Lisa Rouff, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of practice in the Chicagoland area, and recently relocated to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, and her Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Lisa has experience in helping teens and young adults recognize their strengths and overcome their anxieties. Working with students to reduce their test and performance anxiety, and to increase their executive functioning skills, Lisa has helped students achieve increased success in school and extracurricular activities. Lisa is also knowledgeable about the mental health issues facing teens and young adults, including depression, anxiety, ADHD, and learning differences, and brings this experience to her college coaching work. Lisa has also helped parents negotiate the school system to obtain the help that their child needs.
In addition to her psychology background, Lisa also has expertise in college coaching. She completed the independent educational consultant certification program at the University of California-Irvine, and is an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). She is volunteer mentor and college coach for several first-generation college students for College Bound Opportunities and ScholarMatch. Lisa loves college visits, and before the pandemic hit, has visited many college campuses throughout the USA. In addition, as the mother of three children, ranging from elementary to college age, Lisa has inside experience with the joys and stressors of the college application process. When she’s not working, Lisa enjoys spending time with her family and taking care of her embarrassing number of pets.
Mark is very excited to have Lisa as a college coach at School Match 4U. Lisa and Mark co-counseled with almost 50 students in 2020. Lisa really brings a lot to the School Match 4U team. Clients really like her personality and find her very easy to work with. Her expertise in helping students work through the mental barriers that keep them from achieving their peak performance is invaluable. I am referring to things like perfectionism, test anxiety and overall anxiety, depression, organizational challenges/executive functioning and learning differences. Lisa is also an ardent student and she has amassed a lot of knowledge about colleges. There are also some young ladies that will thrive more with a female college coach. It is extremely rare to find someone who has the combination of Lisa’s expertise when it comes to implementing effective mental health strategies coupled with her knowledge about college. Dr. Rouff has a very level of integrity. She is extremely bright and well educated but she is unassuming. In a lot of ways, Lisa is the epitome of “Midwestern nice”. The following link will take you to an interview Mark did with Lisa on “Seven mental barriers that keep students from achieving their peak performance“.
Lisa appeared on four episodes of the Your College-Bound Kid podcast in 2020 and the listener feedback was very positive. In 2021 Lisa joined the Your College-Bound Kid podcast team as one of the co-hosts. She will alternate with Anika and partner with Mark by answering questions that listeners send in. Lisa will also do some College Spotlights about colleges where she has expertise. You can listen to the “Your College-Bound Kid” podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google, Stitcher or where ever you listen to podcasts. There is also some unique content that can only be found at: https://yourcollegeboundkid.com/.
At School Match 4U (SM4U), we recognize that a successful college education should be available to all students, not just those at the top of their class. We are committed to helping students with a variety of academic profiles, learning differences, and mental health issues find their best fit college where they can truly succeed.
From 2011-2020 Mark provided all of the counseling for SM4U clients. Over time, it became evident that were students who had unique learning styles and/or mental or emotional challenges that would benefit from working with a college counselor who has the professional training and experience to uniquely understand their unique needs. After practicing as a licensed clinical psychologist for over 20 years, Dr. Lisa Rouff joined SM4U in 2020 and has worked with students from approximately 20 different states. In addition, she still maintains a clinical practice, keeping her clinical knowledge and skills up to date. As both a clinical psychologist and an independent educational consultant, Dr. Rouff is able to work with students with learning differences, and mental health issues in an informed and compassionate way. Her clinical skills, along with her knowledge of the complexities of the college application process, allow her to meet students where they are, and help them find the best opportunities for their future success.
Services we offer:
- Support for students with learning differences and mental health issues throughout the college application and selection process
- Tailoring the tasks and timeline of the college search process to each student to ensure success
- Selecting schools for the student’s list which provide support in their areas of need in addition to being good academic, social, and financial fits
- Helping families evaluate what schools offer in terms of support services in the context of their students
- Assisting families in setting up continued treatment for their student at their new school
Some of the Common learning differences that impact students are the following:
- Dyslexia
- Dysgraphia
- Dyscalculia
- Auditory processing disorder
- Language processing disorder
- Nonverbal learning disabilities
- Visual perceptual/visual motor deficit
- ADD/ADHD
In addition to these learning differences, students often have emotional and mental barriers that keep them from achieving their peak performance. The following are examples of some of these impediments
- Perfectionism
- Executive functioning issues
- Low self-esteem
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety)
- Performance/test taking anxiety
If you would like a complimentary consultation with Dr. Lisa Rouff, just send her an email at lisa@schoolmatch4u.com
Complimentary consultations are appropriate if you want to discuss one of the SM4U packages, if you are interested in single sessions, you can book this directly with Lisa. Mark will handle all of the billing paperwork.