Healing from relational, systemic, and complex trauma (including PTSD and C-PTSD)
• Identity development and life transitions (e.g., the transition to parenthood, role transitions)
• Relationship counseling (including couples, polycules, ENM relationships, etc.) and relational concerns
• Consultation and outreach

Specialized Training & Certifications:

• Perinatal Mental Health Certified (PMH-C): I pursued this specialization to provide deeply affirming, intersectional support during the complex transition to parenthood. Navigating family-building, pregnancy, and the postpartum period comes with unique joys, traumas, and systemic barriers—especially for LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent individuals. My goal is to hold a safe, empowering space that honors diverse pathways to parenthood.
• EMDR Trained: I utilize Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to help clients process distressing memories, resolve lingering fight, flight, freeze, or appease responses, and allow the brain's natural healing processes to resume.

In addition to my clinical work at CESS, I co-facilitate the KUMC Prism LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group, advocating for enhanced visibility, fostering community, and empowering systemic change. I also provide educational outreach and consultation across campus and in the broader community to improve environments for historically excluded individuals.

In my free time, you’ll often find me doing an art or craft project, tackling a puzzle, watching a movie, building Lego creations, or going on an adventure with my twin kiddos and my partner. I also enjoy audiobooks—which absolutely is a valid form of reading! I have written for the Kansas City queer magazine ROAR, served on the board of various local non-profit organizations, and am active in volunteering, activism, and advocacy work on local, statewide, and national levels.