Ginger Peterson

A female therapist will begin seeing patients at Overton Psychological Services next week. Ginger Peterson, who has recently completed a masters degree at the Walden University in Minneapolis, will be starting a practicum study with Dr. Jared Overton beginning Monday, March 7.

The six month practicum will be the beginning of the field training for a PhD in Psychology for Peterson. During that time she will work with patients under the careful supervision of Dr. Overton.

The practicum in southern Nevada will be something of a homecoming for Peterson. Though she completed her classwork in Minnesota, she grew up in Las Vegas.

Bringing another therapist into the practice has been a goal for some time, said Dr. Overton. The small practice has been operating out of its downtown Overton office at 145 S. Moapa Valley Blvd #2 for the past two years. In that time, the practice has fulfilled a significant need in the community, Overton said.

“When we set up the office here, I built a couple of extra office spaces with the idea that I’d have more people seeing patients here,” Overton said. “This will bring that into reality.”

Overton said that Peterson would bring some distinct advantages to the local practice.

“Some people prefer seeing a female therapist,” he said. “This can address that sort of sensitive gender issue.”

In addition, seeing a practicum student will bring down the cost of therapy sessions for patients. The fee will be adjusted down to the cost of a typical insurance co-pay which is in the range of $20-$45, Overton said.

After Peterson’s six month practicum is complete, it is likely that she will move on to complete a year-long internship at another location, Overton said. But Overton hopes that he might bring other similar arrangements to the community in the future.

“Having another therapist brings another perspective and different training in,” Overton said. “I think it will add more diversity to the practice.”

Peterson will be available to see patients on Mondays thru Thursdays 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Appointments may be scheduled now by calling Overton Psychological Services at 702-397-2900.