• Licensed Clinical Psychologist
• PSYPACT Authority to Practice Telepsychology in these states.
• Certified Clinical Trauma Professional 
• Clinical Supervisor 

I have had the privilege to study and understand individuals, organizations, societies, and patterns of human interactions from a multidimensional view that has been informed by my diverse education, professional training, and experience enriched by a personal adaptation to life that fostered empathy, compassion, and passion to serve fellow travelers on the life’s path in a psychotherapist’s capacity.  I earned a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Adler University in Chicago, Illinois that emerged from a striving to understand human motivation, behaviors, and the process of change from biopsychosocial and cultural perspectives, but was also informed by sociological, sociopolitical, and cultural lenses acquired through degrees in sociology and political science.  My multifaceted education and professional background endowed me with a unique, holistic approach to psychotherapy. 

My knowledge as a therapist, training, experience, techniques, and insight all together do not seem to have the same weight in therapy as my ability to generate a therapeutic presence and build a trusting therapeutic alliance with my clients based on respect, empathy, validation, understanding, authenticity, and warmth.  I find that clients who accept both this invitation and the risk of being vulnerable tend to experience their movement forward that manifests in various degrees of change.  Some of my clients tend to describe this transformative experience as feeling understood.  Others wonder why they were previously in therapy for long periods and nothing happened other than just talking repeatedly about their concerns and difficulties with no resulting breakthroughs.  They usually say my therapeutic presence harnessed healing and prompted their motivation for change.  I also tend to psychoeducate my clients about seasons of change necessary to cultivate the ground and planting their seeds of change and nurturing those seeds even when they cannot be seen sprouting yet – explorations, insight, and more effective skills within the context of a therapeutic relationship can help to soften the ground of established patterns of unhelpful behaviors and increase hope, psychological flexibility, and honesty and can unbind individuals from those behaviors.

I was fortunate to have opportunities to serve the needs of adults of all ages, adolescents, children, families, and couples from diverse backgrounds in outpatient and residential settings during the years of my clinical training and augmented my clinical experience working in group practice, community mental health centers, therapeutic schools, youth centers, and church parishes.

Throughout my doctoral studies and in the aftermath, I acquired advanced competence in group psychotherapy, acquired skills and experience facilitating parenting education, obtained certification in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, gained advanced knowledge of and experience with treating eating disorders, obtained additional training working with grieving clients, overcame advanced trauma training, acquired CBT-I training, and became a Certified Dementia Practitioner.  My extensive teaching experience as an adjunct professor teaching graduate courses enabled me to integrate theory and research findings in my tailored psychotherapy interventions with clients.

My academic, clinical, and professional experience provided me with unique insights and skills to help people with a broad range of issues throughout their life span.  My clients can expect to be met by a congenial, conscientious, and authentic personality that facilitates empathic understanding, compassion, and encouragement in their challenges, distress, self-improvement, or sufferings and seeks to work with them collaboratively, so they can build on their strengths, potential, and resources.

Dr. Ball is “in network” with Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, Medicare, Aetna, Tricare, Cigna, and Optum/United Behavioral Health.