Bios

Laurie C. Dietzel, Ph.D.

It is with deep sadness that I share the news of the death of Dr. Laurie Dietzel, my professional partner and personal friend. We have been in practice for ten and a half years, working with a deep professional commitment and personal bond to provide quality services to our clients.

In addition to her work in our practice, Laurie co-authored a book with Joyce Cooper-Kahn and conducted hundreds of professional trainings and workshops locally and around the country on ADHD, Executive Dysfunction and Learning Disabilities. Laurie was a very special woman who tried to help every person who reached out to her. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and colleague. She will be deeply missed.

Jamie Butler
Dietzel Butler & Associates

Dr. Dietzel earned a B.A. in psychology at the University of Vermont, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park, where her research focused on issues of burnout and job satisfaction in human services workers. Her predoctoral internship at the Baltimore VA included providing individual and family therapy, completing assessments, and providing substance abuse treatment. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neuropsychology at the Kennedy-Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Dietzel worked at a school and residential program for children and adolescents with autism and other developmental disabilities, an outpatient community mental health center, and a residential treatment center for adolescents with emotional and learning disorders. She served first as a staff neuropsychologist and then as the Director of Diagnostic Services at The Kingsbury Center, a private, nonprofit educational organization in Washington DC, where she supervised all aspects of diagnostic testing. Dr. Dietzel then worked as an associate at Wake, Kendall, Springer, Isenman, Schweickert, Weintraub, and Associates, PLLC.

A licensed psychologist in DC and Maryland, Dr. Dietzel was a member of the American Psychological Association. She provided advanced training and supervision to psychologists and diagnosticians across the Washington, D.C. metro area and served as an expert witness in special education hearings. Dr. Dietzel presented to many local parent groups and professional conferences and published articles on a range of topics related to learning and neurodevelopmental disabilities and educational and neuropsychological assessment. Areas of assessment and intervention expertise included specific learning disabilities, Nonverbal Learning Disorder, adoption issues, giftedness, ADHD, executive dysfunction, Tourette's Disorder, traumatic brain injury, Autism spectrum disorders, and Intellectual Developmental Disorders. Dr. Dietzel was married to Claude Allen and had one daughter.

Jamie G. Butler, M.Ed., M.S.in Teaching (E-mail Jamie)

Ms. Butler has been conducting psycho-educational evaluations since 1986, when she began working with developmental pediatrician Dr. Patricia O. Quinn. As an educational diagnostician, she performed cognitive and achievement testing in conjunction with evaluations conducted by Dr. Quinn. Ms. Butler then worked for William Stixrud and Associates, learning to administer additional neuropsychological tests and continuing to perform academic testing. Most recently, she has been an educational diagnostician at The Kingsbury Center, as a member of a team of psychologists. At Kingsbury, Ms. Butler conducted initial client interviews, the full range of neuropsychological and educational tests, the interpretive conference, and the written report. Ms. Butler has experience working with children, young adults, and college-age students.

Ms. Butler holds masters degrees in special education (learning disabilities) from The American University and in elementary teaching from The University of Chicago. She completed her undergraduate education at Syracuse University, earning a B.S. in Speech and Dramatic Arts. Her assessment training includes three years of supervision by Jeannie Johns, Ph.D., former Director of Assessment for The Lab School in Washington, D.C.; certification from The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development to administer the Wechsler Intelligence Scales, and graduate courses in psycho-educational assessment of children at American University and Catholic University.

Ms. Butler taught 7- to 14-year-old children with learning, social and emotional difficulties at FLOC Learning Center, a day school program of For Love of Children, a local non-profit child welfare and advocacy organization. She also developed and implemented student individual education plans (IEPs) and behavioral management and crisis intervention programs. Ms. Butler assisted families in obtaining appropriate school placement and services from D.C. agencies and helped graduating students make successful transitions to public school programs. Ms. Butler also team taught as a VISTA Volunteer in an integrated arts program for elementary aged children at Bancroft Elementary School in Washington, D.C. Prior to her work as an educational diagnostician, she developed educational materials for disabled children and directed a program that funded innovative projects using the arts with disabled children. Ms. Butler's professional memberships include the Council for Learning Disabilities, the Learning Disabilities Association, and the Council for Exceptional Children.

Karen E. G. Kent, Ph.D. (E-mail Karen)

Dr. Kent earned a B.S. in psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park, an M.A. in clinical psychology from Loyola College in Baltimore and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She completed her predoctoral internship at Mt. Vernon Center for Community Mental Health in Springfield, Virginia. She also participated in two postgraduate psychotherapy training programs. She has worked with children, adolescents, college-age students and adults. Dr. Kent worked as staff psychologist at a school for children and adolescents with learning disabilities and emotional difficulties and then at CPC Health/Chestnut Lodge Hospital, where she provided individual, group, and family therapy as well as psychological assessment. More recently, she served as staff psychologist at The Kingsbury Center, where she conducted psychoeducational evaluations and provided individual and group therapy to students in the Kingsbury Day School.

Dr. Kent is a licensed psychologist in Washington, D.C. and Maryland and is a member of the American Psychological Association. She has provided training, supervision, and teaching to psychology students, has served as an expert witness in special education hearings, has provided teacher consultation, and has developed and implemented individualized education plans (IEPs) and behavioral management programs. Her assessment experience includes evaluation of cognitive, educational, and social/emotional functioning, specific learning disabilities, ADHD, giftedness, Autism spectrum disorders, executive dysfunction, and Intellectual Developmental Disorders.

Ana M. Daroowalla, Ph.D. (E-mail Ana)

Dr. Daroowalla earned a B.A. in psychology at the City University of New York, Queens College, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park, where her research focused on stressful life experiences and bicultural adjustment among immigrant youth. During her predoctoral internship at the Baltimore VA, Dr. Daroowalla worked with a broad range of inpatient and outpatient clients, providing individual, group and marital therapy, completing cognitive and psychological evaluations, and providing substance abuse treatment.

As a psychotherapist and diagnostician working directly with clients participating in treatment/intervention studies through the Departments of Psychiatry at both Georgetown University and the University of Maryland at Baltimore, Dr. Daroowalla has experience in assessment of individuals with a range of psychological and psychiatric difficulties, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and persistent and serious mental illness. She has also trained in the use of guided imagery and other mind-body approaches for the treatment of emotional, behavioral, and physical difficulties.

Recently, as a staff psychologist at the Kingsbury Center, Dr. Daroowalla conducted cognitive, educational, and psychological/behavioral assessments with children and adults with a range of emotional and learning-related difficulties. Clients included individuals with psychiatric and social-emotional difficulties, specific learning disabilities, giftedness, ADHD and executive dysfunction. Dr. Daroowalla also has extensive experience conducting cognitive assessments (admissions testing) for students of all ages applying to independent schools. Dr. Daroowalla is a licensed psychologist in Washington, DC and Maryland and is a member of the American Psychological Association.

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