Alison Gardner, Psy. D., LCP (Licensed Clinical Psychologist)
Dr. Alison Gardner is a licensed clinical child psychologist who has been practicing since 2003. She specializes in treating preschool and school-aged children who are struggling with anxiety and other emotional and behavioral regulation difficulties. She also supports children and families through life stresses from divorce and other losses to school and social challenges.
She takes an integrative approach to her work with children and families. In so doing, she works strategically with children, parents, and schools in order to leverage multiple pathways for teaching new skills and fostering children’s emotional well-being and secure relationships with the important adults around them.
Dr. Gardner opened Nurture Child and Family together with her husband, Mark Gardner, LCSW, in McLean, VA in 2015. Previously, she worked for 12 years with Family Compass, a private group psychotherapy practice in Reston, VA. She was also an Assistant Clinical Professor of Clinical Psychology at George Washington University from 2012 until 2016.
Dr. Gardner grew up in Pennsylvania and received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology (a university based program jointly sponsored by Eastern Virginia Medical School, The College of William and Mary, Old Dominion University, and Norfolk State University) in 2002 after completing her internship with the Fairfax County Community Services Board (The Woodburn Center). Dr. Gardner trained with and worked for Fairfax County's Infancy and Early Childhood Program before joining Family Compass in 2004. She has completed post graduate seminars in early childhood with the Washington School of Psychiatry, the Baltimore Washington Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, the Selective Mutism Group (Childhood Anxiety Network), and in various topics related to ADHD, mood disorders, behavioral challenges, mindfulness practice, and sand tray work.
When not at work, Dr. Gardner cherishes spending family time with her husband and son. She also loves yoga, gardening, hiking and traveling to new places.
Mark Gardner, LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
Mark Gardner, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, an early-childhood mental health consultant, school counselor, ECE/I&ECMH advocate, husband and father.
For young children with emotional and behavioral challenges, he provides child & family psychotherapy services at Nurture Child and Family, PLLC in McLean, VA, (which he opened with his wife, Alison Gardner, Psy.D., in 2015). Previously, he worked as a staff therapist at Family Compass, in Reston, VA, for 10 years, where he steeped in multidisciplinary approaches, including neuropsychology, developmental models, early childhood mental health, autism and collaborating with preschools. Prior to private practice, he worked for five years as an early-childhood therapist with Fairfax County’s community mental health centers, at Inova Kellar Center, and as a social worker at Bailey’s Crossroads Community Shelter.
When not at his office, you’ll regularly find him in early care and education (ECE) settings and at schools working with children, teachers and parents to help foster children’s social-emotional development and address challenging behaviors and stressful family situations. He is a staff member and Mental Health Consultant at Main Street Child Development Center in Fairfax City, VA, where, since 2006, he has provided services each week to the center’s children, families and staff, including, more recently, reflective supervision to teachers. Since 2021, Mark has been the Montessori School of Northern Virginia’s (MSNV) School Counselor.
Promoting and growing the early-childhood service-delivery system in Virginia is an ongoing commitment of Mark’s. In 2023, he obtained the Early Childhood Family Specialist endorsement (ECMH-E) and is part of the Virginia Association of Infant Mental Health’s efforts to grow early childhood professionals’ mental and relational health knowledge and practices. He also sits on Fairfax County’s School Readiness Community Collaborative Council and the GMU Early Childhood Eduction Advisory Council.
Mark grew up in the area and has lived and worked in Fairfax for many years. He graduated from George Mason University in 1991 with a BA in Anthropology and received his MSW (Master of Social Work) from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1997. He’s been licensed by the state of Virginia to provide clinical social work services since 2004.
When not working, he enjoys life at home with his wonderful wife and son.
