Cheryl Godley, Ph.D.

Dr. Cheryl Godley earned a doctorate in Psychology from an APA accredited program at Colorado State University.  She holds Master’s degrees in Psychology from CSU and in Music Therapy from the University of Miami, Florida. She completed an APA accredited pre-doctoral internship at the University Counseling Center at CSU and her post-doctoral internship at Crest View Hospital, a private psychiatric hospital in Casper, Wyoming.  She has been in private practice since establishing Windy Ridge Psychological Services in 1996.

Dr. Godley began losing her vision when she was 17 years old. Through overcoming her own life challenges with diminished vision, she believes individuals may overcome their life challenges through self-empowerment and how they choose to live life. Dr. Godley is dedicated to advocating for individuals with all types of disabilities including mental illness. She is the Chairperson for the Wyoming Statewide Independent Living Council, a Governor appointed position. She participated in an International Psychology project between People to People and the American Psychological Association in Cambodia and Vietnam.  She collaborated with her Guide Dog Mobility Instructor to write the paper, Assisting Handlers Following Attacks on Dog Guides:  Implications for Dog Guide Teams.  This paper was published in 2011 in the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness and was presented in New Zealand at the International Mobility Conference and in Paris, France at the International Guide Dog Federation.  The protocol established in this paper is now being used internationally by staff at guide dog schools and by guide dog users to move through the effects of attacks by dogs on guide dogs.  This paper was written after Dr. Godley’s own Guide Dog, Diaz, was attacked. Dr. Godley continues to give presentations locally and nationwide on a variety of topics including, but not limited to, dealing with issues related to vision loss and disability.