Elizabeth Jane Ledbetter, PsyD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Director of EquusLed

“My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon.”
– Mizuta Masahide

About Elizabeth Jane Ledbetter, PsyD

As a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in providing individual psychotherapy for pre-adolescents through young adults, Dr. Ledbetter applies a client-centered, humanistic approach to treatment that focuses on helping young people use their personal strengths to overcome challenges and achieve treatment goals.

Dr. Ledbetter employs a de-stigmatizing and normalizing approach to life’s struggles, integrating techniques from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) into her therapeutic work.

Dr. Ledbetter is also the Director of EquusLed, ResWell’s equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) program that offers experiential therapy sessions to individuals of all ages and presenting problems, as well as to couples, families, and groups. EquusLed uses horses as partners in the process of therapeutic growth, as clients engage in ground-based activities (no riding) to achieve unique treatment gains. EquusLed can be used as an adjunctive treatment to traditional talk therapy, or on its own.

Having earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University, Dr. Ledbetter has worked in community mental healthcare and private practice settings, offering individual, family, and group psychotherapy to individuals across the lifespan, along with performing neuropsychological assessments and composing comprehensive reports. Dr. Ledbetter has also taught graduate courses in assessment and neuropsychology and has supervised pre- and post-doctoral therapy and assessment interns.

In her free time, Dr. Ledbetter enjoys riding her rescue horse, losing herself in a good book, hosting impromptu living room karaoke parties, and obsessing over true crime documentaries.

Clinical Experience

Multidisciplinary group private practice setting

  • Conducted neuropsychological evaluations and composed comprehensive neuropsychological assessment reports with tailored recommendations to aid in patient access to services, such as academic and occupational accommodations
  • Provided individual outpatient therapy to preadolescents through young adults
  • Developed and directed an equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) program, EquusLed, which offers an experiential therapeutic modality to enhance personal growth and change to participants of all ages and presenting problems

Community-based neuropsychological evaluation practice setting

  • Conducted neuropsychological evaluations for individuals of all ages, followed by composing thorough assessment reports and communicating the findings to the clients and community agencies involved in their care and support
  • Testified in court as an expert witness on the assessment findings and implications

University-based community clinic

  • Provided individual and couples therapy to adults of various ages and presenting issues

 

Community mental health setting

  • Provided free individual and family outpatient therapy to adults, adolescents, and children
  • Conducted free neuropsychological evaluations and collaborated with the treatment providers to enhance care and obtain appropriate accommodations for the clients
  • Facilitated multiple free group therapy curriculums and process groups
  • Provided free brief individual therapy in an inpatient setting
  • Provided free mental health treatment in an integrated care setting while collaborating with medical providers on client treatment

Hospital setting – Child & Adolescent Psychiatry division

  • Conducted neuropsychological evaluations for children under the age of 18, oftentimes including school observations and home visits
  • Presented findings during multidisciplinary team rounds
  • Offered specific, individualized recommendations to help children in all domains of functioning

Shelter for women and children experiencing homelessness

  • Offered free individual and group therapy to the women and children residing at the shelter
  • Developed and implemented free psychoeducational groups for the women and children

 

Education & Certifications

Education

  • Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) December 2013
    Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Los Angeles, CA
    Dissertation Title: Maintaining Adolescent Sobriety with Equine Assisted Psychotherapy: An Experiential Learning Intervention Guide
  • Master of Arts in Psychology (M.A.) May 2007
    American University, Washington, D.C.
  • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (B.A.) December 2004
    University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA

Certifications

  • Certified in the Equine-Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) model of equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP)
  • Certified in Dialectical and Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
  • Certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

 

Teaching & Supervisory Experience

Community-based neuropsychological evaluation practice setting

  • Supervised pre- and post-doctoral interns on the process of neuropsychological testing, including:
    • Administration of various test measures
    • Interpretation of test findings
    • Developing diagnostic impressions
    • Composing comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation reports
    • Developing individualized recommendations for the therapeutic, home, community, and school/job settings
    • Providing feedback to clients, their families, and their treatment providers and/or other local agencies involved in supporting the client

Pepperdine University Adjunct Faculty

  • Taught M.A. level course, “Physiological Psychology”
  • Taught M.F.T. level course, “Assessment of Individuals, Couples, and Families”

 

On Social Media

Get to know Elizabeth Jane Ledbetter, PsyD

Find helpful mental health resources and insights on the ResWell Team’s Instagram & Facebook pages.

Meet Our Team

Restoring Compassion. Building Resilience. Creating Community.