TTP #92: Dr. Julie Cradock O’Leary – Assessing Shame

Dr. Jeremy Sharp Podcast 1 Comment

Would you rather read the transcript? Click here.

Have you ever formally assessed shame? Me neither. My guest today, Dr. Julie Cradock O’Leary, has made a career of research and practice all around shame. She is the co-author of the Thurston Cradock Test of Shame, a projective measure aimed at assessing shame in individuals of all ages. Julie talks with me today all about shame: what it is, why it’s important, how it might show up in our assessments, and of course, how her test may help in that process. This interview really opened my eyes to some of the underlying emotions and processes that we might miss in a more “data-driven” assessment. Enjoy!

Cool Things Mentioned


The Testing Psychologist podcast is now approved for CEU’s!

I’m excited to announce that I’ve partnered with At Health to offer CE credits for podcast episodes! Visit this link to access current and past episodes available for CE credit. You can use code “TTP10” for a discount on ALL the course credits you purchase from At Health!

About Dr. Julie Cradock O’Leary

Julie Cradock O’Leary, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Anchorage, Alaska.  She provides therapy and psychological assessments to children, adolescents and adults.  She has a psychodynamic approach, influenced by self psychology. 

Julie is co-author of the Thurston Cradock Test of Shame (TCTS), which was published by Western Psychological Services in 2009.  Julie loves doing nearly all things shame and TCTS-related. She is passionate about helping people better understand shame dynamics and take steps to be kinder to themselves and others. She has presented on the TCTS at a variety of state, regional, national and international conferences for organizations such as the Society for Personality Assessment, American Psychological Association, Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment Institute and International Play Therapy Association.  Julie also presents on shame in clinical and academic settings, on topics such as the shame’s relationship to depression, severe mental illness, chronic medical illness, and other topics.  She conducts workshops on TCTS administration, scoring and interpretation, and provides in-person and tele-consultation to professionals using the TCTS.  Julie enjoys conducting research on the TCTS, especially with graduate students.

Julie is a member of the American Psychological Association, International Society for the Rorschach and Projective Methods, Society for Personality Assessment, and Therapeutic Assessment Institute. She is a reviewer for several journals, including the Journal of Personality Assessment and Rorschachiana.

About Dr. Jeremy Sharp

I’m a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that I founded in 2009 and grew to include nine licensed clinicians, three clinicians in training, and a full administrative staff. I earned my undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting my Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, I specialize in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents.

As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, I provide private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife (also a therapist) and two young kids.

Ready to grow your testing services? Click below to schedule a complimentary 30-minute pre-consulting call!

Schedule Your Call


Comments 1

  1. IT would be great to have an online version of the Thurston-Cardock test of Shame (TCTS). I would send my clients to purchase it as part of an intake. Any such thing in the works?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.