All Summit Center staff believe that building trusting relationships with our clients is the foundation of our work, and we are dedicated to focusing on a strengths-based approach to help our clients reach their fullest developmental potential.
You can learn more about our talented staff at our offices in Northern California (Walnut Creek, Napa, Novato, and Millbrae) and Southern California (Los Angeles).
Daniel B. Peters, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Co-Founder
Licensed Psychologist, PSY 16823
drdanpeters@summitcenter.us
Dr. Dan Peters is co-founder and Clinical Director of the Summit Center, specializing in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and families with special emphasis on gifted, talented, and creative individuals and families. He presents at state, national, and international conferences on a variety of gifted topics. Dr. Peters serves on CAG Advisory Board, the SENG Editorial Board, and consults frequently with GATE and Special Education Departments. He is also Co-Chair of the Assessments of Giftedness Special Interest Group for the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC). Dr. Peters is co-author (with Dr. Susan Daniels) of Raising Creative Kids (Great Potential Press, 2013), and many other articles on gifted topics. Dr. Peters’ clinical interests include the diagnosis and misdiagnosis of gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) individuals, overcoming anxiety, and helping individuals achieve their developmental potential. Dr. Peters is Co-founder of Camp Summit, a sleep-over summer camp for gifted youth.
Susan Daniels, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Educational Director
Professor and
Educational Consultant
drsusandaniels@summitcenter.us
Dr. Susan Daniels is co-founder and Educational Director of the Summit Center as well as Professor of Educational Psychology and Counseling at California State University – San Bernardino. At the Summit Center, Dr. Daniels provides Differentiated Educational Plans for children and adolescents as part of the Gifted Comprehensive and Gifted Complex Assessments. She is also available for consultation with families and schools. Dr. Daniels is an internationally recognized expert in the field of gifted education and creativity, with numerous publications and presentations at educational and psychological conferences. She specializes in the social and emotional development of gifted children and adolescents, intensity and sensitivity of gifted individuals across the lifespan, and the development of creative potential. Dr. Daniels is co-author of Raising Creative Kids (Great Potential Press, 2013), and co-editor and co-author of Living with Intensity (Great Potential Press, 2008). In addition, she directs the College of Education Graduate Certificate in Gifted Education at California State University – San Bernardino. Along with Dr. Peters, Dr. Daniels is a Co-founder of Camp Summit, a residential summer camp for gifted youth.
Northern California Staff
Tami Boulet, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCS12190
tamiboulet@summitcenter.us
Ms. Tami Boulet provides individual (child and adult), couples, and family counseling for the Summit Center. She has worked with children, adolescents, and families, as well as supervised therapists, for 25 years in a variety of settings — residential treatment, education (including special education), and community-based therapy. Ms. Boulet’s philosophical and clinical approach to therapy is strength-based and collaborative, with the goal of sustainability. Her therapeutic work is attachment-based with the use of cognitive behavioral interventions and techniques, as well as play and expressive arts therapy when indicated. Ms. Boulet earned her Master’s in Social Work at UCLA. In addition, she works as a Clinical Supervisor at a non-profit agency, supervising therapists working with children and families. Ms. Boulet is also a yoga instructor, and is interested in the neurophysiological and neuropsychological benefits of yoga.
Stephen H. Chou, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist, PSY 19254
drstephenchou@summitcenter.us
Stephen H. Chou, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Summit Center and at his private practice in Millbrae, CA. Dr. Chou is an adjunct professor with the Alliant International University – California School of Professional Psychology at the San Francisco Bay Area and Hong Kong campuses. He serves on the board of directors for the national Supporting the Emotional Needs of Gifted (SENG) organization. Dr. Chou has specialties in Family/Child and Multicultural/Community counseling and psychological assessment, especially within the field of giftedness that was developed at his private practice and in conjunction with The Nueva School. He has been delighted with the myriad of fascinating mind, heart, and soulful presentations of gifted and talented children, youth, and their families; not only with their intelligences, but also with their unique socio-emotional development over the lifetime.
Kathleen D. Crombie, M.A., M.Ed.
Parent Consultant
SENG Parent Group Trainer
kathleencrombie@summitcenter.us
Ms. Kathleen Crombie provides organizing and consultation services for gifted adults, children and families. She offers on site step-by-step supportive coaching with emphasis on cognitive and behavioral techniques. She is a SENG Model Parent Support Group facilitator, a certified facilitator trainer, and the Northern California SENG Liaison. In addition to the Summit Center, Ms. Crombie works at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley in the department of Psychiatry. She is the President of the Piedmont GPS (GATE Parent Support) Board of Directors. Kathleen D. Crombie earned Master of Arts and Master of Education in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College-Columbia University in New York. She has two gifted children in public school.
Michelle Limon Freeman, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist, PSY 23888
drmichellefreeman@summitcenter.us
Dr. Michelle Limon Freeman specializes in pediatric neuropsychological assessments, consultation, and psychotherapy. Her clinical interests, experience, and training include the use of evidence-based tests and measures to evaluate for giftedness, twice-exceptionality (2e), learning strengths and weaknesses, executive functioning, visual and auditory processing, attention deficit, anxiety, depression, social-emotional issues, functional impact of traumatic brain injury, and differential diagnoses. Dr. Freeman has worked and trained in a number of agencies for over thirteen years, and has worked with the gifted, talented, and creative at the Summit Center since 2009. She holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. Dr. Freeman aims to provide the highest quality of care by using a comprehensive model of assessment that is strength-based, therapeutic, and collaborative for youth and their families.
Jeannie M. Lopez, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist/
Neuropsychologist, PSY 18357
drjeannielopez@summitcenter.us
Dr. Jeannie Lopez provides comprehensive neuropsychological and educational assessments to children, adolescents, and adults at Summit Center. She has experience identifying and assisting gifted individuals with the unique challenges they face in navigating their academic and social paths within society. During her training, Dr. Lopez provided neuropsychological assessments and psychotherapy to patients coping with neurological ailments in medical settings at St. Mary’s Hospital in San Francisco, University of California San Francisco’s (UCSF) Behavioral Medicine Clinic, the Bronx Veteran’s Affair’s Hospital, and the University of New Jersey (UMDNJ) Newark. Dr. Lopez believes in a multi-disciplinary and strengths based approach to the difficulties individuals face over the course of their lifespan with the goal of social and emotional well-being. She has an eclectic style of psychotherapy incorporating supportive and cognitive-behavioral strategies, narrative therapy, spirituality, and yoga/meditation. In addition, Dr. Lopez can identify resources and supports for those with nutritional challenges, such as food allergies/ sensitivities and Celiac Disease.
Danielle Jaynes
Educational Therapist
daniellejaynes@summitcenter.us
Danielle Jaynes provides individualized educational interventions for students with learning challenges. She was a classroom teacher for over eight years (in both Saratoga and Walnut Creek) and worked one-on-one with students who have struggled with reading, writing, math, and executive functioning skills. She has experience working with different Orton-Gillingham based systems to help remediate children who have specific learning disorders and need a multi-sensory approach. Danielle understands each child is different and knows how to help support that child. She also works as a liaison between the child, family and classroom. Danielle has three children and enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and exploring.
Nancy Knop, Ph.D., E.T.
Educational Therapist
nancyknop@summitcenter.us
Dr. Nancy Knop offers educational therapy to Summit Center clients, and off-site to students at the Athenian School in Danville and at Head Royce School in Oakland. Previously, Dr. Knop taught science for 23 years to grades 7-12 at Head Royce and served as Department Chair for five years. She has practiced as an Educational Therapist in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Charleston, West Virginia. Dr. Knop speaks on topics related to the brain and learning at conferences, school professional development sessions, and to parents and students across the country. She holds a degree in science education, a Ph.D. in the Dept. of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley, and a graduate-level Certificate in Educational Therapy from UC Berkeley Extension. Dr. Knop is a member of the Association of Educational Therapists, the International Dyslexia Association, and Sigma Xi, an organization that honors those who work in research.
Grace Malonai, Ph.D., LPCC
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, LPC 252
drgracemalonai@summitcenter.us
Dr. Grace Malonai is an interactive, eclectic, and strengths-based psychotherapist who has been providing therapy services to parents, children, teens and families since 1998. She specializes in child and family therapy, gifted children and adults, and developmental concerns. She completed her graduate work at Argosy University, where her dissertation focused on the development of maternal identity. Dr. Malonai has been an instructor at St. Mary’s College of California since 2003, where she has taught Human Development and Family Relationships and a variety of other counseling courses. Her passion for the study of gifted development blossomed when she began homeschooling her exceptional child. She has been a presenter at the Global Center for Gifted and Talented Children and other conferences, is co-founder of the Gifted Identity Project, and a certified SENG Model Parent Group facilitator.
Lisa White, Ph.D.
Registered Psychological Assistant
PSB 34241
drlisawhite@summitcenter.us
Dr. Lisa White provides comprehensive psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations and consultations with families and teachers. She has been working with gifted children and families since 2003. Dr. White has worked at the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics department at Oakland Children’s Hospital and The Berkeley Therapy Institute. Her clinical interests include psychodiagnostic assessment of gifted children, children with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders, and ADD. Dr. Lisa White earned her Ph.D. at the California School of Professional Psychology, where her doctoral dissertation research explored parent-child interactions in families with gifted children. Dr. White also works with families with twins or higher-order multiples, and she facilitates a regular discussion group for new and expectant parents of multiples through Twins By The Bay.
Southern California Staff
Paula Wilkes, Ph.D.
Gifted Education Consultant
drpaulawilkes@summitcenter.us
Dr. Paula Wilkes is a Gifted Education Consultant at the Summit Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Wilkes provides counseling and consultation for parents and students on gifted and “twice-exceptional” issues (including sensitivity and intensity); works as an advocate for gifted students to help schools understand and implement Differentiated Educational Plans; offers educational therapy in the area of reading fluency; and consults on spiritual sensitivity (see below).
Dr. Wilkes recently retired from Pacific University in Eugene, Oregon, where she created and coordinated the Center for Gifted Education for nine years. Before that, Dr. Wilkes was a public school teacher for 25 years in the Eugene School District, where she taught grades 1 – 8 and was a gifted education specialist. She is the author and co-author of curriculum designed to promote higher-level thinking through the dimensions of depth and complexity (J Taylor Education). Dr. Wilkes has experience with bioenergy work that promotes wellness and modulates the negative impacts of high sensitivity and intensity.
Dr. Wilkes is available for face-to-face consultations in Los Angeles, and by Skype internationally, to work with gifted children and adults on issues related to spiritual sensitivity: profound empathy and emotional depth, intuitive insight, a feeling of alienation from the world around them, a strong connection to the natural world. She is interested in helping spiritually sensitive people build on the potential of this sensitivity and diminish the challenges.
Stephanie Meyer, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist, PSY 20399
Clinical Consultant
drstephaniemeyer@summitcenter.us
Dr. Stephanie Meyer is a child psychologist specializing in the comprehensive assessment of young children, with a particular interest in the unique challenges facing gifted preschoolers. She provides initial consultation for parents considering evaluation services at Summit Center in the Los Angeles office. Dr. Meyer received her PhD from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota, conducted her dissertation research at the National Institute of Mental Health, and completed her internship and research fellowship at UCLA. She is currently the Vice President of the Los Angeles Parenting Specialists Network.
Margaret Husbands, Psy.D.
Evaluation Specialist
Registered Psychological Asst., PSB 33878
drmargarethusbands@summitcenter.us
Dr. Margaret Husbands has over twelve years of extensive clinical experience providing bilingual psychology services to children, adolescents and their families. At the Summit Center’s Walnut Creek and Los Angeles offices, Dr. Husbands specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of the gifted, talented, creative and twice-exceptional (2e). She offers comprehensive psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations, individual and family therapy, as well as child advocacy and clinical consultation. Other areas of specialty include learning disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, and developmental disabilities. Dr. Husbands obtained her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2001. Her related interests include writing stories for children with emotional and learning issues.
Connie Wax, MSW, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCS 27430
Counselor, SENG Parent Group Facilitator
conniewax@summitcenter.us
Connie Wax specializes in counseling with gifted and talented children, adults and their families. Connie came to appreciate the unique needs of this group while raising her own gifted children. Her personal experience blossomed into a passion for helping parents of the gifted guide and support their children towards a fulfilling and meaningful life. She is committed to assisting parents navigate the often rough waters of child rearing. In addition to working with the gifted, Connie has provided counseling services to individuals, couples and families since 2000.
Connie is a SENG Model Parent Group Master Facilitator and has been doing SENG Model Parent Groups for 8 years. She is also certified to train others to become SENG facilitators.