Dr. Kayleigh Hale

Hi there, I’m Dr. Hale :)

I appreciate the value and sensitivity of assessment and write clear, helpful, and detailed reports, which are completed within one to two weeks of testing. I also provide data-driven recommendations including high-quality educational resources, evidence-based interventions, and the documentation needed to gain access to school and work accommodations. I am passionate about fostering my clients’ sense of community and deepening understanding from their family, educators, and healthcare professionals. I have also worked with clients across the lifespan, with civilians and veterans, and with individuals from diverse multicultural backgrounds.

I care deeply about providing the highest quality of service to my clients. After an in-depth meeting to discuss the results and recommendations from an assessment, I am happy to continue to be of assistance and advocate for my clients and welcome former clients to reach out for guidance and support.

psychotherapy

In therapy, I support my clients in processing through their pain rather than feeling alone and stuck, and believe that by engaging in a collaborative therapeutic relationship clients can heal core wounds, find hope, and thrive. I am deeply passionate about providing compassionate care to women struggling with perinatal mental health and the difficulties that reproductive challenges, pregnancy, and the postpartum period can bring, including postpartum depression, anxiety, stress, adjustment to life transitions, or related perinatal mood disorders. I also work with women facing reproductive challenges including infertility and pregnancy loss, as well as individuals with anxiety, depression, and high levels of life stress. Many of the individuals I work with therapeutically have complex, chronic health conditions. If you have been feeling this way, please know you are not alone.

education and training

I received a bachelor of science in human development and aging from the University of Southern California, and doctor of psychology in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. I completed extensive training in clinical neuropsychology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of Southern California Medical Center Department of Neurology, and the Washington DC and Long Beach Veterans Administration Medical Center and Health Care Systems. In addition, I have worked and provided supervision and consultation services to graduate level students and licensed psychologists at the Washington DC VA Hospital, Inova Health System, and in private practice.

clinical research and teaching

I am passionate about education and have been a guest lecturer at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine and have presented at the Inova Health System’s Annual Rehabilitation Conference. I have also co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles and presented research at multiple American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology conferences, Yale Day of Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting, Los Angeles County Psychological Association conference, and National VA Research Week. I understand the importance of collaborating with schools and have presented to faculty at Episcopal High School, to parents and students at a number of elementary schools in Los Angeles, and at Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology.

Philosophy

I am passionate about providing high-quality, evidence-based psychotherapy during which I assist each patient in the process of reaching their fullest potential while fostering self-acceptance, confidence, and overall wellbeing. My therapeutic approach is grounded in high-quality mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapies, with an emphasis on creating a safe and nurturing environment conducive to emotional healing.

My approach to neuropsychological assessment is strengths-based, and enables my patients to develop an in-depth understanding of how their thinking abilities, emotions, and behaviors impact daily functioning. Whether through psychotherapy or assessment, I am dedicated to helping patients gain a renewed sense of strength, peace, and wellbeing.

Specialty Areas

Neuropsychological evaluations

I provide strengths-based neuropsychological evaluations to enable my clients to develop an in-depth understanding of how their thinking abilities, emotions, and behaviors impact daily functioning, to promote healthy insight, growth, and positive outcomes.

ADHD assessments

I am specialized in ADHD assessment in children, teens, and adults, and the ways in which attention, executive functioning, and hyperactivity/impulsivity can be well-understood and best managed. Being able to accurately identify symptoms of underlying ADHD — many of which often present as anxiety, depression, or behavioral problems — can make a world of difference in gaining an accurate understanding of what my clients are experiencing and how to best approach these symptoms. In addition, I am an ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP).

autism assessments in children and teens

I deeply value providing comprehensive, neurodiversity-affirming care, and believe that receiving an accurate diagnosis that is conveyed in an affirming, understanding, and empowering manner, is a positive and life changing experience. This is especially true for my approach to autism assessment in children and teens. In addition, I am an Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist (ASDCS) and provide consultation to licensed and graduate level clinicians on autism assessment.

Adult autism assessments

I provide high quality, specialized autism evaluations in adults. It can be challenging to find providers who are able to provide such assessments, so I am grateful for the opportunity to provide them. I have unique expertise in understanding the ways autism and other forms of neurodiversity often present differently, particularly in women, gender diverse individuals, and those with intellectual giftedness.

perinatal mental health, postpartum depression, perinatal depression, anxiety, stress, adjustment

I am passionate about working with women struggling with perinatal mood disorders including depression, mood, anxiety, adjustment, and concerns related to life transitions. I provide compassionate care to women as they navigate mental health risks and challenges during pregnancy and postpartum, and reproductive challenges including infertility and pregnancy loss.

anxiety, depression, life adjustment and transitions

Using high quality evidence-based treatments, I work with adults struggling to navigate anxiety, depression, life stressors, and times of transition, looking to discover their identities, a sense of meaning and purpose, and unique sources of strength and potential. I also work with many individuals who are overwhelmed with the stressors that life can naturally bring as it relates to chronic health, disability, work, family and relationships, self-esteem, identity, and overall well being and adjustment.

Certifications

• ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP)

• Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist (ASDCS)

Additional Areas of Expertise

Adjustment to Disability
Adjusting to Life Transitions
Adult Autism Evaluations
ADHD
Anxiety
Autism Spectrum Disorder in Women
Bipolar
Chronic pain
Depression
Discovering Your Identity
Existential Depression
Finding Meaning and Purpose
Finding Passion and Creativity Again
Generalized Anxiety
General Stress of Being Human
Grief and Loss
Identity
Infertility
Life Stress
Life Transitions
Living with a Chronic Illness
Low Self Esteem
Maternal Depression
Maternal Anxiety
Mid-Life Crisis
Mood disorders
Perfectionism
Persistent Depressive Disorder
Personal Growth
Seasonal Affective Disorders
Self-Care
Self-Criticism
Self-Esteem
Sensitivity
Social Anxiety
Stress Management
Neuropsychological evaluation
Psychodiagnostic evaluations
Personality assessment

more ABOUT ME

Why I became a psychologist

I think this path was chosen for me and continues to unfold. I feel part of something bigger, and that my role in it is to be a source of kindness, unconditional love, compassion, and inclusivity. I have also always been drawn to science and understanding the mind, and so becoming a psychologist was a way in which to combine my interests in both the mind and the heart.

What I do for fun

Since early childhood, I’ve lived in many places including different countries and states. While I often found moving difficult in my youth, I’ve since learned to embrace change and also engage with my community to feel present. I love meeting local artists, musicians, chefs, and authors, as well as traveling and having new experiences.

favorite QUOTES

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