Who We Are
Our Pain Psychologists are licensed clinical psychologists who have specialized training and experience in working with individuals who have chronic pain. Their focus is on helping our patients develop self-management skills for living more meaningfully with chronic pain.
Sarah Buday, PhD
Dr. Buday attended Washington University as an undergraduate and received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. She completed her APA-accredited predoctoral internship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, training primarily at the Oklahoma City VA and OU Children’s Hospital. She completed her APA-accredited fellowship at the St. Louis VA 
Medical Center in Primary Care Mental Health Integration. In addition to chronic pain, Dr. Buday provides evidence-based interventions for depression, anxiety, adjustment to chronic illness, health behavior change, stress management, and other areas of concern. She utilizes Cognitve-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), mindfulness, clinical hypnosis, and supportive approaches. Dr. Buday is an LGBTQ-affirming provider.
Dr. Buday’s office is located within the Washington University Pain Management Center in the Center for Advanced Medicine in the Central West End.
Center for Advanced Medicine (CAM)
4921 Parkview Place
14th floor, Suite B
St. Louis, MO 63110
To make an appointment, call 314-747-0202. Generally, you do not need a referral to schedule an appointment with Dr. Buday.
Stephen Ristvedt, PhD
Dr. Ristvedt received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He then completed a two-year fellowship in Health Psychology at the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics, where he was first trained in chronic 
pain management. Since that time, he has worked alongside a variety of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals in the care of patients with chronic pain and other chronic illnesses. His primary approaches to treatment are Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and supportive psychotherapy, which he also uses to help people learn to manage problems with depression and anxiety.
Dr. Ristvedt’s primary office is located within the Missouri Baptist Medical Center.
Missouri Baptist Medical Center (MBMC)
3015 North Ballas Road
Hospital Main Entrance – 1st Floor
St. Louis, MO 63131
MBMC Map (PDF)
Barnes-Jewish West County (BJWC)
1044 N. Mason Road, Suite L30
Medical Office Building 4
Creve Coeur, MO 63141
To make an appointment with Dr. Ristvedt at MBMC or BJWC, call 314-747-0202.