About Dr. Lauren Gentry
(Since the APACenter has closed, I can now be reached at dr.laurenbgentry@gmail.com).
Hello! I am Dr. Lauren Gentry. I am both a Licensed Psychologist and a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology. I earned my Master’s Degree from Columbia University and my Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin. I subsequently completed an internship at Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, CA, with a focus on community mental health services, including both center- and school-based intervention for youth (e.g., individual, group, and family therapy, as well as psychoeducational and social-emotional assessment). I completed my post-doctoral training in an Austin-area school district. Additional experience within the schools and community mental health settings has allowed me to continually appreciate the value of collaborating with the various systems (e.g., school, family) impacting the lives of youth, as well as making interventions relevant and applicable to them in the “real world.”
Assessment Approach
My goal is to provide you with an assessment experience that will best meet your needs, answer your questions, and address your concerns. My approach to the assessment process is collaborative in nature. In addition to seeking out information and feedback from the youth with whom I work, I also view parents as indispensible contributors to the process, for parents are the experts on their children. Furthermore, I feel that it is important to gather information about clients across contexts, for example, in the home, at school, and within the community, as different settings can reveal different information.
In addition to viewing psychological assessment as a structured medium for obtaining information about one’s intellectual, academic, and personality profiles, which can then serve such purposes as diagnostic clarification, treatment planning, or obtaining school-based support services, I also believe that a psychological evaluation can function as a psychotherapeutic intervention. We humans seem to have an innate desire to know and understand ourselves (and our loved ones), and psychological assessment can be a powerful way in which we can come to learn more about our strengths, challenges, and areas of growth. I will always do my best to explain evaluation results in a way that is comprehensible and applicable to you. In addition, I will give you time to articulate any lingering questions you may have about your assessment experience.
Areas of Assessment Specialization
- Eligibility for special education/Section 504 services and accommodations
- Learning disabilities, including dyslexia
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Mood, interpersonal, and/or behavioral difficulties
- In depth social-emotional testing, including the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS)
Degrees / Licenses
- B.A. – 2001, Barnard College, Columbia University
- M.A. – 2002, Teachers College, Columbia University
- Ph.D. – 2010 The University of Texas at Austin
- Licensed Psychologist, Texas #35183
- Licensed Specialist in School Psychology, Texas #70014