History

Graduating with honors from University of California, San Diego with a BA in Psychology, Dr. Kearney Visser earned both her Masters and Doctoral Degrees from Alliant International University (AIU), previous known as The California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) at Scripps Ranch where she also served as an Adjunct Professor teaching Introduction to Developmental Psychology in the Undergraduate department of AIU.

Dr. Visser completed her pre-doctoral internship at Children’s Hospital, Chadwick Center where she provided psychotherapy as well as assessments of children, adolescents and adults for physical and sexual abuse as well as worked with domestic violence.  

Dr. Visser completed her Post-Doctoral Fellowship at University of California, Los Angeles’ Office of Students with Disabilities, Learning Disorder and Psychological Specialist.  Here, Dr. Visser provided learning disorder, ADHD, and psychological screenings and determined subsequent accommodations to help students be successful in the classroom setting and improve their overall global functioning.  As the learning disorder and psychological specialist, she also conducted social skills, ADHD, and bipolar groups.

Dr. Visser previously served as the Clinical Executive Director of Step by Step Edu Play, Inc. Step By Step offers developmentally based programs (early intervention, preschool, kindergarten, social skills, behavior intervention, behavior respite, and parent education) providing an inclusive educational environment for children with disabilities, as well as children who are typically developing. 

Dr. Kearney Visser is a licensed clinical psychologist with a specialty in treating children, adolescents and families. Dr. Visser is trained as a cognitive behavioral therapist and utilizes Floor Time and Play Therapy approaches in combination with CBT.  

Dr. Visser’s office is located at 12655 W. Washington Blvd, Suite 208, Los Angeles, California, 90066.  Dr Visser provides gifted testing, and screeners for developmental delays, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), depression, and anxiety and sexual abuse.  Dr. Visser also works within the legal system as an expert witness/evaluator for children and adolescents in court cases and depositions.  

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Clinical & Research Experience

10/10 to Present - Private Practice : Private practice in Santa Monica specializing in children, adolescents & families as well as psychodiagnostic testing and evaluations for learning disabilities and developmental delays. 

Child expert witness- providing assessments and in court depositions for legal cases.  

9/14 to 10/15 - Clinical Executive Director of Step By Step Edu Play Inc. Programs :  Clinical Psychologist who oversees SBS programs including Early Childhood Classes (infant classes, toddler classes, preschool and transitional kindergarten) and Specialized Services including Early Intervention (Birth- Three) Home Based Program, Early Intervention (Birth-Three) Center Based Program, Social Skills Training, Behavior Intervention, Behavior Respite, Adult Education, and Parent Education groups.  

10/10 to 7/14 - Director of Step By Step Edu Play Inc Behavior Intervention Services : Director of thebehavior interventionist program at SBS, as well as serving as the on site clinical psychologist for the early intervention and preschool programs. 

9/09 to 9/11 - UCLA Office of Students with Disabilities, Learning Disorder and Psychological Specialist, Post-Doctoral Fellowhsip : Duties include providing learning disorder, ADHD, and psychological screenings and providing subsequent accommodations to help students be successful in the classroom setting and help improve overall global functioning.  The learning disorder and psychological specialist is also responsible for conducting social skills, ADHD, and bipolar groups. 

4/09 to 4/10 - Step By Step, Director of Preschool/Pre-Kindergarten : Supervised and then promoted to Director of Preschool and Pre-K Programs at Step By Step.  Step By Step preschool/pre-K is a developmentally based program providing an inclusive educational environment for children with disabilities, as well as typically developing children.   

8/07 to 8/08 - Children’s Hospital-Chadwick Center, Psychological Assistant : The Chadwick Center for Children and Families at Rady’s Children's Hospital offers a variety of programs that provide for the prevention, identification, treatment and rehabilitation of neglected, sexually and physically abused children and women impacted by domestic violence.  Multiple medical, social and therapeutic approaches are utilized, specifically trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy with special focus on evidentiary, prevention and specialized support programs for victims and witnesses to trauma.  Psychological Assistants conduct psychological evaluations to determine parental fitness for the court and other referral questions, and provide diagnosis and treatment for individuals, couples, families, and children, group therapy, and specialized trainings.  

8/06 to 8/07 - Turning Point Crisis Center- Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist : An outpatient, residential psychiatric facility for individuals with severe psychopathology. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialists are responsible for assessments, diagnosis, individual and group counseling and crisis intervention.

9/5 to 12/5 - Adjunct Professor at Alliant International University (AIU) : Adjunct Professor for the undergraduate program at AIU teaching introduction to developmental psychology.  Developed course syllabus, lectures, exams, quizzes, and selected readings.  Course was taught through a multi-modal means of education.

8/05 to 8/06 - Palomar Family Counseling Service : Internship  

Additional Placements: Balderrama Preschool

                                      NCCS Vista Preschool

                                      Beaumont Elementary School

                                      Felicita Elementary School

                                      Boys and Girls Club of Carlsbad

Clinic Internship providing a wide range of clinical counseling experience with adults, adolescents and children.  Gained individual, child, family and marital counseling experience.  Topics of treatment ranged from sexual molestation, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance abuse, divorce, anger management, academic difficulties, and behavioral difficulties.  In addition to clinical hours, off-site placements provided experience within the realm of behavior modification for preschool children possessing a wide range of emotional, social and physical problems including school counseling at a Beaumont Middle School and the Boys and Girls Club.

8/04 to 6/05 - Poway Unified School District: Supervisor: Practicum

School Placements : Twin Peaks Middle School

                                 Bernardo Heights Middle School 

                                 Rancho Bernardo High School

                                 Poway High School

                                 Shoal Creek Elementary School

Practicum in Pediatric School Psychology providing a broad range of psychological assessments for physical, health and mental illnesses.  This site provided a large volume of psychological assessments across a wide variety of cultural clientele.  Responsibilities included interviews, administration, scoring, writing reports and conclusions of eligibility for the purpose of disability evaluations.  During specified cases, the psychological interns reported confidential psychological reports to parents, students and other teachers during the IEP meetings.  Counseling was provided to students expressing a wide variety of issues inhibiting educational performance such as substance abuse, motivational issues, students at risk for school drop out, physical handicaps, familial issues and issues of racism.

9/04 to 9/05 - Alliant International University’s Mentor Program, Title IV: Academic Success Program-Graduate Student Tutor: Provided tutoring and mentoring to at-risk undergraduate student population as well as tutoring to graduate students at need.  Additional responsibilities included teaching twice monthly to prepare graduate students for the Developmental Comprehensive Examination.  Additional tutoring provided for graduate students in all areas of psychology if needed to aid in their overall academic success as well as aiding in the completion of the Comprehensive Examinations.  At the beginning of the year, one atrisk undergraduate student is assigned to a Mentor and it is the responsibility of the Mentor to meet with the Mentee monthly to give support/tutoring services.  Mentors attend workshops on competency training ranging from drug and awareness to health and safety.  

9/04 to 7/05 - Kids’ Turn For Parents and Children of Divorce: Psycho educational non-profit organization dedicated to helping children whose parents are currently divorced or are engaged in a custody dispute.  Volunteer in the adolescent, children, and parent groups.  Responsibilities included aiding in registration, group discussions and child-centered activities and counselor meetings to discuss group progress and possible child abuse or CPS reports, or services need.

9/03 - 8/04 - Research Experience: Alliant International University, Ph.D. Graduate Program, Family Track Practicum Supervised by Dr. Constance Dalenberg: Eye Witness Child Testimony of Sexual Abuse: Dr. Constance Dalenberg is an expert in the field of child sexual abuse and trauma.  This research practicum required students to code a wide range of videotapes of children reporting their story of sexual abuse of violence.  Responsibilities included coding for believability, nonverbal behavior, gaze, emotion, and effect.  Additional responsibility included transcribing the original videotapes for others to code for these specific behaviors.

2/02 to 2003 - San Diego State University, Center for Eating and Weight Disorder (CEWD), SDSU/UCSD Doctoral Training Facility, Denise Wilfley, Ph.D.: Volunteer research assistant and data analyst for the lead data analyst of the CEWD.  After continued work, the volunteer position led to a paid position.  Responsibilities included data analysis of eating disorder surveys for the current research, scanning, data entry, data verification and compiling and tracking teleform surveys.  Meetings were held monthly for doctoral students to present cases.

9/00  to 12/01 - Teen Eating Disorder Solutions (TEDS), Trish Stanley, Psy.D, MFT: Responsibilities included, serving as community outreach coordinator, providing information describing TEDS to communities who are in need of aid with teen eating disorders, advocacy for TEDS program, attendance at clinical meetings with psychologists to learn about patient background, disorder and treatment.  

9/00 to 12/01 -University of California, San Diego Autism Laboratory, Laura E. Schreibman Ph.D., Director and Associate Professor: Responsibilities included scoring specified behaviors demonstrated by children with autism on videotape, research on imitation in young children with autism, experience in pivotal response, discrete trial training, and social interaction and floor time.  

9/00 to 12/01 - In-Home Family Therapist for Children with Autism: Following research and training in the Autism Laboratory, many families needed a trained and responsible individual to implement pivotal response training, discrete trial training, sensory integration, floor time or work on social interaction with their children.  Therefore, responsibilities increased from working solely in the Autism Laboratory to traveling to families’ homes and providing therapy to children with autism (in-home therapist).

2001 - Children’s Hospital Nursery School: Volunteer assistant teacher/aide in combined typical and autistic classroom.  Responsibilities include helping lead teachers with play time, lunch, bridging social interaction between typical and children with autism.

2000 to 2001 - C.A.S.E., Cynthia Norell, Ph.D.: In-home therapy with children with autism.  Responsibilities included implementing pivotal response training, discrete trial training, sensory integration and increasing social interaction.  

1995 to 1997 - Crestwood Hills Nursery School: Brentwood CA: Community service in a cooperative nursery school working with 3-4 year old children.  Cathy Wagner is the head of the nursery school, as well as lead teacher.  She has a MFT, a Master’s in Psychology and a private practice working with families and specializes in child development.  I have also worked at their Toddler Group in later years.