ALLISON BENDER, PHD, HSP
Clinical and School Psychologist
Allison Bender, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical and school psychologist. She earned a Masters of Arts in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Clinical and School Psychology from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Dr. Bender completed pre-doctoral internships in both school and community mental health settings, where she was trained in evidence-based assessment and treatment of children and adults.
Dr. Bender has over 25 years of experience providing psychological services in the Nashville area. For eight years, she served as a school psychologist with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, working with children from preschool through high school. From 2004 to 2021, Dr. Bender was the Clinical Director of the Diagnostic Center at Currey Ingram Academy. She was instrumental in the development of this center, where she provided comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations and supervised a team of psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and occupational therapists. Since 2005, she has also maintained a private practice treating individuals age five through adult. Dr. Bender has devoted herself to training graduate students in the delivery of assessment services; she was co-director of Vanderbilt’s M.Ed. program in Clinical Psychological Assessment from 2016-2019 and has supervised masters- and doctoral-level students in the delivery of evidence-based assessment services since 1997.
Dr. Bender employs a strengths-based approach to working with her clients. Her philosophy is that both assessments and therapy are most effective when they are a collaborative process, allowing clients to build upon their resources to achieve their goals.
Dr. Bender’s treatment focuses on developmental, behavioral, and emotional challenges including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorders, social deficits/differences, disruptive behavior, and relationship difficulties. She uses a variety of evidence-based treatments, including cognitive behavior therapy, parent coaching models, mindfulness-based strategies, and exposure therapies. She also enjoys partnering with her clients to help them identify their inherent strengths while understanding and addressing the circumstances underlying their struggles.
Dr. Bender is dedicated to providing comprehensive psychoeducational and psychological evaluations for a broad range of concerns, such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, specific learning disorders (including dyslexia), developmental delays, mood and anxiety disorders, and intellectual giftedness. Her focus is not only on diagnosis and identification of difficulties but on providing targeted, research-based recommendations that can be implemented to help her clients make meaningful progress and achieve their goals.
Licenses, Certifications, and Memberships:
Licensed Clinical Psychologist (#2581), HSP
Licensed School Psychologist, TDOE
American Psychological Association (APA)
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)