Licensed Clinical Psychologist and founder of Family Connections Counseling Services, has been practicing since 1986. With over 33 years of experience treating children, adolescents, and adults, Dr. Sprecher has discovered that successful therapeutic outcomes heavily depend upon arriving at an accurate diagnosis. According to Dr. Sprecher, mental health is one of the few medical specialties that doesn’t require lab results or medical tests to confirm the client’s problems. As a result, Dr. Sprecher has chosen to specialize in psychological testing to help her clients better understand the roots of the problems they are experiencing. By conducting a thorough diagnostic interview, psychological screening measures, and sometimes a full psychological test battery, clients have discovered why previous treatment, including psychotherapy and medication, have fallen short of achieving their goals.
As a clinical psychologist in private practice, Dr. Sprecher provides psychological testing services to all ages, including infants. While evaluations are often geared toward diagnosing ADHD, autism, personality disorders, learning problems, intellectual disabilities, or psychiatric issues such as depression, anxiety, or neurocognitive disorders, Dr. Sprecher is also highly regarded in the community for her court and custody evaluations. She too has extensive experience with offering expert testimony in court. Having provided consultative examinations for Social Security Disability Determination Services for 30 years, she is very familiar with the application process and has assisted many individuals with securing their benefits. Additional types of evaluations conducted by Dr. Sprecher include academic accommodations for school and college, PTSD assessments for veterans, competency evaluations, immigration exams, and Medicaid Waiver. She currently serves as a consultant for several local departments of Social Services and school systems. Many of her referral sources include psychiatrists, pediatricians, and family practitioners who are attempting to better understand their patients.
A native of Hagerstown, Maryland, Dr. Sprecher considers Chesterfield home after having graduated summa cum laude with her Ph.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to attending graduate school at VCU, she graduated magna cum laude with dual degrees in psychology and biology from Frostburg State College in Frostburg, Maryland. Dr. Sprecher completed her clinical internship at Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center and residency through Chesterfield County Mental Health. Prior to entering full time private practice, she worked as Clinical Supervisor for Chesterfield’s psychosocial rehabilitation program where she treated chronically mentally ill clients, developed training programs, and supervised clinical staff. She has held adjunct faculty positions with the School of Humanities at Virginia Commonwealth University and J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College, as well as an faculty appointment with the Medical College of Virginia’s Department of Human Genetics. Dr. Sprecher is actively involved in providing supervision for Clinical Psychology Ph.D. and MSN Psychiatric - Mental Health Nurse Practitioner candidates through Walden and Capella Universities.
Even with her clinical approach, Dr. Sprecher believes that each individual’s journey is unique. Her personal goal is for her clients to feel better and more empowered with information upon leaving her office. During her spare time, Dr. Sprecher enjoys spending time with her husband of 39 years, four wonderful sons and their families, and her household full of pets.