Dr. Jesse Robinson, PsyD

(Licensed Psychologist & Founder)

Clinical Experience

The majority of my psychology career has been as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP).  I practiced as a School Psychologist for 16 years, mostly evaluating public school students for disability conditions, such as: Intellectual Disabilities, Specific Learning Disabilities, Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Emotional Disturbance. School Psychology work is tremendously rewarding, particularly helping students with disabilities get the services they needed to meet with success academically, emotionally, and behaviorally.

Several years ago I transitioned to working with clients on a more therapeutic level, and served the students at Sam Houston State University (SHSU) as a Staff Psychologist within the University Counseling Center for 3 years. In addition to college counseling center experience, I’ve trained in a variety of other settings, including: community mental health clinics, behavioral health hospital settings, and specialty centers. I completed two different rotations at Texas Children’s Hospital (Pediatric Medicine & Adolescent Medicine). While in pediatrics, I incorporated Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to shape maladaptive behaviors related to sleep, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal concerns. My time in Adolescent Medicine was spent treating specific eating disorders, such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. A portion of my post-doctoral fellowship was spent at the Eating Recovery Center in The Woodlands, where I furthered my training in the treatment of Eating Disorders.

Given my education and clinical training in it’s entirety, below are what I consider to be specialty areas:

·       anxiety disorders/perfectionism

·       depression/mood disorders

·       adjustment difficulties/life transitions

·       relationship/parenting issues

·       disordered eating/body image concerns

Although the language above makes reference to several “disorders,” my view regarding the associated symptoms is that they are all a part of the human experience. Over the course of our lives, we will likely all experience extreme stress, debilitating sadness, relationship difficulties, and low self-worth. I work with a lot of high achievers (i.e., medical students, ROTC students, Division 1 athletes, etc.), none of which are immune to imposter syndrome, fear of failure, and other painful private experiences. I do not conceptualize my clients as “damaged,” “broken,” or “sick,” and I will likely not make formal diagnoses unless my client’s and I first discuss the associated value. I think we are all at risk for getting “stuck” in life, and I feel exceptionally qualified at helping my clients gain traction again.

The people in my community are clearly not immune to this kind of emotional pain. In 2022, I joined the Behavioral Health & Suicide Prevention Task Force, an all volunteer-based organization working to reduce the stigma of mental health and prevent deaths by suicide in Montgomery and surrounding counties. Please visit their website should you feel pulled to support their mission.

Performance Enhancement Experience

With regard to my sports performance enhancement work, I’ve supported athletes and performers (such as dancers and musicians) at a variety of levels, including: youth and junior athletes, high-school athletes, Division I college athletes & performers, and amateur adults in athletics).  I have a swim coaching background and competed as an age-group endurance athlete (runner/swimmer/triathlete) for many years.

While at SHSU, I functioned as the liaison between the athletics department and university counseling center. While I routinely worked directly with the student-athletes on an individual level, I also provided several group trainings as part of a workshop series, including: “Goal Setting,” “Managing Performance Expectations as a Student-Athlete,” “Coping with Performance Anxiety,” “Unique Challenges for the International Student-Athlete,” “Difficulties with Eating & Body Image,” and “Mindfulness & Meditation.”

You may have noticed that “mindfulness” has garnered much attention within popular media over the last few years. I believe this is for good reason. There is a tremendous body of research highlighting both the physical and psychological benefits of a regular mindfulness practice, including reduced stress, anxiety, depression; improved sleep; chronic pain management; and support for tobacco, alcohol, and substance abstinence (Semple & Burke, 2019). Additionally, coaches, athletes, and other performers are finding significant benefits when incorporating mindfulness work into their mental training regimens. My own research comparing some of the leading sport psychology interventions yielded favorable results for adult swimmers. As a Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) instructor, I often incorporate this skill into the mental training with my clients.