Meet Dr. Deanna Zarei, Psy.D. | Licensed Psychologist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Deanna Zarei, Psy.D. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Deanna, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Even though I loved my supervisor, colleagues, and my clients at my previous workplace, the corporate environment left me feeling unfulfilled. After several years of working in a bureaucratic system, driven by productivity standards that favored quantity over quality, I found myself feeling stuck, burnt out, and wondering if this was the limit of my professional fulfillment and potential. As a neurodivergent person, I wanted to work in an environment that accommodated my needs and lent itself to me thriving. Starting my own business allowed me to have autonomy over my schedule, to choose the type of clientele I work with, the environment I work in, how many clients I feel comfortable seeing without compromising quality of care, etc. If you put anyone in the right environment, they will thrive. Because everyone’s brain functions differently and thrives in different environments, finding an environment that is conducive to your own version of fulfillment and efficiency is important. Starting my own business gave me purpose and direction that I was previously lacking. I was no longer working for someone else’s bottom line, but I was instead motivated to see my private practice make a true difference in the lives of neurodiverse individuals in the community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a licensed psychologist who specializes in ASD and ADHD assessment across the lifespan. Something that is unique about my brand is my involvement in the evaluation process from the beginning to the end. I communicate with my clients about scheduling, insurance, the evaluation process, diagnostic findings, and recommendations in a way that they can understand. It is important for individuals to be represented and see themselves in many aspects of the community, but particularly in their mental health providers. As a neurodivergent professional, who comes from a family of neurodivergent people, I am able to understand and connect with my clients in a unique way. Rather than taking a deficit-laden, medical approach to interacting with my clients, I strive to be neurodiversity-affirming in my practice. This means looking at an individual’s neurotype as one of many possible variations that are neither better nor worse than any other neurotype. Clients are welcomed into a diverse community where their differences are highlighted and valued through an evaluation, rather than being othered or merely labeled as disordered.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Having grown up in Colorado, I know firsthand the beauty and wonder of this state. There are many wonderful places to explore and hike outdoors. I recently took a breathtaking trip to the wildflower festival in Crested Butte and felt grounded in nature. On my trip to the mountains, I learned that aspen trees have a natural powdery coating on their bark that can be applied to our skin as a natural sunscreen. Give it a try next time you see a grove of aspen trees! Breckenridge Brewery and New Terrain are my favorite places to go for a drink with friends. Denver is a sports-friendly city and cheering on the Broncos, Avalanche, or Rockies are some of my favorite sports experiences. Toast, Snooze, and First Watch are my favorite breakfast restaurants. A trip to Colorado would not be complete with a visit to the iconic Red Rocks and Garden of the Gods. There are many fabulous places to visit in the mountains, but my favorite mountain town is Estes Park, which borders the Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There have been countless people who have influenced who I am today and my career success. Something common to all of these individuals was a willingness to teach, empower, and instill principles and values that directly led to my success. I took an advanced placement psychology course junior year of high school and became fascinated by human behavior and wanting to help other people. My teacher saw potential in me and encouraged me to pursue my interest in the subject as a major in college. During my third year of graduate school, I had my first clinical training experience with a psychologist who specialized in assessing children for autism spectrum disorder. During my doctoral internship and residency, I completed assessments and therapy with autistic individuals. My mentors across these training sites took the time to teach me about autism, the nuances of its presentations, resources that are available, how to modify therapy to be effective with autistic individuals, how to collaborate on a multidisciplinary team, professionalism, and so much more. They showed me that neurodivergent people deserve to be respected, heard, and understood. They taught me to be patient, compassionate, encouraging, and supportive to my clients. My family instilled in me to pursue my goals with hard work and determination. To see my goals through until they are realized. I had an army of people behind me reminding me that I have what it takes to succeed, and their faith in me kept me going when pursuit of my dreams became difficult.

Website: https://autism-insights.squarespace.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autism_insights/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556124500666

Image Credits
Abigail Derrick (professional headshot)