Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Gracie Reyes-McDonald.
Hi Dr. Reyes-McDonald, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am an autistic Licensed Psychologist and Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). I own a group practice in The Woodlands, Texas, called Grace Psychological Services, as well as the recently launched Grace Autism & Neurodiversity Center.
I am originally from a small town in East Texas, the daughter of Mexican immigrants. My mother tongue is Spanish, and I learned English in school. I had wonderful teachers who identified me as being a gifted learner and pushed me to do well academically. When I was in the 5th grade or so, I decided that I wanted to be a psychologist because I would see the adults around me making obviously bad (to me) decisions, and I did not understand why that was. I wanted to study humans and learn why they behave the way they do. I graduated with a BA in Psychology in 2000 from Baylor University. I then earned a master’s degree in School Psychology in 2003 from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
As an early School Psychologist in the Houston area, I was asked to evaluate students to see if they met special education eligibility criteria for Autism. Back then, there was not much training on what Autism is or how to evaluate it. When I went back to school to earn a PhD in School Psychology, I decided that I needed more training so I sought and completed practicum experience at Texas Children’s Hospital Meyer Center for Developmental Pediatrics and at what was then called MHMRA and is now The Harris Center. I learned a lot about Autism and its presentation.
I began Grace Psychological Services as a group practice in 2018. I decided to name the practice Grace after the swan, as the swan has a special meaning for me. The colors in our logo around the swan represent diversity in the human experience, e.g., cultural/linguistic background, sexual orientation, neurodiversity. Our mission is to make high-quality mental health services more accessible to more people in our community. We now have various clinicians who serve the members of our community and people across the state of Texas. Our plan is to continue to grow the practice so that we can serve more people.
A few years ago, after a career specializing in autism assessment, I found out that I am autistic as well. High IQ, high verbal autistics, particularly females, are often missed due to their ability to mask or hide their true selves. I then decided to create a safe space for other autistic and neurodivergent people to have community with like-minded individuals. Our center uses an affirming approach to give them the self-confidence and supports they need to pursue their life goals. This is the goal of the Grace Autism & Neurodiversity Center, to allow autistics to reach their full potential and live healthy lives. The power of the Neurodiversity Affirming Approach is immeasurable, and my plan is to continue to educate our community on its advantages.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has not at all been smooth! I suffered a life-threatening injury while I was at Baylor that interrupted my semester, but I was able to heal up and return to graduate on time. That was a difficult time, but I concluded that I am on this Earth for a reason. It took some time, but I feel that I have found my life’s purpose, to help others. In addition, obtaining a PhD as a woman of color comes with unique challenges, and it proved a challenge to complete the program, but I did it. Other obstacles that I am facing as a mental health group practice owner is the health industry’s focus on profit. Especially since the pandemic, insurance companies have made it very difficult to collect payment for our services that include therapy and psychological testing. They may take up to several months to pay us for our work, which of course is not conducive to business. Another challenge as an autistic psychologist is the reality that the world is not affirming of people with differences. The current push is to make the autistic individual hide who they really are, which then leads to increased anxiety and depression. The suicide rate for autistics is 2-7 times that of non-autistics. The neurodiversity-affirming movement is new in our part of the world, which is why I feel that I must share my story to aid the movement so that autistic children and young people face a kinder world.
We’ve been impressed with Grace Psychological Services and Grace Autism & Neurodiversity Center, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At Grace Psychological Services, we believe that mental health is important for happiness and success, and we believe that good quality mental health care should be available and accessible to families of all backgrounds. We believe that quality psychological testing leads to the best treatment recommendations and outcomes for adults and children. We believe that all individuals possess valuable strengths. We believe that a child’s education is an important part of their life. We believe that children need nurturing and understanding to achieve their full potential. We believe that diversity (cultural/linguistic/gender/neurodiversity) is to be valued.
We use a best-practice approach in a safe, supportive environment when working with our clients. We accept insurance in an effort to allow our services to be more accessible to as many of our community members as possible. Our psychologists and therapists have a diverse set of skills, training, and experience in working with adults and children. All of our clinicians are trained in providing affirming care to autistic and ADHDers. This is why we were voted Best Psychologist in The Woodlands in 2022 and 2023.
The Grace Autism & Neurodiversity Center was launched in August 2023 to increase the embracing and celebrating of neurodivergence. We provide neurodiversity-affirming services that help neurodivergent individuals, i.e., autistic children and adults as well as children and adults with ADHD, access the maximum potential of their personal strengths and find a like-minded community of other neurodivergent individuals, where quirky and smart is embraced. Registration for our Lego Club Camp is now open.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along the way is that if I want to be able to continue to help others, I have to make sure that I am taking care of my needs as well. Learning that I am autistic, though I did so as an adult, has really helped me understand myself better. I am better able to give myself grace and rest. Self-care is super important!
Contact Info:
- Website: gracepsychological.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracepsychservices/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracepsychologicalservices
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@Dr.GracieReyes-McDonald
