Alicia Francois, B.A., M.S., Psy.D. (candidate)

Meet Alicia

Working with children, adolescents, and young adults has taught me that no two people are alike, even if they have the same diagnosis or struggle with similar issues. For these reasons, I not only love working with these populations, but I also enjoy creating individualized treatment plans that address each person’s specific needs and goals.

Although I am trained in many different theoretical methodologies, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), family systems, and psychoanalysis, my approach to therapy is more integrative and determined by each client’s individual needs. I especially like using CBT with adolescents and young adults because it helps them to identify and reframe the thoughts that are causing maladaptive feelings and behaviors. For younger clients, play therapy or using manipulatives to capture their feelings and experiences are more appropriate. Applying these tools are examples of how I harness my training to design effective client-focused therapies.

Education & Experience

Before transitioning into the field of psychology, I spent much of my time working with elementary, middle, high school, and college students in various capacities, including helping them to build their executive functioning, along with their organizational, study, and academic skills. My extensive experience helping students who have been diagnosed with different learning disorders to reach and exceed their educational and developmental benchmarks led me to pursue psychology. I wanted to better understand learning disorders, accurately diagnose them, and offer parents and students solutions to the psychological issues that sometimes accompany learning differences, including low self-confidence and motivation, and distorted core beliefs. It is important to help children and young adults learn how to address these issues before they develop into more significant mental disorders like depression, anxiety, or PTSD. Learning the skills to process and regulate one’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions at an early age is invaluable and can help to improve mental health, behavior, and overall quality of life.

I earned a Bachelor of Arts from Claremont McKenna College and a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern California. I later founded an educational consulting company that helped parents find tutors and learning specialists to address their children’s comprehensive academic and social-emotional needs.

Currently, I am in the final stages of completing my doctoral degree at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles. I also have substantial training in administering neuropsychological assessments from Gottlieb Neuro in Santa Monica, California, and helping parents connect with the services they need for their children.