Claire M. Aarnio-Peterson, PhD
- Pediatric Psychologist, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology
- Pediatric Psychologist, Eating Disorder Program
- Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
About
Biography
I am an assistant professor in Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at Cincinnati Children's within the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics. Currently, I am a clinical psychologist within the multi-disciplinary eating disorders team. I specialize in the assessment and evidence-based treatment of eating disorders, including family-based therapy (FBT) for anorexia nervosa. I am also trained in DBT and have recently piloted a DBT skills group. My research interests include personality traits, self-harm, and eating disorders, the treatment of eating disorders within the context of chronic illness (e.g., type 1 diabetes), eating disorders within the transgender population, and evaluating treatment interventions to improve outcomes in adolescents with eating disorders.
BA: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 2005.
MA: University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 2007.
PhD: University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 2014.
Internship: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 2014.
Fellowship: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 2015.
Interests
Pediatric eating disorders; dialectical behavioral therapy; LGBTQ population
Services and Specialties
Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Behavioral Medicine
Research Areas
Behavioral Medicine
Locations (2)
Insurance Information
Cincinnati Children's strives to accept a wide variety of health plans. Please contact your health insurance carrier to verify coverage for your specific benefit plan.
Publications
Mealtime challenges from the perspectives of adolescents with anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia nervosa and their caregivers enrolled in family-based treatment. Eating Behaviors. 2025; 56:101947.
Response to a letter to the editor about eating disorder (ED) symptoms among transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth seeking gender-affirming care. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2025; 30:189-194.
Emotion coaching skills as an augmentation to family-based therapy for adolescents with anorexia nervosa: A pilot effectiveness study with families with high expressed emotion. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 2024; 57:682-694.
Eating disorder symptoms among transgender and gender diverse youth. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2024; 29:30-44.
Caregiver and adolescent intuitive eating behavior: associations with weight change during family-based treatment for anorexia nervosa. Eating and Weight Disorders: studies on anorexia, bulimia and obesity. 2023; 28:32.
Predictors of caregiver burden before starting family-based treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa and associations with weight gain during treatment. Eating and Weight Disorders: studies on anorexia, bulimia and obesity. 2023; 28:21.
Advancing the Assessment and Treatment of Comorbid Pediatric Chronic Functional Abdominal Pain (CFAP) and Restrictive Eating Disorders. Children. 2023; 10:1539.
Augmenting family based treatment with emotion coaching for adolescents with anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia nervosa: Trial design and methodological report. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. 2023; 33:101118.
Higher admission and rapid readmission rates among medically hospitalized youth with anorexia nervosa/atypical anorexia nervosa during COVID-19. Eating Behaviors. 2021; 43:101573.
Modifiable factors associated with mental health symptoms in siblings of adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Eating and Weight Disorders: studies on anorexia, bulimia and obesity. 2021; 26:1757-1765.
From the Blog
Transgender Youth and Suicide: A Call for Education and Understanding
9/16/2016
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