About Dr. Lord

I am a north county San Diego-based clinical and assessment psychologist. I have worked in many settings within southern California over the past 14+ years. I specialize in complex psychological needs, including assessment, and diagnostic testing.  

My clinical work focuses on providing the highest quality of care. Each person or client presents with their own unique perspective, and my job is to explore that perspective. While psychological assessments can find a diagnosis, people are more than a label. An evaluation should be comprehensive and provide a deeper understanding of each person. This often includes strengths, challenges, cultural perspectives, developmental needs, historical stress, and current situations. I am dedicated to using evidence-based  approaches to help build an understanding of your needs and to find personalized recommendations that guide support.

A good evaluation should be simple, easy to understand, and incorporate many areas of needs and strengths; A great evaluation should be easy enough for anyone to understand.

My goal is to give individuals the “big picture” and, most importantly, what to do next. 

Areas of Specialty

• Children, teens, and adults (6yo+)

• Autism

• ADHD

• Complex trauma and stress

• Early psychosis/psychosis

• Bipolar disorder

• Complex symptom presentations

My Training

I received my undergraduate degree in psychology from Cornell University, and worked in clinical research for 3 years, before graduate school. I then earned my doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Palo Alto University (previously Pacific Graduate School of Psychology) in Palo Alto, CA. My graduate training was with children and adults in outpatient, County mental health, hospital, correctional, inpatient and research. I completed formal postdoctoral assessment training with a San Diego based residential program, which was geared toward children and families with severe and significant needs.

Over the past 10 years I continued to work in community-based settings, partial hospital and intensive outpatient programs, teaching, and conducting assessments.  As a supervisor I helped build, manage, and direct training programs for future psychologists at all levels of development, with a focus on assessment.