Dr. Sylvia Scott Gearing

Nationally renowned psychologist and author, Sylvia Gearing, Ph.D. has been a pioneer in psychology for over twenty years. As an author and TV expert, she has impacted the lives of millions. From 1997 to 1998, she was a frequent contributor in women's issues on NBC's Today Show in New York. For almost two decades she has been featured on hundreds of newscasts, radio shows, and talk shows including Dr. Phil, Donahue, Geraldo and Sally Jesse Raphael. She is a frequent contributor for bloggers, academicians, and popular writers and she has been quoted in numerous books. Her television appearances and video blogs have been featured on Huffington Post, AOL.com and CNN.com. Currently, Dr. Gearing is the psychology contributor to the local CBS 11 News where she reports on a variety of topics including criminal behavior, parenting, addictions, neuroscience, politics, celebrity meltdowns, marriage, communication issues, bullying, child development, and many more important mental health issues. Her blogs and videos have drawn over 600,000 visits from around the world since May 2010.

Dr. Gearing has been a popular speaker in Dallas and around the country on women’s and girl’s issues, personal and professional excellence, and emotional intelligence. She has spoken for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, J.C. Penney, Forbes Magazine, Infiniti Automobile, Andrews and Kurth, Deloitte and Touche, and Hunton and Williams. Her speeches capture the unique perspective of a career psychologist who has worked in broadcast media for over a decade. These two highly divergent disciplines have shaped her understanding of how to effectively empower people while leading them to lasting change.

Dr. Gearing graduated Magna cum Laude in psychology from Duke University and completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. She studied at the prestigious Masterson Institute in New York City for several years where she worked with internationally renowned James Masterson M.D. Both in her clinical practice and in the many leadership positions she has held in hospitals and clinics, Dr. Gearing made many of the discoveries in relationships, stress, and women's issues that have brought her national acclaim.

Her first book, “Female Executive Stress Syndrome: The Working Woman's Guide to a Balanced and Successful Life” (Summit, 1994), launched her national media career. She has been featured in many publications including the Wall Street Journal, Modern Bride, Ladies Home Journal, Weight Watcher's Magazine, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Dallas Morning News. In addition, her videos on stress and working women were featured on thousands of United Airlines flights in the late nineties.In 1995, Dr. Gearing was honored by the National Association of Executive Women for her book and she was featured on the cover of the association's magazine, which is distributed to over 250,000 women worldwide. Her second book, “Woman-Sense Rules!” (Anderson Adams, 2003), included stories and strategies from her years as a field clinician and TV expert.

In addition to her writing and media work, Dr. Gearing practices is the Executive Director of Gearing Up! Counseling Centers where she oversees a professional staff of ten counselors. Her husband, Dr. Milton Gearing is the Director of Clinical Services. The Gearings’ acclaimed counseling center addresses the mental health needs of thousands of North Texas adults, teens and children with the latest, most effective approaches in clinical psychology.

Dr. Gearing is writing her third book, “Growing Girls Strong: A Mother Mentor’s Handbook.” It walks mothers through her ground breaking emotional coaching system for mothers and their daughters. This important book teaches mothers how to teach the most important emotional core competencies for female success—emotional self awareness and self regulation, key skills in deciphering danger and avoiding threats, calming and focusing skills, the ability to recalibrate after stress and interpersonal effectiveness. With these skills, a “strong girl” can stand up to bullies, protect herself from manipulators, overcome internal negativity, and forge her path straight to success.

In addition, Dr. Gearing has recently completed the editing of her late father’s book, “You Can Hear the Angels Laughing.” Dr. Madison Scott was a renowned Southern Baptist minister whose sermons and prayers were acclaimed by governors, senators, and presidents. Over the years, he jotted down humorous stories of his life as a minister, key life lessons of Christian faith and moments of waking worship. Remarkably, these memorable stories lay undiscovered in a garage file cabinet until many years after his death. Now Dr. Gearing presents her father’s heartfelt stories and reflections as a reminder that the soul truly does go on after death. “You Could Hear the Angels Laughing” will be published in June 2012.

Dr. Gearing is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Texas Psychological Association and the National Health Service Providers in Psychology. Married to Dr. Milton Gearing for over twenty-nine years, she is the devoted mother of two grown sons.