About Tammy
Get to know Tammy: parent, teacher, psychologist and creator of SkillSense.
Tammy Finch, PhD is a licensed psychologist with years of experience working with young people. With a PhD in School Psychology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tammy has focused her professional career on helping children and their parents lead fuller, more connected lives. Having a daughter in college and a son in high school, Tammy keenly understands the need for family education and support during adolescence. She has created SkillSense, a business dedicated to teaching practical and common sense life skills to tweens, teens and their parents.
Tammy believes in teens. She understands the incredible expectations and pressures that teens face growing up in today's culture. Tammy views teens as smart, capable and competent. She understands that teens need accurate information, practical skills and opportunities to talk and problem-solve with trusted adults in order to make sound and wise decisions for themselves.
Tammy believes in parents. Parents know their children best. Teens want and need to stay connected to their parents, even as they reach towards greater independence. Parents, too, need accurate information, practical skills and opportunities to talk and problem-solve.
Tammy believes in schools. She understands the power of school-based support in guiding young people and their families. She works with schools and students in order to give students, parents and educators the knowledge and skills necessary to develop greater self-awareness, to promote maturity and to keep themselves and others healthy and safe.
Previously, Tammy served as the Director of Counseling at Saint Mary's School, a private day and boarding high school for girls. While there, she developed and implemented a life-skills curriculum for students, designed and implemented a model program for parent education and support and instituted a service delivery model for providing school psychology services.
Tammy has provided in-service training, classes and workshop presentations for a number of schools and organizations, including the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, The Association of Boarding Schools, the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools, Meredith College, The Raleigh School, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Eating Disorder Program, a number of private independent schools and the National Charity League, a volunteer program for adolescent girls and their mothers.
In addition, Tammy has worked as a psychologist in the adolescent inpatient and child outpatient units at Dorothea Dix Hospital, as a juvenile court psychologist, as a clinical consultant for the Preparation for Independent Living Program at Haven House, a program for homeless and at-risk young adults and as a teacher of autistic adolescents. Tammy has volunteered throughout her career, including serving as the Chair of the Board of Trustees at The Raleigh School and as a Guardian Ad Litem.
In addition to her life skills expertise, Tammy is a registered yoga teacher and has taught yoga and mindfulness to children, teens and adults. Tammy and David, her husband of twenty-seven years, have two children, Jessie, a junior at North Carolina State University, and Grady, a sophomore at Ravenscroft School. For fun, Tammy walks with her hound-dogs Hank and Willie, reads all kinds of books and spends time at her home in Ocracoke.
Hank
Hank is an older small, perfectly proportioned beagle. Hank is a certified Canine Good Citizen and is a retired therapy dog. After working hard helping people feel better, performing agility, and learning to track scents in big open fields by following a trail of hot dogs, Hank has now retired to a well-deserved life of leisure. He spends his time relaxing on one of the many pillows scattered around the house, stretched out on the couch, or sleeping in his favorite location—under the covers in bed! Hank hardly ever barks, except when someone enters the house when he gives a friendly howl until he’s petted. Fetching is not one of Hank’s strong points, but he loves to tussle with any one of his three dozen soft, furry, stuffed animals!
Willie
Willie is our younger beagle. Full of energy and enthusiasm, Willie makes a great little brother to Hank. Willie is fearless and fast. Much taller and leaner than his big brother, Willie can walk for miles without tiring and is always up for harassing Hank around the back yard. Willie loves all his buddies in doggie daycare. Willie’s been known to jump up on the dining room table for a stick of butter or leap from the wall to the stool to the counter on the outdoor kitchen looking for whatever meat is cooking on the grill. Willie recently learned to swim in the tidal pools at Ocracoke. Willie’s gorgeous white face, rare for a beagle, symbolizes his sweet, trusting and gentle nature. Willie adores everyone, melts when his belly is rubbed and loves to sleep under the covers!
Testimonials
In a nonjudgmental, comfortable and trusting way, Tammy (Dr. Finch) helped our daughter (age 17) peel away layers of a complicated and emotional issue empowering her to honestly (and bravely) assess her role in a very challenging situation.~ a Mom > view more testimonials
Tammy is a certified facilitator for the Coach Your Teen to Success program.