Dr. Carter's Approach

I believe in a collaborative approach that seeks to answer the questions you have about yourself or your family member. I place great importance on developing a strong working alliance with the client and involved family members, as well as using evidenced-based assessment techniques. My goal is to provide you with a useful evaluation that helps the family  better understand the social, emotional, cognitive, and/or academic functioning of the child or adolescent. Through the information gathered from the assessment I do my best to help you understand what some of the underlying causes of the client's difficulties may be. I focus on providing individually tailored recommendations based on what the latest scientific research demonstrates are effective for your child’s needs. I complete all aspects of the assessment process. I do not use a psychometrist or graduate student to complete any of the assessment. 

Children and Adolescents

Depending on the referral question, Dr. Carter can offer a variety of assessment options to fit your needs. As a parent, Dr. Carter understands the potential stress of seeking answers and importance of receiving quality information to help your child. Her experience in the school setting and teaching at the university level allows her to help parents explore their concerns while building on the child's strengths. As noted above Dr. Carter completes the entire evaluation. When possible she strives to go beyond the test scores and gather qualitative information from testing observations to examine the child's strategies especially related to academic performance. 

My evaluation process:

• I start with a free 15 minute phone consultation to determine together with you whether providing a psychological assessment of your child may be beneficial.
• If we move forward with the assessment, you and your child will meet with me at my office on the scheduled date.
• I will spend time with you learning more about your child’s history and gathering questions from you that you would like answers to based on the assessment.
•  I will then meet with your child to conduct an interview and formal testing. The total time commitment for testing ranges in length from 4 to 8 hours depending on the type of assessment.
• I will provide you with a 45 minute in-person feedback session to review the assessment findings, answer questions, and give you a printed copy of the report. This is typically done within two to three weeks of the initial assessment session.

college and work 

Dr. Carter offers assessments for adolescents and adults wanting to know more about their learning profile or seeking accommodations in the higher education or work settings. These sessions are generally shorter and less expensive than sessions with children.

adult and geriatric POPUlation

As someone who has experienced a family member with a dementia-related disorder, Dr. Carter strives to provide a comfortable and caring environment for adults experiencing life changes. She provides evaluations for individuals who have experienced cognitive decline or issues with memory.