ABOUT DR. SARA DOUGLAS
Sara Douglas, Psy.D., NCSP, is a licensed psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist. Dr. Douglas received her master's degree in school psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, and then obtained her doctoral degree in school psychology from St. John's University. Dr. Douglas has worked across a variety of settings including schools (both public and private), treatment clinics, and hospitals.
When not conducting evaluations, Dr. Douglas consults with both families and schools to support students' academic success, behavioral functioning, and emotional comfort. She has also worked as an admissions interviewer for an independent school in Brooklyn, and works one-on-one with students who have identified learning differences, particularly when there is emotional difficulty that accompanies the academic challenge.
Dr. Douglas has worked as an Associate Adjunct Professor within the School Psychology graduate program at St. John's University, and as an Adjunct Professor within Manhattanville College's Graduate School of Education. Dr. Douglas supervises both externs and interns during their graduate training, and offers a competitive externship program within her practice.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Dr. Douglas has been on the Executive Board of the School Division of the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA), acting as the President and then most recently, Past President. She has also sat on the Editorial Board of Psychology in the Schools, a peer-reviewed and nationally distributed journal. Dr. Douglas is an active member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN), National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), American Psychological Association (APA), and the New York Association of School Psychologists (NYASP). She is a contributor to Psychology Today, where she writes on topics pertaining to neuropsychological evaluations and academic success. Most recently, Dr. Douglas was selected, alongside a dozen or so other psychologists throughout the United States and Canada, to develop the ethics-based content for the new and upcoming psychology licensure exam.
RESEARCH
Dr. Douglas has a background in research relevant to school-aged children and the complexities of their academic and emotional functioning. She has co-authored book chapters on the neuropsychology of stress, as seen within schools, and on the neuropsychology of writing difficulties, particularly within a bilingual population. She has also written articles published within internationally distributed journals (the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment), and articles in national newsletters (Communiqué). Dr. Douglas' work has been presented at both international and national conferences. Please reference the respective webpages for more detailed information about Dr. Douglas' publications and presentations.
Research topics include:
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The identification of Specific Learning Disabilities
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The importance of cultural competence across mental health fields
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The relationship between depression and reading disabilities
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International development and use of neuropsychological tests for children
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Inherent flaws in evaluation methods leading to inaccurate diagnostic results
PUBLICATIONS
S. G. Feifer & S. Douglas. “Establishing Trauma Informed Schools,” The Neuropsychology of Stress & Trauma: How to Develop a Trauma Informed School, S. G. Feifer, Middletown, MD: School Neuropsych Press, 2019, 51-84.
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Oakland, T., Douglas, S., & Kane, H. (2016). Top ten standardized tests used internationally with children and youth by school psychologists in 64 countries: A 24-year follow-up study. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 34(2), 166-176.
Douglas, S. (2015). For students who are bullied [Review of the book The Bully Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Deal with Social Aggression and Cyberbullying, by R.C. Lohnmann & J.V. Taylor]. Communiqué, 43(8), 36.
S. O. Ortiz, S. Douglas, & S. G. Feifer. “Bilingualism and written expression: A neuropsychological perspective,” The Neuropsychology of Written Language Disorders, Third Edition, S. G. Feifer, Middletown, MD: School Neuropsych Press, 2013, 113-131.
Douglas, S. (2014). eCBT Mood [Review of the mobile app, eCBT Mood]. Communiqué, 41(8).
Douglas, S. (2011, Winter) Social Skills Groups for Special Populations [Review of the workshop Social Skills Groups for Children with Asperger’s Syndrome and High Functioning Autism, by P. Egan]. New York School Psychologist, Volume 29, 1, 14.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Douglas, S., & Raines, T. (2015, October). Depression and reading difficulties: what is the relationship in school-aged children? Selected for presentation at the Council for Learning Disabilities Annual Convention.
Guttman, J., Hart, J., & Douglas, S. (2015, May). Cultural competence examined through a multidisciplinary lens. Selected for presentation at the Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention.
Douglas, S., Zhou, Z., & O’Sullivan, C. (2014, February). Evaluating basic concepts in test directions: What are we testing? Selected for presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention.
Douglas, S., and Raines, T. (2013, February). Depression and reading difficulties in children: What’s the relationship? Selected for presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention.
Berzins, A., Raines, T., Fernandez, L., Douglas, S., et al. (2013, February). The impact of cultural immersion programs on practitioners and graduate students. Symposium selected for presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention.
Oakland, T., & Douglas, S. (2012, July). The status of test development and use internationally. Keynote address presented at the biennial International Congress of Psychology, Cape Town, South Africa.
Douglas, S. & Romero, P. (2011, February). Practices, procedures, and training of Ecuadorian psychologists completing psychoeducational evaluations. Selected for presentation at the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention.
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Douglas, S. & Romero, P (2010, August). The disparity between assessment procedures in the United States and Ecuador. Selected for presentation at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention.