In‑Depth Review of Ascent Psychological Services
Overview & Mission

Ascent Psychological Services presents itself as a deeply compassionate, neurodiversity-affirming, and trauma-informed mental health practice. Their philosophy centers on valuing different neurotypes as a natural variation of human cognitive functioning rather than as “deficits.”

This inclusive foundation is strong: they explicitly welcome LGBTQIA+ identities, and approach their work with cultural sensitivity.

Services & Expertise

One of the major strengths of Ascent is its breadth of offerings. They don’t just do “talk therapy”: they provide psychological assessments, therapy, executive functioning coaching, and even consulting/training for organizations.


Assessments: Their assessments cover a variety of psychological conditions (ADHD, Autism, anxiety, depression, OCD, etc.).
Ascent Psychological Services
Their neuropsychological assessment dives deeper, measuring cognitive functions (memory, learning, executive skills) and producing a detailed strengths-and-challenges report.
Ascent Psychological Services
Their assessment process is methodical: diagnostic interview → testing sessions → feedback session → written report — which seems very client-centered and thorough.
Ascent Psychological Services

Therapy: They offer tailored therapy options, using modalities such as IFS (Internal Family Systems), Emotion-Focused Therapy, Collaborative Problem Solving, Relational Life Therapy, and more.
Ascent Psychological Services
Their therapy is explicitly neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed, with a goal of helping clients embrace their authentic selves rather than “fix” them.
Ascent Psychological Services
They support a wide variety of therapeutic needs: individual therapy, couples, family, play therapy, even infant mental health.
Ascent Psychological Services

Advanced / Specialized Care: They provide Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), which is relatively advanced and suggests a willingness to integrate novel therapies when appropriate.
Ascent Psychological Services

Coaching: Their coaching is especially aimed at executive functioning and parent coaching. According to their team page, they have coaches specifically trained to support neurodivergent individuals in planning, organization, self-regulation, and more.
Ascent Psychological Services

Consulting & Training: Dr. Lauren Elder (PhD, ABPP) leads consulting and training for organizations—nonprofits, clinics, corporations—on neurodiversity, autism, ADHD, and how to build affirming care models.
Ascent Psychological Services

Team & Leadership

The leadership and team at Ascent are highly qualified and deeply aligned with the company’s mission:

Dr. Lauren Elder is the founder and licensed clinical psychologist, board certified, and very experienced.
Ascent Psychological Services
Her specialization in neurodiversity, trauma-informed care, and her strengths-based approach inspire confidence.

The rest of the team is diverse, with therapists, coaches, and assessment professionals who bring a variety of identities and lived experiences (neurodivergent, queer, multicultural, etc.).
Ascent Psychological Services

Having such a team composition suggests that clients from many different backgrounds can find someone who “gets them” — which is a very big plus in mental health.