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CLINICIANS
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CLINICIANSPaul J. Clear, Ph.D. Clinical PsychologistEmail Paul J. Clear If you are a current patient and you need to reach your clinician, you may call your provider after hours by dialing 713-621-9515 and press 0 to have your clinician paged.
At the Tarnow Center, Dr. Clear spends much of his clinical time working with teenage boys and girls. Although a number of these teens receive treatment related to Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dr. Clear is experienced in dealing with many issues that adolescents encounter during middle and high school years (e.g., motivational issues, disruptive behaviors, and anger management). Dr. Clear offers specialized diagnostic testing for this population, and he readily consults with other Tarnow Center clinicians in order to design effective individualized treatment plans. His approach to therapy includes working in close collaboration with parents to aid in the treatment of their teen. During the summer, Dr. Clear conducts a four-week "Transitioning to High School" educational group. The emphasis of this group is on helping students prepare for new academic and social challenges. Students learn how to get "plugged in" to high school social groups and activities (e.g., band, drama club, sports). They also learn how to manage new temptations. Academic topics include time management strategies as well as organization and study skills. This group is co-facilitated by Lynn Ayers, M.Ed. Dr. Clear sees many adult patients in his practice as well. His use of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to solve problems helps people understand how their thoughts and feelings influence their behaviors. CBT is commonly used to help people with a wide range of issues including depression, anxiety, anger management, addiction, and trauma as well as many others. During the course of therapy, clients learn important life skills such as how to identify and change unhealthy thought patterns, and they learn how negative thoughts influence their feelings and behaviors. Dr. Clear offers specialized psychological evaluations for adolescents, adults, and older adults to assist in diagnosis. Areas of testing include Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), general intellectual ability, personality style, and neuropsychological screening of cognitive skills (attention and concentration, memory, language abilities, and visual-spatial skills). Dr. Clear regularly conducts these evaluations for his own patients, those of other Tarnow Center clinicians, as well as outside physicians and counselors. Dr. Clear's interest in clinical psychology developed during his previous careers, which include 24 years as a police officer and a successful tour in the U.S. Army. As a police officer, he gained important first-hand experience assisting individuals with a multitude of problems including crime victimization, family conflict, and disruptive behaviors involving youth. He regularly authors articles for the Tarnow Center newsletter, and his research has been published in the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. |
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Paul J. Clear is a licensed psychologist having earned his Ph.D. and Master of Arts in clinical psychology from the University of Houston and his Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Harvard University. Dr. Clear received his training and clinical experience at the Psychology Research and Services Center at the University of Houston, the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, and the Tarnow Center. At the Psychology Research and Services Center, he worked with children, teens, and their families as well as adults. Presenting problems included depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and interpersonal relationship issues. At the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dr. Clear treated veterans experiencing depression and anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia and other psychoses, and adjustment issues related to medical problems.