Biography

Gohar Gyurjyan, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and Chief Executive Officer of MindWise Psychological Services. She has over 20 years of experience working in the developmental disabilities field, having conducted developmental assessments for all ages in both English and Armenian. In particular, she has expertise in the assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder and intellectual disabilities.

Dr. Gyurjyan brought together leading clinical psychologists in San Diego County to create MindWise Psychological Services, a clinical psychology practice specializing in developmental assessments for Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and other conditions. She leads the practice based on three guiding principles: quality, compassion and knowledge. These principles are based on her years of experience working closely with parents of children with developmental disabilities and understanding their needs when seeking out qualified psychologists for developmental testing.

Prior to creating MindWise, Dr. Gyurjyan completed thousands of psychological evaluations as a consulting clinical psychologist for the North Los Angeles County and San Diego Regional Centers. She later became the Coordinator of Psychology Services at the San Diego Regional Center, overseeing a team of more than 30 psychologists providing developmental evaluations for San Diego and Imperial County communities. In this role, she also served as a member of a multidisciplinary team making eligibility decisions for Regional Center applicants throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties. This allowed her to work closely with the Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA), where she collaborated with psychologists from all Regional Centers in California to shape guidelines for evaluations and the eligibility process.

In addition to her work, Dr. Gyurjyan has collaborated on research projects on autism with leaders in the field at UC San Diego, and has coordinated developmental assessment trainings for professionals in the community. She continues to work with American Academy of Pediatrics Chapters in San Diego and Imperial Counties to improve services and provide resources to pediatricians.

Dr. Gyurjyan received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Pacific Graduate School of Psychology in Palo Alto, CA, in 2004. As part of her dissertation, Dr. Gyurjyan conducted a study on how children with high functioning autism processed facial expressions and tone of voice. She completed an internship and postdoctoral training at Pacific Clinics in Pasadena and Glendale, CA, working in a child and family clinic, as well as at a forensic program.

Outside of work, Dr. Gyurjyan enjoys reading, hiking, and yoga, actively volunteers with local community organizations, and loves to explore San Diego with her husband and two young boys.