Dr. Duncan Dickson

Duncan Dickson, PhD

they/them

Staff Psychologist, Denver office

Since completing my BA in psychology I’ve continually worked with neurodivergent individuals in one form or another. As a direct care provider for teens and young adults living in group homes in Colorado in the late 2000s, I was shocked to see how limited specialty care can be for individuals with unique needs. I often struggled to connect the people I served with appropriate physical and mental healthcare resources. My experiences with this lack of resources and the resulting health disparities in neurodivergent populations were my main motivation for pursuing graduate education.

I’ve spent most of my professional career learning and applying an ever-evolving array of assessment tools and techniques to help individuals and families answer a wide-range of referring questions. In the process, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many gifted, 2e, and neurodivergent individuals, and I have learned the importance of using an individualized assessment plan to best understand each person’s unique needs. I’m passionate about developing and implementing that individualized assessment plan with patients and families, and I see the assessment process as a collaborative journey that we embark on together!

I strongly feel that, when done properly, an assessment should not only provide insight into the inner experience of an individual but should provide clear and meaningful guidance as well. I work with clients and families to uncover the answers to their questions and find that collaboration to be one of the most rewarding parts of the assessment. I love the process of joining with clients and their families and working together to find their strengths, clarify and better understand any challenges they may be having, and help identify strategies to leverage their particular profile of strengths to optimize their potential!

As a graduate of a doctoral program in school psychology, I have a particular interest in supporting students’ ability to learn, teachers’ ability to teach, and parents’ ability to connect their children to meaningful instruction and services. I’m passionate about education and spend a great deal of my time exploring how to best help students with unique needs access the resources available to them in ways that will enable them to flourish in the academic setting.

I have been conducting psychoeducational, neuropsychological, neurodevelopmental, and psychodiagnostic evaluations for over a decade, since starting work on my M.A. in health psychology at Texas State University. Over the course of my training in assessment, I’ve specialized in working with children, teens, and young adults and have worked in a variety of settings including outpatient, inpatient medical, public school, and residential treatment facilities.

After completing my M.A., I sought out further training in a program where I could continue to hone my skills in assessment. I earned my PhD in educational psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020. My pre-doctoral internship year was spent working at Children’s Hospital Colorado, and I then completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry in the eating disorders program at Stanford School of Medicine. In addition to my work conducting assessments, I’ve also provided individual, family, and group therapy for children, teens, and adults for a variety of referring concerns.

Upon completing my fellowship in the fall of 2021, I moved back to Colorado, became a licensed psychologist, and joined the team at PEAK. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to bring my skillset to the team and to continue working with clients and their families to optimize their potential!

Time is one of our most valuable resources, and I find it incredibly important to recharge my self-care battery by making the most of my free time. When I’m not in the office, I’m generally out exploring my surroundings. Since moving back to Colorado a few months ago, I’ve been enjoying road tripping through the Rockies and hiking the seemingly infinite trails within an hour drive of home. I also enjoy cooking and reading.