Woburn Pediatric Psychological Services (WPPS) is a private behavioral health practice serving patients and families of Woburn & North Andover Pediatric Associates. We started this practice in response to the critical need for mental health services and in hopes of providing our families with easier access to quality care.
Our Providers
Lauren Avery, MD
Dr. Lauren Avery joined our practice in January 2015. She completed her undergraduate degree at Wesleyan University, graduate school at Columbia University Teachers College, and medical school at The George Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Avery’s residency training in adult psychiatry was completed at the Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Program and her fellowship training was completed at the Massachusetts General Hospital Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training Program. Dr. Avery also serves as the Medical Director.
Karen Saroca, MD
Dr. Karen Saroca joined our practice in October 2017. She completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of California in San Diego, CA and her medical school at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Saroca’s residency training was completed at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA. She is triple board certified in Pediatrics, Adult Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Jenifer Walkowiak, PhD
Dr. Walkowiak joined our practice in May 2023. She completed her graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin and her predoctoral internship at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Walkowiak’s postdoctoral residency in pediatric neuropsychology was completed at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC. Prior to WPPS, she worked at the Center for Children with Special Needs (CCSN) at Tufts Children’s Hospital, where she completed evaluations on a wide range of children with complex neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders and supervised predoctoral and developmental-behavioral pediatric trainees with an Assistant Professor faculty appointment in both Pediatrics and Psychiatry. She currently serves on the Professional Affairs Committee of the Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society. Dr. Walkowiak has particular interests in social competency disorders and executive functioning and has presented and published in both areas. She currently sees Woburn and North Andover Pediatrics patients who require consultation about their neurodevelopmental, neuropsychological evaluation, and school-based needs.
Christine Bourgeois, CPNP, PMHNP
Christine Bourgeois, CPNP, PMHNP, earned her MSN from Regis College in 2001 and completed a post-master’s certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing in 2012. She has extensive experience in primary care with older adolescents and transitioned to psychiatry, where she has provided care to adults, children, and adolescents since 2012. Her psychiatric experience spans inpatient, residential, PHP, and outpatient settings. Christine has also served as adjunct faculty at Regis College and precepted numerous NP students. Currently, she is a member of the NP credentialing committee for the Pediatric Physicians’ Organization at Children’s (PPOC).
Sophia Walsh, PMHNP-BC
Sophia Walsh, PMHNP joined our practice in October 2022. She completed her master’s in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing at the Yale School of Nursing and her undergraduate degree at The George Washington University. Sophia completed her clinical training at the Yale Child Study Center in outpatient child-adolescent psychiatry and the IICAPS program for intensive in-home individual and family therapy.
Dawn Alexander, LICSW
Dawn Alexander joined our practice in April 2024. She completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, and her master’s degree in social work at Salem State University in Salem, MA. She has worked with children, youth, and their families in outpatient, residential, and protective settings.