Edward R. Amend, Psy.D., is a Clinical Psychologist at The Amend Group in Lexington, Kentucky. The Amend Group is a comprehensive center for psychological, educational, and gifted services. Dr. Amend is licensed to provide services in both Kentucky and Ohio, and his work focuses on the social, emotional, psychological, and educational needs of gifted, talented, and twice-exceptional (2e) youth and their families.
Dr. Amend provides evaluations and therapy for a variety of special needs populations, including gifted children and adolescents, children with learning disabilities and attention disorders, and 2e children. He facilitates both child and parent discussion and education groups and offers consultation and training for school personnel. He is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences, covering issues on mental health, counseling, social/emotional needs of gifted and 2e children, specific disorders such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder, and common misdiagnoses of gifted students. Additional speaking topics include parenting, underachievement, anxiety and stress, perfectionism, educational planning, and affective interventions.
Dr. Amend has a long history of advocating for gifted students. He is a Director Emeritus of SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) after having served on the Board of Directors in various roles over five years, including Secretary-Treasurer. He served as President of the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education (KAGE) Board of Directors after being a District Representative for six years. He has also held the Chair position for the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Social and Emotional Development Network (previously known as the Counseling and Guidance Division). He remains actively involved with NAGC, particularly with the Assessments of Giftedness Special Interest Group. Dr. Amend is a consultant for the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), APA’s Division 53 (Child-Clinical Psychology), and the Kentucky Psychological Association. He has served as a contributing editor for Roeper Review and is a reviewer for other journals of gifted education.
Born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Dr. Amend graduated with highest honor from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1990. He completed his doctoral training in 1994 at the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology in Dayton, Ohio, where he was mentored by Great Potential Press founder Dr. James T. Webb, with whom he worked closely until Dr. Webb’s death in 2018. Dr. Amend completed his internship/residency at Northeast Ohio Medical University (formerly Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine), where he served as chief intern. He has worked in both private practice and community mental health settings, as well as in consulting positions with clinics and hospitals during his years of service.