We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stephanie Fox. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stephanie below.

Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I had worked in some positions where I’ve been asked to conduct evaluations in a way that did not feel clinically or ethically appropriate. I moved away from those spaces pretty quickly, as I am driven by integrity more than anything. Psychological testing is a special and powerful tool that we can use to answer difficult questions, and should not be used in ways motivated primarily by commercial gain. While all psychologists should act in an ethical manner and strive to provide high-quality services to our clients, this is not the case for every clinician and every practice. One of the main reasons I started my own practice was to provide testing in a way that met my own high standards for work quality, clinical care, and professionalism. I lead with these qualities and purposefully devote substantial time to each evaluation I take on because I do not agree with seeing clients as “time slots.” Instead, I put clients first in conjunction with following appropriate ethical and clinical standards.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I provide educational and psychological assessments, meaning I use tests and interviews to discover underlying conditions and give recommendations on how to support challenges. I see kids as young as 6 all the way through adults. Most of the time, folks are coming to me because they or their child is struggling in school or a particular subject (like reading), and I can help figure out what is going on. Outside of academic concerns, I offer testing when someone is experiencing a large number of emotional challenges or concerning behaviors, and we need to clarify the diagnosis and treatment. I also see adults for autism evaluations, as well as adult-specific ADHD evaluations. There are many things I love about this work, but the most fulfilling is the validation I’m able to offer my clients. They are seen, they are heard, they are valued. I truly give the most time and attention I can to each client, taking great care to understand their stories and connect them to the right resources. I provide robust reports with a large amount of recommendations because I want the process to feel as useful as possible. I spend ample time reviewing results and making myself available for future needs. My clients are not just one of dozens I see each week. They are each treated with care and compassion, as I recognize testing sounds and feels like a scary or uncomfortable process for many.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Writing! To be an evaluator, you need to both love writing and be good at it. This is arguably the hardest part of learning how to be an assessor. We’re translating complicated ideas into reports that will be read by a wide audience, from other mental health professionals to average readers with differing backgrounds. We’re sharing factual information, but also telling a story. All assessors are heavily influenced by the supervisors and models we’ve encountered, but we also get to decide how we want to create our reports to match our preferred styles and ease of use for our clients. Writing can be taught, but a natural writer is best suited for this role.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have been in practice for 7 years, during which time I took two maternity leaves and dealt with the COVID pandemic. Each of these situations put a long pause on my practice that required immense effort to restart, adapt, and plan. On my second maternity leave, I had developed preeclampsia and needed to deliver my son earlier than I expected. I had to scramble to reschedule and ask for help from other clinicians, who were so kind and gracious to step up and support me. My clients were also wonderfully understanding. My son was born at 34 weeks and spent 3 weeks in the NICU, which was devastating, hard, and exhausting. I was fortunate to have a supportive family, and we took each day as they came. Now, both of my sons are healthy and thriving, and I am so grateful that they get to see a strong, capable mom following her dreams!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fourcorners-ps.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drfoxfourcornersps/

Image Credits

Cherie Sutton