Dr. Milton 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 Gearing Up 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 Gearing Up and beyond. All of Gearing Up’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. 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, the Plano Child Guidance Clinic, and Charter Psychiatric Hospital. 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 Gearing Up with his wife Dr. Sylvia Gearing in 1986.

Dr. Milt is a member of Gearing Up’s senior DBT leadership team and shapes much of the DBT treatment at Gearing Up 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).

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 Gearing Up 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.