Deborah J. Jones, Ph.D.

Dr. Jones is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist.  Clinical Psychology is the branch of psychology devoted to research and practice relevant to the evaluation and treatment of psychological disorders. Accordingly, clinical psychologists are both scientists and practitioners and their work in each of these areas is meant to inform their work in the other. 

In their training, Clinical Psychologists earn both a M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. As a final doctoral training experience, Ph.D. candidates in Clinical Psychology must also complete a one-year clinical internship.  During the clinical internship, they do full-time clinical work under the direct supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist.  Dr. Jones earned her M.A. at Loyola College in Baltimore, her PhD at the University of Georgia, and she completed her clinical internship at the Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Consortium.  It is also increasingly common for Clinical Psychologists to do a Postdoctoral Fellowship in order to specialize in their respective fields.  Dr. Jones completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. 

In order to be licensed to practice, Clinical Psychologists must complete a specified number of postdoctoral clinical hours under the supervision of a licensed psychologist (the specific number varies by state), pass a national licensure examination, and pass a state licensure examination. Dr. Jones is licensed in the state of North Carolina.

Collaboration with Other

Mental Health Professionals

As a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Jones often works with other mental health professionals in order to provide the highest standard of care for her clients. Of course, Dr. Jones gets approval from her clients prior to contacting other mental health professionals, including the following:

Psychiatrists:  Although in some states and in the military, Clinical Psychologists have obtained prescription privileges, most clinical psychologists do not prescribe psychiatric medications.  Rather, Dr. Jones may refer her clients to a psychiatrist (an M.D.) for a medication evaluation if she believes that psychological treatment may be enhanced by psychiatric medication or if inpatient hospitalization is being considered. 

Social Workers:  Clinical Social Workers typically earn an M.S.W. after at least two years of graduate training and are often licensed to practice independently after 2 years of supervised work in mental health.  Like Clinical Psychologists, Licensed Clinical Social Workers may conduct individual or group therapy; however, Licensed Clinical Social Workers are not typically trained to conduct psychological assessment/evaluation. With regard to child and adolescent clients, Dr. Jones may consult with a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in order to better coordinate the multiple services that a client may be receiving, including social, educational, or community-based services.

Psychiatric Nurses:  Psychiatric Nurses complete a 2-year program to become a registered nurse, then specialize within nursing by concentrating on working with individuals with psychiatric disorders. Most often, you will find psychiatric nurses working in hospital settings with inpatient populations. Dr. Jones would rarely have the opportunity to consult with a Psychiatric Nurse, unless a client were hospitalized. 

Counselors:  A range of mental health professionals may refer to themselves as counselors. In the state of North Carolina, only those with a Ph.D. in Psychology can be licensed as a "Psychologist", but other mental health fields have other licensing rules and regulations.  It is important that you educate yourself about the education, training, and licensing regulations of any mental heatlh professional that you see. Dr. Jones may consult with a Counselor with the client's permission, if, for example, a client has seen the Counselor in the past.