about dr. phillips

Dr. Phillips is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialty training and board certification in pediatric neuropsychology through the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology (ABPdN).  She specializes in providing comprehensive neuropsychological and educational evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults with neurodevelopmental disorders and their psychiatric co-morbidities. Her expertise spans a wide range of conditions that affect learning, behavior, and social-emotional functioning, including ADHD, learning disorders, language disorders, and autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Phillips is also adept in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety and mood disorders. Dr. Phillips approaches her psychological evaluations with clinical intuition, sensitivity, compassion, and careful attention to detail, considering the complex relationship between a child's learning style, emotional well-being, and their educational setting.

Dr. Phillips has a specialty interest in the neuroscience of reading and the identification and treatment of reading disorders. Her interest and expertise within this field led her to oversee the development and piloting of a grant-funded, small group reading intervention targeted at underserved and at-risk readers within the New York City Public School system that is still running.

Dr. Phillips’ influence extends beyond assessment and direct intervention; she has consulted with a major curriculum developer and several school districts, both within and beyond the New York Tristate area, to help close the gap between the science of reading and its practical application in instructional settings. 

Dr. Phillips also provides caregiver and professional workshops that cover a variety of topics, including reading development, instruction, and remediation; neurodevelopment; learning disorders; and the social-emotional wellbeing of children and adolescents.

Throughout her career, Dr. Phillips has worked closely with numerous schools and specialists in the New York City metropolitan area, offering consultation to teachers, related service providers, and families seeking to optimize the educational and developmental trajectories of their children. Her diverse training and professional background have seen her contribute her skills in various environments, including public and private hospitals, a specialized school for children with language-based learning disabilities, and a multi-disciplinary group practice with an international presence.

Dr. Phillips spent nearly a decade as an attending neuropsychologist at the prestigious Child Mind Institute in New York City. She served as the Senior Director of the Learning and Development Center during her final two and a half years there, leading a bi-coastal team of neuropsychologists, educational specialists, speech and language pathologists, and neuropsychology trainees.

Dr. Phillips received her undergraduate degree in psychology, magna cum laude, with a certificate in Human Development, from Duke University.  She earned her doctorate in Combined School and Clinical Child Psychology, with a minor in Neuropsychology, from Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University.  She completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at Columbia University.

Dr. Phillips is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), the International Neuropsychological Society (INS), and the New York State Association of Neuropsychology (NYSAN), and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology (AAPdN).  She serves on the Board of Directors of NYSAN and AAPdN and is involved in the Pediatric Interest and Professional Affairs Committee (PIPAC) of NYSAN, as well. She was recently appointed to the New York State Dyslexia Task Force, and is also a member of the Parenting Center Advisory Committee at the 92NY.

Dr. Phillips lives in New York City with her husband and their two young daughters.  She enjoys spending her time with her family, going to the park; vacationing, especially when there is a beach or water slide involved; playing tennis; exercising; reading; and seeing Broadway musicals.

“Dr. Laura Phillips is an extremely empathic, compassionate, professional and brilliant neuropsychologist. She helped our family with two of our children, who were both struggling and had complex diagnoses. After seeing several other clinicians, Dr. Phillips was finally able to diagnose them appropriately, enabling us to receive the right care and accommodations.  We are very grateful to have her as our clinician and would refer her in a heartbeat.”

— S.N. (mom of two patients)