Personal Biography
Dr. Stephanie Holland earned her B.A. in Psychology with Distinction and an M.A. in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She received her Doctorate in Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in 1996.
Since 1998, Dr. Holland has served the Las Vegas Valley with a focus on at-risk children and families. Over time, her practice evolved to specialize in forensic evaluations for Family and Civil Court, including assessments related to parental capacity, child development, and high-conflict custody cases.
She is a recognized expert in the psychological impact of parental alienation and has presented and published in this area. Dr. Holland co-founded Child Focus, a nonprofit supporting foster youth, now part of St. Jude’s Ranch for Children.
Dr. Holland was appointed by Governor Brian Sandoval to the Nevada State Board of Psychological Examiners, where she also served as Exam Commissioner. Her role included oversight of licensing exams and regulation of professional conduct in psychology.
As a committed educator, her practice is affiliated with the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), where she mentors future psychologists.
Currently, she is helping launch Wake Up, a nonprofit dedicated to providing vocational and rehabilitative services for adjudicated youth—empowering them to pursue meaningful career paths.
Experience
Serving as a Certified expert witness testifying in multiple State Criminal Courts, Federal Courts, Juvenile Courts, Family Courts, and State Civil Courts across the country. Hired by both defense and prosecution, and have provided testimony via deposition and in court. Conduct comprehensive forensic and psychological evaluations on issues pertaining to state and federal civil and family court matters, including but not limited to child custody, child and family issues, trauma claims, and youth competency, among others.
Additional professional experience includes:
- Conducting Risk Assessments and Competency Evaluations for Juvenile Justice Services for the State of Nevada.
- Parent Coordinator for high conflict families, as ordered by the courts or stipulated by the parties.
- Providing consultation services and work product review for psychological issues in civil and family matters.
- Membership in 2016 in The Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC), which is committed to enhancing internship and postdoctoral training in professional psychology, has allowed us to attract the top eligible Pre and Post Doctoral candidates from APA accredited colleges.
Services include, but are not limited to:
- Assessments and treatment of children, adolescents and their families.
- Comp and Pen evaluations for veterans with trauma related disorders.
- Individual Medical Evaluations (IMEs) for students in the Clark County and Nye County Public School Systems.
- Immigration and Hardship evaluations including Waiver for Citizenship Test.
- Vocational Rehabilitation Evaluations.
- Police and Public Safety Suitability Evaluations: pre-employment psychological evaluations for the Henderson, Nevada, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the City of Las Vegas, and the University of Nevada system.
- Post Deployment Diagnostic Assessments for the Veterans Affairs.
Developed a strengths based, structured, collaborative, comprehensive Drug Court program (RENEW) for adjudicated youth within the juvenile justice system which will allow them opportunities to develop skills for substance abuse recovery and reduction of criminogenic behaviors to assist in becoming successful members within the community.
Caliente Youth Center services youth ages 12 to 18. Clinical duties include, but are not limited to:
- Individual and group therapies (Substance abuse and Empowerment groups)
- Development and implementation of Re Entry services and Family Engagement for released youth to include therapeutic services with youth and families.
OTHER PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2018 – Present
Board Member
State of Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners
Appointed by the Governor, The State of Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners protects consumers of psychological services by regulating the practice of psychology. The Board is empowered to establish licensing requirements, to set standards for professional behavior and to review the professional conduct of licensed psychologists to promote competent practice and public welfare.
2013 – 2018
Exam Commissioner
State of Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners
The Board of Psychological Examiners contracts with a Nevada licensed psychologist to serve as Examination Commissioner for the state examination for licensure of psychologists in the State. The Examination Commissioner’s responsibilities include:
- Overseeing the preparation of the psychology state examination, presently administered three times a year in February, June, and October;
- Overseeing examination development-related focus groups, presently scheduled once a year for a two day period; and
- Engaging in other exam related matters (i.e., testimony at the Nevada State Legislature, etc.).
2013 – 2014
Member of the National Program Development Committee for St. Jude’s
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, Boulder City, NV
Subject Matter Expert for the Performance Evaluation Committee of the National Board of Trustees.
2010 – 2017
Adjunct Professor, University of Nevada Las Vegas
Psychology Department – Field Placement
2009 – 2010
Oral Examiner
State of Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners, Las Vegas, NV
2007 – 2009
Task Force Parent Coordinator/Special Master
Clark County Family Court Division, Las Vegas, NV
Appointed by the Honorable Jennifer Elliott of the Eighth Judicial District Court, Clark County, NV., Family Court Division. Directed to develop a standardized order for parent coordination for use in all subsequent cases.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
2021 – 2024
Co-Founder Wake UP, 5013c Las Vegas, NV
Non-Profit Organization providing vocational opportunities for adjudicated youth
2008 – 2015
Unified Psychological Psycho-Educational Evaluation (UPPA) Coordinator
Department of Family Services, Las Vegas, NV
Developed standardized comprehensive evaluations for all youth entering the child welfare system. Partnered with the Clark County (NV) Department of Family Services since 2008, providing psychological evaluations for youth in care, and in conjunction with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, served as the hub for research and data collection regarding issues related to trauma. The following articles were published as a result of this partnership:
- Wechsler-Zimring, Kearney, Kaur, & Day (2012) Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Removal from Home as a Primary, Secondary or Disclaimed Trauma in Maltreated Adolescents. Journal of Family Violence, 27, 813-818
- Wechsler-Zimring & Kearney (2011) Posttraumatic Stress and Related Symptoms Among Neglected and Physically and Sexually Maltreated Adolescents. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24, 601-604
- Kearney, Wechsler, Kaur, & Lemos-Miller (2010) Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Maltreated Youth: A Review of Contemporary Research and Thought. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 13, 46-76
1999 – Present
Co-Founder of Child Focus – now part of St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
Non-Profit Organization: Child Focus, Las Vegas, NV
Dedicated to bettering the lives of children living in foster care.
EDUCATION
May 1996
Doctorate in Psychology
California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, CA
Individual and Family Clinical Proficiency
CSPP Scholarship Recipient (1994-1996)
Awarded Outstanding Doctoral Project
May 1994
Master of Arts in Psychology
California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, CA
Individual and Family Clinical Proficiency
CSPP Scholarship Recipient (1993-1994)
June 1992
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology with Distinction
The University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP AND AFFILIATIONS
- March 2018 – National Register of Health Service Psychologists
- 2017-2018 – Contracted Rater at Nevada Senior Services through Recruitment Partners LLC
- 2012-2019 – Member, Supervised Visitation Network
- 2011-Present – Member, Child Welfare Network
- 2011-Present – Member, Providers Network Department of Family Services
- 2000-Present – AFCC Member, The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
- 1997-Present – NPA Member, The Nevada Psychological Association
PUBLICATIONS
- Holland, S., Pickard, M., Jain, L. (2024). Effective Judicial Interventions to Respond to Parental Alienation: Part 1: Understanding Parental Alienation. Nevada Family Law Review, State Bar of Nevada Publications. Summer 2024
- Holland, S., Pickard, M., Jain, L. (2024). Effective Judicial Interventions to Respond to Parental Alienation: Part 2: Understanding Parental Alienation. Nevada Family Law Review, State Bar of Nevada Publications. Summer 2024
- Herr, A. with contributors and research by: Holland, S., Cerceo, R., Lenkeit, G., Mortillaro, L. (2006). Parent Coordinators: Panacea or Plague? Nevada Family Law Report, June 2006.
PRESENTATIONS
May 2022
Nevada Supreme Court Judicial Education Conference – Lake Tahoe, NV
Beyond the Plain Facts: Forensic Evaluations for Identifying and Establishing NRS 125.C Best Interest Factors.
Feb. 2021
Nevada Supreme Court Judicial Education Conference – Carson City, NV
Custody Evaluations and Physical and Mental Examinations.
2008 – 2021
Multiple Presentations
Jan. 2008
Nevada State Psychological Association Conference – Reno, NV
Parent Coordination Training: Assisting High Conflict Parents in Dispute Resolution. What You Need to Know to be a Parent Coordinator.
April 2007
Nevada State Psychological Association Conference – Las Vegas, NV
Parent Coordination Training: Assisting High Conflict Parents in Dispute Resolution. What You Need to Know to be a Parent Coordinator.
Oct. 2006
Association of Family and Conciliation Court’s Seventh Annual International Symposium on Child Custody Evaluations – Atlanta, GA
Ethical Pitfalls, Mishaps, and Obstacles in Child Custody Evaluations.
Mar. 2006
Family Law Conference – Las Vegas, NV
Child Custody: A Local Perspective.
Dec. 2003
The Nevada State Bar Association – Ely, NV
The Essentials of Family Court and Child Custody Evaluations.
Psy.D
