Alison Freeman, Ph.D.,
Ca Lic: PSY 10597
(310) 712-1200
dralisonfreeman@gmail.com

ABOUT DR. FREEMAN

My hearing impairment was diagnosed at age 3.  My parents discovered it just shy of my third birthday during the Christmas holidays.  They had bought me a doll buggy and saw my quizzical look when I looked at them asking them to explain what it was.  I looked at their lips and they saw that I couldn't understand what they said – they  were doubly perplexed as it was an item that every little girl wanted. 

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 graduated 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). I returned back to graduate school to pursue my doctorate in clinical psychology. 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.

Alison Freeman, Professional Curriculum Vitae

Articles written by Dr. Freeman

 

"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
"