NEST

Nest Psychological Services, PLLC was founded by Heidi Hawkins, M.S., Ed.S., Licensed and Nationally Certified School Psychologist, to support the diverse needs of children and adolescents and facilitate their success and happiness. Heidi is dual licensed by the Board of Psychology and the Board of Education. 

Heidi has a Master’s of Science in Psychology, along with an Educational Specialist Degree in School Psychology. She has two decades of experience identifying disabilities such as autism, learning disabilities, emotional disabilities, ADHD, and more. She has been vital in creating educational and emotional interventions and supports, developing IEP's, providing crisis support and counseling, and providing training to school staff to ensure a highly effective and supportive environment for all children. She has worked in private, educational, and clinical settings. She has served as a consultant for academic and behavioral needs of school divisions and presented at local, regional, and state conferences on topics such as concussion support in learning, autism, trauma, reading disorders, and ADHD.
 
Heidi's focus areas include learning disorders, trauma, mental health, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder.

She has extensive personal and professional experience and training in a variety of needs. She is skills in identifying the processing disorder(s) causing learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, in order to reduce frustration in children and help develop research-based interventions that allow them to thrive. Additionally, she is passionate about correctly identifying autism spectrum disorder and ensuring children diagnosed are supported appropriately. She has chaired autism support teams and worked to develop individualized supports and interventions for children with autism for over 10 years. She received her training in autism diagnosis from Emory Autism Center at Emory University from Catherine Rice, PhD, Director of the Emory Autism Center and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Emory University. Dr. Rice previously worked as a developmental psychologist with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the CDC. She now works on public health programs to monitor and improve early identification of young children with autism and other developmental concerns.  

Heidi has successfully helped children and adolescents overcome anxiety, depression, and work through processing trauma. She is skilled in developing a strong relationship with clients that helps her support the children and youth she works with. She uses an individualized counseling approach tailored to each client. Her practices primarily include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectal behavior therapy which incorporates mindfulness to help reduce symptoms and improve functioning. Her approach to trauma includes coaching guardians and school staff to utilize trust based relational intervention strategies. 
 
Heidi is passionate about ensuring all children are supporting appropriately in their learning environments. Her unique training and experience working with youth and school divisions gives her expertise in disabilities, school law, and regulations governing special education. Her evaluations have helped identify disabilities and guide services and supports for thousands of children. She has chaired eligibility meetings and sat on child study teams and IEP teams to advocate for children. Furthermore, she was a member of the Academy of Special Education Leaders, a yearlong cohort that received intensive training alongside state and national leaders on special education laws and regulations. This experience allows her to empower parents as they seek quality support for their child. Heidi specializes in supporting the child while supporting the adults in their life as well. The process can be overwhelming for parents and it is her goal to empower and support the families alongside the child for the most successful outcomes. 

Heidi is a mother of seven children who has intimate experience on both sides of the table. She can support educators and professionals with challenges in the learning environment as well as parents in the home environment.