Biography

Rachel Vedder, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 18 years of experience working with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), treating major mental illness in inpatient and partial hospitalization programs, supervision of pre and postdoctoral clinical psychology students, providing treatment in forensic settings, and in the treatment of active duty and military veterans. She also has expertise in the psychological evaluation of adults and children. 

Prior to becoming the Clinical Director at MindWise, Dr. Vedder completed well over a thousand psychological evaluations as a consulting clinical psychologist at the San Diego Regional Center (SDRC). She later became the Coordinator of Psychology Services at SDRC, a position she held for over 5 years. As the Coordinator of Psychology Services, she oversaw all matters related to psychological testing at SDRC, served as an expert witness for SDRC, and supervised a team of psychologists. Dr. Vedder was a member of SDRC’s multidisciplinary developmental disabilities screening team. This team makes eligibility decisions for Regional Center applicants throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties. Additionally, during her time at SDRC, she served as the chair for the Psychologist division of the Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA), where she collaborated with psychologists from all California Regional Centers to shape eligibility and assessment guidelines. She was also an instrumental member of the ARCA Psychologist team that updated and clarified the substantial disability guidelines used for the Regional Center eligibility process. 

Dr. Vedder received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Diego, CA. She completed internships at San Diego Job Corps in Imperial Beach, CA and Bayview and Paradise Valley Hospitals in National City and Chula Vista, CA. She continued her training during a postdoctoral fellowship at Bayview and Paradise Valley Hospitals. 

Dr. Vedder is a pre and post 9-11 Navy veteran and has been married to a career Naval officer for over 20 years. During her and her spouse’s time in the service, she has been fortunate enough to live and serve outside of the United States as well as throughout the continental United States. Outside of work, Dr. Vedder enjoys off-roading and camping with her family, hiking, and spending time with her family and well-loved pets.