Hope+Wellness

Dr. Kayleigh Hale

Director of Testing + Assessment
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Neuropsychologist

Hi there, I’m Dr. Hale :)

dr kayleigh hale 2.jpg

Kayleigh Hale, PsyD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Clinical Neuropsychologist
Director of Testing & Assessment


Licensed in: Virginia, Washington DC
Locations: Falls Church, VA; Teletherapy

(she/her/hers)

Helping clients develop a nonjudgmental self-understanding is at the core of my work, whether through neuropsychological evaluations or psychotherapy. Throughout our work together, I am dedicated to helping you gain a renewed sense of strength, peace, and wellbeing.

neuropsychological evaluations

With neuropsychological evaluations, I believe that receiving an accurate diagnosis that is conveyed in an affirming, understanding, and empowering manner, is a positive and life changing experience. My approach to neuropsychological assessment is strengths-based, and enables patients to develop an in-depth understanding of how their thinking abilities, emotions, and behaviors impact daily functioning.

I specialize in ADHD assessment for children and adults and am certified as an an ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP). I also specialize in autism assessment in adults, and am certified as an Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist (ASDCS).

I strive to provide tailored recommendations including high-quality educational resources, evidence-based interventions, and access to both school and work accommodations. I am also passionate about fostering my clients’ sense of community and deepening understanding from their family, educators, and healthcare professionals, and have given presentations on best practices in identifying and supporting students with learning differences.

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.

background

I earned my bachelor’s degree at the University of Southern California and my doctorate from Pepperdine University which is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). I completed extensive training in clinical neuropsychology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of Southern California Medical Center, and the Washington DC and Long Beach Veterans Administration Medical Center and Health Care Systems. My clinical experiences also include working as a clinical neuropsychologist at Inova Health Systems where I supported patients in adapting and coping with the challenges and ongoing stressors that come with navigating life with complex, chronic medical conditions.

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.

Adult autism assessments

I am specialized in 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 and gender diverse individuals.

anxiety and depression

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.

life adjustment and transitions, life stressors

I 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.

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.

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

You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
— Jon Kabat-Zinn
Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be; embrace who you are.
— Brene Brown
We are always in a perpetual state of being created and creating ourselves.
— Daniel Siegel