NCAWAG Associates
At NCAWAG, we are pleased to provide neurodiverse- and gender-affirming care with a specialty in autistic women, girls, and gender diverse individuals.
Below is a list of are our talented staff members. We offer a range of services including evaluations, adolescent and adult therapy, parent coaching/support, and outdoor wellness/mentorship.
We plan to offer group and child therapy in the near future!
Jessie Goldblum, Ph.D.
Dr. Jessie Goldblum is a full time tester at NCAWAG. She is a Developmental Psychologist with over a decade of experience in child development and autism research. Her research specializations include novel modes of autism assessment, social communication in autistic women and girls, and the interplay of multiple identities (I.e., sex, gender, race, and ethnicity) on diagnosis and prevalence rates.
Jessie received her Bachelor of Arts from Emory University and her Master of Arts and PhD in Developmental Psychology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has worked with a wide variety of populations, including providing early intervention to disadvantaged families at the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at UCLA, and holds a Certificate in Developmental Disabilities from the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities.
Jessie is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jessie's interests include painting and drawing, learning new languages, autism, crosswords and other puzzles, and watching historical (British) TV shows. You can find her seeking out dogs everywhere she goes, eating copious amounts of French fries, and spending time with her husband, Jake, and two pups, Junior (Juni) the poodle and Tallulah the basset hound.
Courtney Pestovich, LCMHCA, CRC
Courtney Pestovich is a mental health therapist at NCAWAG. She earned her Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from UNC Chapel Hill in 2022, and is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor.
Courtney works with neurodivergent individuals with co-occurring psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, OCD, disordered eating, gender dysphoria, learning disabilities, mood disorders, sleep disorders, suicidal ideation/self-harm, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and trauma/PTSD. She utilizes an integrated approach to therapy by drawing techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and from experiences from her eight years working in elementary and early childhood education and internship at the UNC Autism Center (TEACCH). She has advanced training in the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), commonly used for sensory difficulties, trauma responses, and reactions to stimuli.
As a therapist, Courtney values the importance of a safe, non-judgmental, and warm environment, where clients feel genuinely accepted and respected. She believes that building a partnership is essential to creating and achieving therapeutic goals, and that therapy should use a strengths-based approach to highlight innate qualities clients possess while they navigate challenges.
Courtney is happily married and has two wonderful dogs. She has a passion for animals, dogs, makeup, hair care, skin care, wigs, clothes, fragrances, psychology, autism, and ADHD.
