A Bit About Me
Hi, I’m Dr. Meredith Franco, a licensed clinical psychologist and nationally certified school psychologist. I specialize in working with children, adolescents, young adults, and their families. My work prioritizes building strong relationships and offering a warm, empathetic, and affirming space for growth. As a Bethesda-Chevy Chase native and former Montgomery County Public School special education teacher, I’m deeply committed to serving my community with neurodivergent-affirming, gender-affirming, and culturally responsive care.
My approach is family-focused and collaborative, offering guidance to parents and caregivers during times of change and transition. I draw from cognitive-behavioral techniques and integrate influences from attachment, ecological, and family-systems theories. This means that I focus on how relationships and environments shape young people’s well-being. This sometimes involves partnering with people in a child’s support system—like teachers, parents, and siblings—to proactively nurture their well-being. I take pride in using a strength-based, solution-focused approach to help clients thrive and focus on their passions and interests outside of therapy.
In addition to therapeutic services, I offer psychoeducational evaluations, including independent school admissions testing. My expertise includes identifying learning and neurodevelopmental differences such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, Autism, anxiety, and ADHD. I also offer consultations for families navigating the special education process, including IEP and 504 Plans, connecting them with local resources and tools for advocacy.
Dr. Meredith Franco
My Clinical Practice Areas
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Learning Differences
- Life Transitions
- Neurodivergence (ADHD and Autism)
- Grief and Loss
- Self-Esteem
- School-Related Stress
- Parenting
- Relationship Issues
- Trauma and Potentially Traumatic Events (PTEs)
My Education & Training
Prior to graduate school, I earned a Combined B.S./M.Ed. in Special Education with a minor in Human Development from the University of Maryland and worked as a special educator in Montgomery County Public Schools. I went on to complete my Ph.D. in Clinical and School Psychology at the University of Virginia, one of the nation’s few NASP- and APA-accredited programs. During my doctoral training, I trained at the MedStar Georgetown University
Hospital, Virginia Treatment Center for Children, and completed an APA-accredited internship with the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine. Beyond my clinical work, I am actively affiliated with Youth-Nex, a research center at the University of Virginia that advances developmental science to promote positive youth development.