About Alison Freeman, Ph.D
Background of
Alison Freeman, Ph.D
My hearing impairment was diagnosed at age 3. I was in aself contained classroom for “hard of hearing “ children in elementary school and then mainstreamed in middle and high school I graduated with a BA as a double major in Psychology and Theatre Arts.
After getting my doctorate in Psychology, I did a post-doctorate at the University of California, San Francisco Center on Deafness. I started counseling programs for deaf and hard of hearing people in several mental health facilities in Northern California before starting my private practice.
My passion is in helping people recognize and becoming comfortable with their differences and challenges. To this day, I am constantly wearing my “educator’s hat” about hearing loss and positive mental health. I believe that we all have differences and as such while the path may be unique, the journey towards wholeness and happiness is the same for all of us.
Then came the diagnosis – moderate to severe hearing loss. I went to the renowned John Tracy Clinic in Los Angeles for two years. After being in a self contained classroom for “hard-of-hearing” children in elementary school, my parents debated whether I could be mainstreamed for middle school. They had me tested by a psychologist who recommended mainstreaming (and responsible for my becoming a psychologist!). Hence, I was mainstreamed for both middle and high school. I attended the University of California where I graduated with a BA as a double major in Psychology and Theatre Arts. After three years working in the schools as a classroom aide for deaf students, I returned to graduate school to pursue my doctorate in clinical psychology. During this time, I was thrilled to be named Deaf Woman of the Year by the Quota Club of the South Bay (Santa Cruz/Salinas/Monterey).
After Graduation
I started a program at Santa Clara County Mental Health for deaf and hard of hearing clients and continued to work there for 6 years. Soon thereafter, I did my post-doctorate at Langley Porter at the University of California, Center on Deafness, in San Francisco, Ca. I have been licensed as a clinical psychologist since 1988 and as an Marriage, Family Therapist since 1985.
The most frequent question I am asked is “What was the hardest part of growing up as a hard of hearing child?” The hardest part wasn’t the years of speech therapy or the tutoring that was necessary to keep up with my hearing peers but the feelings of loneliness and isolation as a mainstreamed child and the knowledge that I was socially behind my peers. It wasn’t until college when I caught up with my peers and then I faced a different kind of barrier – the discrimination by teachers who criticized my English skills. By then, I learned assertiveness skills to educate teachers and peers that my skills and talents were not determined by my grammatical skills.
To this day, I find that I am constantly educating others about hearing loss and I love my work. I believe that we all have differences and, as such, while the path may be unique, the journey towards wholeness and happiness is the same for all of us.
Articles written by
Alison Freeman, Ph.D
Articles written by Alison Freeman, Ph.D
- "Who Am I? What Am I? Identity Issues in the College Student With Hearing Loss"
- "What...Me Hard Of Hearing?? The Silent Epidemic of Hearing Loss"
- "How To Deal With Emotional Aspects Of Hearing Loss"
- "Self Advocacy Is Our Best Coping Skill"
- "We Need A 'Revolution" In Mental Health Services For People With Hearing Loss"
- The Most Difficult Time of the Year
- Dating with Hearing Loss
