Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. April Coleman.
Dr. Coleman, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I knew from a teenager that I wanted to work with children and that I wanted to be a doctor, but I always said I wanted to be a pediatrician. I participated in many different community service activities during my high school years in Savannah, Georgia that allowed me to work with children in various settings, including the hospital, but after I moved to Atlanta for college, my ideas for what I wanted to do changed somewhat. As a psychology major at Georgia State University, during my senior year, I participated in an externship at a child advocacy center where I met two psychologists that were pivotal in me changing my eventual career path. It was during my senior year when I really decided that I wanted to pursue a career as a pediatric psychologist. I sought the advice of one of my graduate student instructors and my supervisors at my externship, who provided me with guidance on what next steps I needed to take post-undergraduate studies. After graduating from Georgia State in December of 2016, I started my graduate training in the fall of 2007 as a young 22-year-old, the youngest student in my clinical psychology cohort. After five years of rigorous coursework, three fantastic externships, and a pre-doctoral internship in Worcester, Massachusetts, I earned my Doctor of Psychology degree at the age of 27, and at 29 years old, I was fully licensed in the state of Georgia as a clinical psychologist.
Prior to becoming licensed, I did an extensive amount of work with the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services; however, I knew that working solely with victims of child abuse was mentally and emotionally draining, and I needed to come up with a better balance so that I did not experience burnout early in my career. I made the decision to enter private practice in August of 2014, which was a bittersweet time because my paternal grandmother passed away one week prior to me officially entering private practice. Until this day, I believe she continues to be my guardian angel because things went much more smoothly than I expected with starting my business, getting on insurance panels, and making a name for myself within the community. After having a general pediatric practice for four years, I made the decision that I wanted to specialize even more within the pediatric psychology field, and I transitioned to a more specialized pediatric practice in 2018, known as the Georgia Autism Center (GAC). Now, I am about to enter my sixth year of private practice in less than one month, and I am now where I wanted to be when I first envisioned a career in mental health as a young 21-year-old. As we celebrate one year of being open in February of this year, GAC is thriving, and I could not be more grateful. Blessed is truly an understatement.
Has it been a smooth road?
For the most part, it has been a smooth road. There has been a fair share of challenges with finding the right support staff, but overall the experience of being in private practice has been more than I ever expected it to be. I love what I do, and I am excited to see what continues to happen over the years, as I do expect GAC to be around for many years to come.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Georgia Autism Center – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I am a pediatric psychologist, who conducts assessments with children from age 1 to 21 years. I specifically work with children, adolescents, and college students with neurodevelopmental disorders. These conditions consist of learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), communication disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I also work with children who are medically fragile and/or who are diagnosed with neurological conditions.
At GAC, I (along with my associates) have worked very hard to build a practice in which our families know that when they come to see us, we are going to go above and beyond to make sure that we are providing them with quality care. As a clinician, I am most proud that GAC as a whole provides services to a diverse group of families, and that we are able to serve families all over the state of Georgia and surrounding states (e.g., Florida, Alabama, Louisiana). It is a great feeling to know that GAC has built a reputation in the community as a quality care private practice that families do not find it to be a problem to travel several hours and/or from out of state to our office in order to get their child the necessary supports he or she may need. Of even more importance to me is that my families have returned year after year to see me for updated evaluations, as they have felt comfortable with me and know that I view their children as one of my own. In addition, to my work as a clinician, I (along with my associates) have worked extensively to build an assessment training program for graduate-level psychology students. This is a program that I whole very near and dear to my heart. I have had several psychologists mentor me, and who I continue to look to for guidance, so I made the decision that I too wanted to pay it forward. I am VERY proud to say that I have played a pivotal role in training graduate-level students in learning how to evaluate and diagnosis children and adolescents over the past four years, and I will continue to make this a priority as long as possible.
Beyond my work as a clinician, I am most proud to be able to work with a team of beautiful, kind, and caring women who work so hard day after day. From our administrative and billing staff, psychological assistants, student trainees, and us psychologists, we work together so well. On days where my energy may be low and I am tired, when I come into my office, I know that “my girls” as I call our administrative staff, always do something to put a smile on my face. Having a solid team has truly made a difference and I don’t take it for granted. I am truly proud of what we do together as a team every single day. We are women making a difference in the lives of so many families day after day.
What sets me apart as a psychologist performing assessments, is that I do not see families once or twice, and then let them leave my office without any guidance or support. I follow my families over time, often seeing my families for 4 months, 6 months, and 1-year follow-ups. I correspond with my families throughout the school year, check in to make sure the necessary supports are being implemented, and I have even attended school meetings with my families to ensure that the results of my evaluations are understood within those meetings as I have written the information within my reports. All-in-all, I value wholeheartedly my children and families that I see, and it is important to me that as the family’s psychologist, I am able to do all I can to make sure my children are getting what they need as they live in and navigate this world.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I love so much about Atlanta is the hustle and bustle, but also being able to go home in the evenings to my home in the suburbs. When I first moved to Atlanta at the age of 18, I lived downtown, and I thrived on all of the lights, traffic, tall buildings and skyscrapers, and the fact that there was so much to do. As I have grown through my young adult years here in Atlanta, I have continued to develop a love for the culture, the arts, the many places for food and nightlife, and so many attractions (e.g., museums) that are everywhere. The only aspect of Atlanta that I can say I truly dislike is THE TRAFFIC. Lol. I think I have gotten to a point of accepting that everywhere you go in Atlanta there is traffic no matter the time of day, not unless it is in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, I have gotten used to the traffic and have found other ways to navigate going from the suburbs to Downtown Atlanta, such as using MARTA. Traveling by train downtown is convenient for my fiance’ and I, and even though neither one of us are Atlanta natives, we just LOVE this city!
Contact Info:
- Address: 4046 Wetherburn Way Ste 1
Peachtree Corners, Georgia 30092 - Website: www.georgiaautismcenter.com
- Phone: 7706964384
- Email: info@georgiaautismcenter.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaAutismCenter/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Image Credit:
My GAC administrative assistant, Spensor Rayetparvar
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