By Suzy Wiesenhart
When Andrea Thatcher was a little girl growing up in Riverview, she dreamed of being a teacher. In her adolescent years, she realized she still had a desire to work with children/adolescents and found her passion in her first psychology class in high school.
While attending UCF, she pursued a Bachelor’s of Science in psychology and knew then that she wanted to open her own private practice. Working on her dream, she embarked on a journey for a doctorate of psychology. After completing the challenging requirements of graduate school, she said, “I am here to say dreams do come true. My experience is one that I would never take back and when asked by others if it was worth it, I would say, ‘Yes follow your dreams and passions in life.’”
She is now a Licensed Psychologist holding a Psy.D. from the Florida School of Professional Psychology, Argosy University, Tampa, specializing in Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology with an interest in eating disorders. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at BRAINS-Helen Devos Children’s Hospital in Michigan and post-doctoral fellowship at the Eating Disorders Recovery Center of Athens, Georgia. Thatcher gained clinical experience at: USF Hope House for Eating Disorders; Manatee Glens Hospital-Child Day Treatment Program; USF, Rothman Center of Neuropsychiatry- Department of Pediatrics, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Clinic and Hillsborough County Children’s Services.
Thatcher stated, “When you believe in your dreams and put forth hard work, things happen. I am thrilled to be back in the community I grew up in and open my private practice, Positive Transformations PA, here in Riverview. I am so excited and grateful to have the opportunity to meet the needs of the community.”
Thatcher provides counseling services to children, adolescents, adults and families and also works with individuals who have eating disorders, desiring to give hope and encouragement to “Spread Your Wings and Fly.” She insists everyone has unique gifts and talents when given their full potential and we all go through life’s many challenges and stressors. She is very excited to meet your needs. For more information, please call 677-6444. She is located at 10021 Water Works Ln. in Riverview. You can visit www.thatcherpsych.com or e-mail her at
andrea@thatcherpsych.com.
