Education

Medical Education
East Carolina University, PhD, 2010

Residencies
Concord Hospital/Dartmouth Family Practice Residency Program, 2010

Specialties
Marriage and Family Therapist
Medical Family Therapy

Board Certifications
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, 2010

Background

Dr. Kenneth W. Phelps is Professor of Clinical Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science and Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Neurology at the University of South Carolina Kay and C. Edward Floyd, M.D., School of Medicine. A native of North Carolina, he completed doctoral training in Medical Family Therapy at East Carolina University, where he also earned licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). During graduate training, he was among the earliest researchers to publish on the simultaneous experiences of stress and enrichment among parents and caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of family resilience and adaptation.

Dr. Phelps completed advanced behavioral health training at the NH Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency and, following graduation in 2010, pursued specialized training in the assessment and treatment of Tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which became central areas of his clinical and academic focus.

Since joining the Floyd School of Medicine and Prisma Health, Dr. Phelps has specialized in the treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults with OCD, tic disorders, anxiety disorders, and related neurodevelopmental conditions. His clinical interests include complex and atypical presentations of OCD, the intersection of anxiety and tic disorders, family accommodation, and evidence-based behavioral interventions, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and family-based treatment approaches.

Dr. Phelps serves as Director of the Outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic and contributes extensively to medical education across psychiatry residency and fellowship programs. He supervises psychiatry residents with an emphasis on psychotherapy integration, developmental psychopathology, and family systems approaches in psychiatric care.

Nationally, Dr. Phelps serves on the Medical Advisory Board of the Tourette Association of America and as a clinical supervisor within its Behavioral Therapy Institute, where he helps train providers in evidence-based behavioral treatments for tic disorders. He also serves on the board of OCD South Carolina. Through these roles, he remains active in advocacy, professional education, and dissemination of best practices.

Dr. Phelps has lectured regionally and nationally on child and adolescent mental health, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, family systems interventions, and behavioral therapies for neurodevelopmental conditions. His scholarly and educational work reflects a longstanding commitment to expanding access to evidence-based care and supporting families and clinicians navigating complex psychiatric conditions.