Meet Scott Hamilton of Understanding Minds, PC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Hamilton.

Hi Scott, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was inspired to become a psychologist after watching the movie “Ordinary People” as a teenager. I was fascinated by the dynamic of the family in that story, and I was particularly amazed at the therapy scenes, which made me think “I want to do THAT!” When I first started graduate school, however, I quickly discovered how much I enjoyed testing/assessment. I’ve always been a “numbers” person, and there was something about the quantitative aspect of assessment that appealed to me naturally. When I did my very first test in case graduate school, I received feedback from the professor that my report was incredibly advanced for a first year, which felt great and inspired me to want to specialize in evaluations. After graduate school, I worked in the Indiana Department of Corrections for three years, doing a combination of assessment, counseling, and program development. That was high burnout, but high reward work. Then in 2002 I had the opportunity to join an independent school in Indianapolis (Park Tudor) as a testing psychologist and eventually to run their learning center. In 2012, I relocated to Atlanta to work at The Howard School, a K-12 school for students with language based learning disabilities and learning differences, where I served as high school principal and then assistant head of school. Since 2002, I had always maintained a part-time side private assessment practice, but by 2019, I had developed a good word-of-mouth reputation and was getting a lot of referrals. So, I took the leap and decided to do private practice full-time and to run my own business, while also doing some consulting work for a school called Cliff Valley. The pandemic hit less than six months later, but I was able to continue to grow the practice through those rocky times. Since then, my practice has expanded, and I have several contractees working at my Understanding Minds practice. I also am the proud parent of an 18 year-old son with autism, which has helped me develop deeper empathy for what my clients are going through- I can wear my “parent hat” as well as my “professional hat.” When I am not working, you will find me playing keyboards and rhythm guitar with my 80’s New Wave cover band, 80HD.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel like it’s been a lucky road for me. I’ve often been in the right place at the right time. I had a natural writing ability and I’m good with numbers, and finding my calling as a testing psychologist was really possible because of my experience at Indiana State University. That program also helped me find my first jobs, which then turned into my doing testing full-time, starting in 2002. I feel like another door opened for me in 2012, with moving to Atlanta to work at the Howard School, and to continue my part-time private practice. The connections I made in Atlanta were really helpful to eventually move into full-time private practice. The pandemic was definitely a trying time to grow a business, but technology definitely helped. The biggest struggle I face now is just the uncertainty of the ebb and flow of referrals, and doing all the behind-the-scenes work of running a business. That said, I absolutely love being my own boss!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Understanding Minds, PC?
We specialize in customized evaluations of children, teens, and young adults, using the School Neuropsychology approach, for which I am board certified. I get feedback consistently that our reports are “the best in town” in terms of their utility, organization, ease of understanding, and visual/graphic appearance. Having spent 17 years working in independent school settings, I became keenly aware of the culture of independent schools, with emphasis on customer service, responsiveness, and relationship building. I have applied those principles to my private practice. My goal is to create the opposite experience of going to the doctor, which tends to be very impersonal, lots of automated phone calls, endless forms, and feeling rushed out the door when it’s over. I try to create a boutique experience for my clients, who have access to my cell phone number and don’t have to go through five voicemails and two assistants to actually talk to me. My clients seem to appreciate this more personalized feel.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
The School Neuropsychology community publishes a lot of books, journal articles, and trainings, which I do quite often. I am a lifelong learner. One of the most valuable lessons a professor taught me in graduate school was that having a Doctorate degree makes you keenly aware of what you know and what you don’t know, and how to find out more about the things you don’t know. That quote really stuck with me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.understandingmindsatl.com
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/p/80HD-ATL-Band-100089019798244/

Image Credits
The second picture is with my 80’s New Wave cover band, called 80HD. I am a drummer by training, but I play rhythm guitar and keyboards in this current band.