Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimee Dukes.
Hi Aimee, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started as a school psychologist with Metro Nashville Public Schools and was with the school system 25+ years. In 2016, two of my colleagues and fellow licensed psychologists approached me about opening a private practice. I was hesitant at first but eventually got on board. We spent about six months meeting to prepare and in 2017 we opened our practice which was very small and very part-time in the beginning. We agreed to use our earnings from the first year to pay back our start up costs. We paid things off and eventually our practice started to grow through both advertisement and a lot of word of mouth. I retired from the school system in 2024 and NPALA is my full time job now.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would have to say it has been a lot smoother than I anticipated. We’ve had the typical growing pains of a small business in Nashville. We lost our initial sublease which was located close to 8th Avenue so we moved to a location off of 21st Ave. But we started to grow and needed more time in the office and that is what brought us to East Nashville where we now have a full time space. Not being super business savvy, I’ve had to learn that accountants are one’s friend and we also lost a partner to a move to another part of the state.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Nashville Psychological Assessment and Learning Associates, PLLC was founded in 2017 by three licensed psychologists with over twenty combined years of experience working within school districts and clinical settings across the Southeastern United States. We specialize in comprehensive psycho educational assessments of children, adolescents, and adults. We have special expertise in the diagnosis of autism, dyslexia, learning disabilities, developmental delays, intellectual giftedness, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), behavioral disorders, and emotional disturbances that are likely to impact educational and daily functioning.
What sets us apart is our ability to work with adults who are seeking assessments for disorders that are typically thought of as childhood disorders including autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. In fact, I’ve worked with adults in their 50s and 60s. For many of these individuals, it has been a journey of self discovery and they are seeking an answer to the differences they’ve experienced throughout their life. It has been the pleasure of my lifetime to see my clients have “aha” moments and finally understand their own unique experience.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I grew up coming to Nashville to stay with my grandparents who lived in Donelson. I loved getting to visit the “big” city since I grew up in a small town. I officially moved to Nashville after college in 1996. What I loved about Nashville is that although it was big it had a small town feeling where people really knew each other. I am sad to see that small town feeling leaving the city. I love all the new restaurants popping up but I miss some of the old standards. I love all the concerts and sporting event opportunities we have but I hate the traffic the growth has brought.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nashvilleassessment.com/
