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Dr. Milton Gearing

Clinical Director

A therapist with glasses and a kind expression sits in a warmly lit office, with a vase of dried flowers behind him
Dr. Milton Gearing, Clinical Director at GearingUP
Dr. Milton Gearing, Clinical Director at GearingUP

Meet Dr. Milt Gearing

Dr. Milt Gearing is one of the most respected experts in psychological testing and the assessment of mental health issues in North Texas for various populations including adults, adolescents, and children. As the Clinical Director of GearingUP Counseling Centers, he oversees and supervises all psychological evaluations, attention and cognitive assessments, education evaluations, and threat assessments in the practice. His testing department completes hundreds of evaluations per year and he is well known for his extraordinary expertise in using testing results to shape and customize effective treatment plans for clients at GearingUP and beyond. All of GearingUP’s clinicians rely heavily on his expertise and utilize his findings to refine and update treatment goals, assess outcomes, and advise clients about ongoing clinical issues.

Dr. Gearing has been married to Dr. Sylvia Gearing for over forty years. The Gearings have two grown sons and a wonderful daughter in law. Their younger son, Chris Gearing, is the CEO of GearingUP Counseling Centers, Inc. and oversees all marketing, financial, and business matters for the clinic. Dr. Gearing’s older son, Charles, is a commercial litigation attorney in Dallas and his daughter in law, Rachael, is an attorney specializing in health care law.

Dr. Milton Gearing, Clinical Director at GearingUP

Dr. Milt's Experience

Dr. Milt completed his undergraduate education at the College of William and Mary. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the distinguished graduate program at the University of South Carolina. Dr. Gearing then pursued his post-doctoral training at the prestigious Masterson Institute in New York City. During his postdoctoral training, he worked with internationally renowned psychiatrist, Dr. James Masterson. Dr. Masterson was one of the original theorists and foremost experts on the treatment of Personality Disorders.

Dr. Milt began his career with unprecedented success in research and publishing his work in professional journals. His academic publications include research on the MMPI in prison populations published in the prestigious Psychological Bulletin, PTSD treatment in hospital settings, as well as collaborating on multiple studies with the VA Hospital in Dallas. Following the completion of his doctorate in clinical psychology, Dr. Milt ran multiple hospital and state agency units including the Substance Abuse Unit at Terrell State Hospital and the Plano Child Guidance Clinic. In addition to his clinical treatment work in these positions, he supervised all psychological testing and evaluations, participated in recruitment and credentialing of professional staff, and worked in program development. He has been in private practice in Plano since founding GearingUP with his wife Dr. Sylvia Gearing in 1986.

Dr. Milton Gearing, Clinical Director at GearingUP
Dr. Milton Gearing, Clinical Director at GearingUP

Dr. Milt's Work at GearingUP

Dr. Milt is a member of GearingUP’s senior DBT leadership team and shapes much of the DBT treatment at GearingUP after completing formal Intensive Training (Level 3 Training) with Behavioral Tech, Dr. Marsha Linehan’s research and training institute for DBT. In addition, Dr. Milt’s highly respected programs in parenting and effective communication with emotionally dysregulated children and teens have won him a wide following in the Dallas area. He collaborated with his wife, Dr. Sylvia Gearing, in writing and presenting the DBT for Parents and Families program to support modern parents. Their innovative program combines key elements of DBT with useful tools from Collaborative Parenting Program, principles of Mindfulness Training, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Children (DBT-C).

Therapies Dr. Milt Utilizes In Session

  • A woman with long blonde hair sits on a couch, smiling while talking on her phone in a warmly lit room with plants

    Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

    The skills-based system and emotional regulation strategies in DBT were found to be almost universally helpful to clients looking to regain control of their thoughts and emotions. Much like CBT, researchers have shown that DBT is also effective for virtually any type of client – ages 7-60+, all genders and sexual orientations, all races and ethnicities, and more.

    GearingUP DBT
  • Person with curly hair wearing a gray tank top sits calmly in a kitchen setting, eyes closed and lips pursed

    Mindfulness Based Therapies

    A regular practice of mindfulness meditation every day could lead to significant benefits for practitioners in terms of mental clarity and focus, stress reduction, emotional calm, and much more. Researchers even found physical benefits like lower blood pressure, increased body awareness, decreased pain, increased immunity, and decreased chance of heart disease and other chronic illnesses.

    GearingUP Mindfulness

Online Sessions

Sessions are available online by secure video from home.

  • Online

    Secure video sessions from home, with the same care you would get in the office.

Dr. Milton Gearing Reviews

Read all 16 reviews

Dr. Gearing has helped me work through abuse and the PTSD that resulted to get me to the point that it no longer rules my life. Could not be more pleased with the results of the therapy!!

Incredible counseling with kindhearted therapists. I have been on and off with Melissa for over 10 years and absolutely love her down to earth personality. Both of the Gearing's are sweet people who seem to truly care about my wellbeing and finding the best fit for me. They all have been such blessings for me and my family throughout the years so I would definitely recommend giving them a try and seeing their services in action!

Dr. Milton Gearing helped me with personal and relationship issues. He taught me how to counter negative thoughts with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and many other things that have helped me find lasting happiness. I'm forever grateful to him and highly recommend him for anyone looking for help.

When I started coming here two years ago, I suffered a severe case of PTSD. The staff and Dr Hearing helped me a lot in finding ways to help cope and learn life lessons on how to handle attacks. The staff listened to me and actually helped instead of just listening yet not being proactive. I am thankful for the help I got here.

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