ABOUT DR. MAYBOUER

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There are no cookie-cutter evaluations with Dr. Maybouer. The assessment battery is uniquely tailored to your concerns and needs -- I select the most appropriate tests for the specific questions you have. I do all my own testing, scoring, and report-writing. I don't work with technicians or interns  -- I work directly one-on-one with you, your child, and school staff to complete all aspects of the evaluation personally. 

(And a huge dog lover ❤️)

I’m not going to sales pitch unnecessary testing  that you don’t need. I’m a business, yes, but I am not out to make a quick buck off a couple extra IQ subtests. I’m in the wrong field if that’s what I wanted!  I do what I love because I have great confidence in my skill set and know my analytical skills are useful and truly help people. But, I also know I don’t know it all. If I don’t know the answer, I’m not afraid to say so or to be wrong.  I try to communicate to parents that we are studying  children’s developmental issues, which by definition, means they will continue to develop, grow, and change. The clinical picture I see of them at age six will not be the same we see of them at age 16.  More times than not, testing ultimately involves a diagnosis. Because a diagnosis can be a big deal -- especially on little ones --   we don’t “go there” unless we have complete, through, and valid evaluation data to support a clinical hypotheses. 

Unlike most doctoral-level licensed psychologists — who come out of clinical psychology training programs — I come out of the school psychology field, and in fact, I still maintain my school psych certification. A background working as a tried-and-true "veteran“ public school psychologist has provided me a much different philosophical approach to be a testing psychologist, in two major ways. 

First, the clinical psychology field focuses on individual pathology - the abnormality of personality, for instance, and how to fix it (e.g., therapy, medication).  In contrast, the school psychology field taught me to focus on finding strengths first - and then to build upon them - and to consider the person within the context of their environment (e.g., school). Problems are not necessarily seen as being borne of individual pathology, per se, but of differences in normal developmental processes.  

My reports are intense, time-consuming, and I do not take short-cuts on them. It will be 2-4 weeks before you'll receive the full written report. You verbally receive all the most pertinent  information in a live, one-to-one feedback session soon after testing, so there should be no new “surprise” information in the report.

You may choose to keep the report to yourself for your own reference, but most people find it acts as a map or ticket into other community services. It may be shared with your doctor about medication management, with your school to request special educational services, or with agencies like the EFMP office as a gateway to ABA services through your medical insurance. The written report will include relevant background information, details of the testing process,  a full accounting of all the scores, plus a useful interpretation of what it all means, via an outline for treatment or services. Given the weight of the implications it can have, you want this report to be accurate and useful, so I am known for exceptionally detailed and comprehensive reports that stand as an important reference point over time. 

As a former public school psychologist, I know firsthand the limitations and frustrations that can school systems can engender. However, I  endeavor to respect and work collaboratively with schools, not against them, and I will encourage you to do the same. Even if pursuing a second opinion or as part of an independent evaluation,  a report should not be brought into a school meeting as if it’s ammunition or with the understanding there are “sides” if you have a dispute with the  school. School districts are legally obligated to “hear out” a private report, but it has no legal obligation to agree with its findings, or especially, to implement its recommendations. 

Transitioning from being the school psychologist on one side of the table to a private practitioner now on the “other” side of the table, - the one providing outside reports - and having seen the conflicts that can arise, I am careful to not necessarily gear parents up for a unnecessary battle. For example, too many private practitioners write a recommendations section as a wish list, or at least with an unawareness of the legal parameters the schools must follow.  That sets up an unnecessary  power struggle between the parents and school, often with the parents insistent on some specific goal or recommendation that the school can’t possibly provide, and sore feelings on all sides ensue, most detrimentally to the child. Therefore, I stay abreast of my school psych training - changes in special education criteria for eligibility or services, for example - to  take  care that I  write reports that are accurate, innovative, yet functionally useful to school teams, so that the child can ultimately access services as seamlessly as possible, if eligible for them.

Same goes in family dynamics. I don’t do parenting or custody evaluations, and even with separated or divorced parents, both parents must give written consent for the assessment to occur and be respectful and supportive of its process, even if there is disagreement about its conclusion. I do not testify in court, ever. 

Dr. Maybouer’s practice runs almost entirely through a paperless, online client portal for nearly all messaging, communication, scheduling, and  billing. This requires referrals and clients to have regular access and comfort with text and/or email as a primary means of contact. Given my testing schedule and inconsistent privacy during current work-from-home COVID arrangements with her children, please know there is no phone support. At first by COVID lockdown necessity, this is now by choice.

Testing questions - either about the assessment process or one’s child’s school experience or the results -  are almost always highly personalized and time-consuming to adequately consider and respond to thoughtfully. There just aren’t quick, pat responses, and to be honest, it’s a misuse of resources to try and rush through “free consultations” in which we don’t have enough time to adequately discuss your question. 

You will almost always get an expedient response if you reach out via email or the client portal for a quick administrative question, or it’s very easy to self-schedule a Zoom meeting time to personally ask me any clinical questions as part of assessment process. 

I'm trained in many specialized tests (like the Midgas-2, a test for autism) that not all professionals are trained in. I have an extensive test library of the most up-to-date tests available, and I use the most current formats and updated technology .  This means I’ve embraced telehealth evaluation when it‘s clinically appropriate and validity is supported, but I’m also open-minded to otherwise non-traditional safe means to test, as we still have COVID-19 risks in the community, and are anticipated to for some time.  For instance, I created an open-air home office (our screened-in porch!) that is available in some cases, with my #fosterfail kitties supervising as needed (and child-approved - they‘ve proved to be quite popular!). I’m happy to talk about this and other safer and non-traditional options as our lives change and adapt from COVID-19 and other challenges.  

I hope to work with you and/or your family soon! Please feel free to reach out (email, of course!) if you have questions!