College Counseling and Transition

I use my training as a licensed clinical psychologist to assist you and your family in the college admission process. My extensive background in assessment and counseling with teenagers and families enables me to establish rapport quickly, develop a profile of your core strengths, and help you to translate who you are onto a college application. This puts you in control in determining your best college matches.

In addition to assisting you in the college application process, I can also provide support in maintaining your physical and mental health and well-being during the college admissions process and your college years. My goal is to help you find the optimum college setting where you will be happy and thrive.

College Counseling

I can help you to:

  • Assess your strengths, personality and interests using some tools that are available only to clinical psychologists.
  • Determine your core strengths and examples of how they stand out.
  • Identify specific academic programs and campus settings that meet your needs and help you to build on your core strengths.
  • Convey an understanding of your strengths and experiences in your personal statements and essays.
  • Present your academic and extracurricular activities in the most positive way.
  • Enhance your application by capitalizing on your core strengths and helping you shine.
  • Prepare for on-campus and alumni interviews.

College Transition Process

The self care program can help you be successful in the following areas:

  • Eating habits and nutrition
  • Exercise
  • Sleep hygiene
  • Stress management
  • Study skills
  • Problem solving
  • Independence
  • Relating to others

Why is the self care program important in making the college transition?

As a clinical psychologist, I am trained to work in a collaborative and supportive manner with students, and to help students understand their behaviors, feelings and thoughts. I am an expert in the treatment of eating disorders, depression, adjustment disorders, anxiety, concerns about relationships, and motivational issues. Stress is an unavoidable factor in the college admissions process and in high school and college life. Strategies of self care are critical to your success in college. Insight from our work will also help you to understand and get along with your roommate(s), friends, and teachers.

What assessment tools do you use?

I typically meet with the student and parents and conduct an in-depth interview in order to learn more about your educational background, and to gage what your needs are with regard to the college admission and transition process. I have developed a spreadsheet that lists every college and university in the U.S. and common facts such as admissions selectivity, academic climate, social life, quality of life, freshmen retention rates, and "best values," as well as less known facts such as the amount of sunshine in the college town or city where the college or university is located, and the numeric advantage of Early Decision applications. Once we have identified a group of colleges that are good matches for you, this personalized spreadsheet enables you to compare one college with another, and determine the best strategies to use in the college admission process, such as whether or not to apply early decision.

In order to get a better understanding of the kind of college or university that will appeal to you, I give the NEO Personality Inventory, a personality inventory that provides information on several personality factors such as extraversion and degree of openness to new experiences. Depending on your particular needs, I may also give you other personality inventories used only by clinical psychologists.

How do I fill out the Signature Strengths Assessment online?

You can learn about your particular strengths by going online and taking the Signature Strengths inventory by following the directions below.

http://www.authentichappiness.org

  • Go to Questionnaires
  • Go to VIA signature Strengths Questionnaire
  • You must register by logging in and identifying a password

How much time have you actually spent with teenagers and college students?

My experience working with teenagers and college students spans a thirty year period from the time when I first began seeing students at the Vanderbilt University Counseling Center. After I completed my Ph.D. at Vanderbilt (1982), I worked as a staff psychologist in Youth and Family services at Northwest Center and then became the director of the Adolescent Day Treatment Program. My position as Program Director enabled me to connect with educators and guidance counselors throughout the county, and gain in-depth knowledge of the educational resources in Fairfax County.

What types of students do you see?

I have worked with hundreds of teenagers and college students since I opened my private practice in 1985. I have worked with students enrolled in Fairfax County high schools and surrounding county schools, private schools, boarding schools, two-year and four-year colleges, vocational/career colleges and military colleges. I have also worked with students who are enrolled in distance learning programs and home school education, and students taking a GAP year.

College graduates who are looking for guidance in making job and career decisions or the transition to graduate school also benefit from my guidance. The core strengths assessment is helpful in practicing for job interviews and identifying work or graduate school environments that build on core strengths.

I see students with differing strengths and abilities. While many of my clients are good or excellent students, I also enjoy helping students who have veered off track, and are uncertain of the best path to pursue. Having lived in Fairfax County for 30 years, and having brought up a daughter and two sons here, I know what it is like for you and your family to deal with the stress of going to school in this highly competitive area, choosing a college, and make the transition to college.

What are the advantages of working with a Ph.D. clinical psychologist in the admissions process?

As a clinical psychologist with a doctoral degree (Ph.D.), I completed a dissertation and extensive clinical training. After graduating from Duke University, I spent four years in graduate school at Vanderbilt University, completed a year long internship at Vanderbilt University and the Veterans Administration Medical Centers, and one year of residency. I am trained in assessment, diagnosis, treatment, behavior change, statistics and research methods. This scientific orientation is critical in analyzing admissions trends, and honing in on the schools you research and the campuses you tour. A clinical psychologist is trained to be an astute observer, an important skill when evaluating qualitative factors such as student life on campus, and the general environment. It is important to identify conditions in a particular college or University setting that support your strengths, and offer you the best opportunities.

Clinical psychologists are trained to work in a collaborative way and to provide a supportive environment where you can talk freely. College is an important stepping stone, an opportunity for growth and many gratifying experiences. The "positive psychology" model, when applied to the admission and transition process, is focused on identifying the college setting that will contribute to your emotional, cognitive and physical well being. Rewards from friendships, relationships, social networks, work, leisure activities, and recreation are all important elements in making the transition to college seamless.