Expert Child Psychologist in La Jolla

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Carrie Jackson, PhD

Licensed Psychologist | Founder, SoCal Child Psychology | La Jolla, San Diego

You already know something is off. Maybe your child has been struggling in school for longer than feels normal. Maybe anxiety is keeping them from activities they used to love, or ADHD is making home feel like a constant battle. You have tried everything you can think of, and you are tired, and worried, and wondering if it has to stay this hard.

It doesn’t, and you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Dr. Carrie Jackson is a licensed clinical child psychologist and the founder of SoCal Child Psychology in La Jolla. She specializes exclusively in children, teens, and young adults, with a particular focus on ADHD and anxiety. Her approach is direct, evidence-based, and built around one core belief: that every child is capable of more than their hardest days suggest.

She works with children as young as four years old through young adulthood, and she works closely with parents at every stage. Because the most powerful changes don’t just happen in a therapy room. They happen at the dinner table, in the car on the way to school, and in the thousands of small moments that make up a family's daily life.

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Dr. Carrie Works With Children & Families Navigating

  • ADHD

    Attention, impulsivity, executive functioning challenges, and the frustration that builds when a bright kid keeps getting in their own way

  • Anxiety

    Worry, avoidance, school refusal, physical symptoms like stomachaches, and the exhausting loop of reassurance-seeking that wears everyone down

  • OCD

    Intrusive thoughts, compulsive behaviors, and the exhausting rituals that can quietly take over a child’s day

  • ARFID

    Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, including extreme food selectivity, fear-based eating, and the mealtime stress that affects the whole family

Training & Clinical Background

Dr. Carrie brings a deep clinical foundation to her work with children and families. She completed her predoctoral internship at Rady Children's Hospital right here in San Diego, before going on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, one of the nation's leading children's research and clinical institutions.

After her fellowship, she returned to San Diego to build her specialty private practice, SoCal Child Psychology. Beyond clinical practice, Dr. Carrie has taught graduate-level child therapy coursework at the University of San Diego, training the next generation of therapists. She has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles on ADHD and parenting, on research that directly informs how she works with families today.

Her credentials at a glance:

  • PhD in Clinical Child Psychology, West Virginia University

  • Predoctoral Internship, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH

  • 20+ peer-reviewed publications on ADHD and parenting

  • Licensed Psychologist, California (CA32824)

  • Licensed Out-of-State Telehealth Provider, Florida

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