Dr. Jean Ward

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

About Jean Ward, Ph.D.

Identified in Washingtonian Magazine as one of the best therapists in the DC metropolitan area, I am a licensed clinical psychologist with more than thirty years of postdoctoral experience. I am particularly interested in working with adolescents and adults who are managing school, work and life transitions.

I see adolescents and adults for diagnosis and treatment of anxiety, depression, adjustment disorders, binge-eating disorders and mood disorders. I support clients who are struggling with loss, grief, and bereavement, and clients who are managing life changes from major disruptions.

The PSYPACT Commission, the governing body of Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), has granted me the authority to practice telepsychology and temporary in-person practice of psychology across state boundaries. Clients must live in states that participate in PSYPACT.

Areas of Expertise

The following disruptions at school, work and home that pose barriers to mental health, learning, achievement at school and/or work, and social development are of special interest:

• Adult and college student transitions in work environments and interpersonal relationships, and changes in expectations, friendships and connections with others
• Student transitions from middle school to high school, from high school to college, and from college to graduate school, and accompanying changes in social relationships and academic expectations
• Binge-eating disorder and body image concerns
• Obesity
• Grief, loss and bereavement
• Mental illness in the family, and loss associated with health problems
• Attention-deficit disorder

Nearly eight hundred therapists identified specialists to whom they would send a family member in the most recent Washingtonian magazine ranking of therapists (The Best of Issue in July, 2009). My peers recognized me as the one clinical psychologist practicing in northern Virginia whose services they would seek for a relative with an eating disorder. I am honored to be the only psychologist practicing in northern Virginia to be included in this category. I was also selected from a nation-wide pool of candidates to be one of four health care practitioners who provided information on career opportunities at the Duke University Career Conference attended by more than 1,000 students.

My educational background

Ph.D., 1982, Clinical Psychology, Vanderbilt University
M.A., 1980, Clinical Psychology, Vanderbilt University
B.A., 1978, Duke University, Magna Cum Laude with Distinction in Psychology
View Résumé/CV

What is a Clinical Psychologist?

A clinical psychologist has a doctoral degree (Ph.D.), has completed a doctoral dissertation, and has extensive clinical training. Clinical experience is based on supervised pre-doctoral practicum placements over a period of at least four years, a postdoctoral internship year, and residency year. A clinical psychologist is trained in assessment, diagnosis, treatment, behavior change, statistics, and research methods. Clinical psychologists differ from psychiatrists, licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), and licensed professional counselors (LPC) in that they have a doctoral degree with a clinical and scientific orientation, and are trained to use psychological testing to assess intelligence, learning, attention, personality, emotional functioning, and educational functioning. Clinical psychologists are also taught to examine and continually evaluate current treatment techniques, and to help clients understand their behaviors, feelings and thoughts.

I provide assessment services; a variety of cognitive, behavioral and insight-oriented techniques; and support to individuals, parent-teen pairs, and adult pairs. My approach using positive psychology enables clients to use unique talents, abilities, etc. The general goals of this assessment, treatment and support model include problem solving; enhancing self-esteem, competence, and interpersonal connections; and gaining a greater sense of self determination. My interest in life transitions during adolescence, college and adulthood evolved from working with hundreds of clients over the years, and identifying the best paths to pursue when making school, job, career, family, retirement, and interpersonal decisions.

Professional Affiliations

Member of the American Psychological Association, Northern Virginia Academy of Clinical Psychologists, Virginia Academy of Clinical Psychologists, Virginia Psychological Association, and National Register of Health Service Providers.

Top Therapists
As Chosen by Their Peers
Washingtonian Magazine