Lauren O'Hara, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. O'Hara has a passion for working with children, teens, and young adults with a variety of mental health conditions. She has a particular interest and expertise in working with children with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, learning disabilities (including dyslexia), as well as social/emotional challenges of childhood.
Dr. O'Hara believes in the importance of offering results-oriented care for families. Her practice is heavily influenced by treatments that have strong empirical support. She often draws upon her expertise in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in treatment. Moreover, she believes that family support and education are critical components to treatment with children.
Dr. O'Hara also enjoys helping children and families gain a deeper understanding of why a child is struggling to reach their full potential in school and in the community. She conducts in depth, comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations to understand a child's unique set of strengths and vulnerabilities. She frequently consults with schools, mental health professionals, and medical providers to determine ways to further support a child. She particularly enjoys working with youth with complex presentations and dual diagnoses.
Outside of work, she enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her family including her daughter and triplet sons.
Education & Experience
Dr. O'Hara has devoted her entire training and practice to offering care to children, adolescents, and young adults. She obtained her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at Loyola University Chicago in 2012 with a child-clinical subspecialty. During her doctoral studies, she completed a clinical rotations at Loyola's college wellness center, as well as a rotation in child and adolescent treatment at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County. She completed advanced assessment training in neuropsychological assessment at University Illinois Chicago and at The Family Institute of Northwestern University.
Dr. O'Hara completed her predoctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio where she provided clinical services to children with a broad range of medical and mental health conditions and received further training in neuropsychological assessment. She served as a faculty in the department of Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology and provided consultation and treatment services to the hematology/oncology/BMT unit.
Dr. O'Hara served as the co-director of the Autism Evaluation Clinic and Pediatric Anxiety and OCD Clinic as KidsLink Neurobehavioral Center in Streetsboro, OH for nearly 8 years. She provided assessment and treatment services to children and young adults. Typical diagnoses included autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, learning disabilities, anxiety, OCD, and mood disorders. She conducted Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE) and frequently consulted with schools to assist with social/emotional and behavioral interventions.
Her research in areas of executive functioning, childhood depression, and chronic health conditions have been published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, and Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine.
KidsLink Neurobehavioral Center
Co-Director of Autism Evaluation Clinic;
Co-Director of Pediatric Anxiety and OCD Clinic;
Consulting Psychologist for KidsLink School
Fellowship
Nationwide Children's Hospital, Division of Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology (Columbus, OH)
Internship
Doctoral Program
Loyola University Chicago , M.A. & Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
Undergraduate
Kenyon College, B.A., Psychology (Magna Cum Laude), Highest Honors in Psychology
Nationwide Children's Hospital, Division of Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology (Columbus, OH)