Dr. Gambles is licensed for independent practice in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Dr. Gambles is currently the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of D. Gambles & Associates, a psychological consulting group formed in 2009. D. Gambles & Associates offer specialized services in psychological evaluations, forensic evaluations, consultation services, conducting workshops and seminars.
Dr. Gambles earned a Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University in Atlanta, Georgia. She completed a one-year master’s internship at the Atlanta Veterans Center where she worked with combat veterans with severe mental illness, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and their families. She provided individual, group, and couples therapy to veterans and their families. While at the Atlanta Veteran’s Center, she specialized in the treatment of PTSD with Vietnam veterans with co-occurring disorders. Prior to her departure from the Atlanta Veteran Center, Dr. Gambles designed and led a group for the younger combat veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The group was well received by the staff and the OEF veterans and later became a staple of treatment for the center.
Dr. Gambles earned a Master of Art degree in psychology and a Doctor of Psychology Degree from Florida Institute of Technology, in Melbourne, FL. During graduate training Dr. Gambles worked as a Psychology Intern at Patrick Air Force Base where she conducted psychological evaluations for active duty Airmen who were deploying or redeploying. She conducted brief assessments to determine either risk for symptoms of posttraumatic stress or if symptoms were currently presenting and their severity. Dr. Gambles also conducted therapy with airmen diagnosed with PTSD using EMDR and CBT modes of therapy. Dr. Gambles’ work with the Air Force supported her graduate research in the same area of interest. Her Doctoral Research project titled Army ROTC Cadets: Hardiness and Pre- Deployment Risk Factors for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder investigated the relationship between the Hardiness Personal Views Survey (PVS-IIIR) and the Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory (DRRI). These measures were designed to specifically help design proactive interventions for combat veterans exposed to traumatic events.
Dr. Gambles began leading workshops during graduate school. While employed as a staff therapist for the Family Learning Program, a program specializing in treating victims and families of incest, she began her training as a specialist in sexual trauma. She provided treatment for both victims and offenders. In 2006, Dr. Gambles along with Juanita Baker, PhD and Jill Nicolino, M.A organized and delivered presentations for a Statewide Training for Sexual Abuse Treatment Programs in Jacksonville, Florida titled Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Children Traumatized by Sexual Abuse. In addition to the statewide training, Dr. Gambles has conducted numerous trainings related to sexual trauma.
Dr. Gambles completed her Pre-doctoral Internship in Washington DC at St. Elizabeths Hospital –John Howard Pavilion (JHP) in Forensics. During internship, Dr. Gambles provided mental health evaluations and care to patients committed by the courts to include patients who were adjudicated Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity and those who were accused of crimes and
awaiting trial. Dr. Gambles continued her training with specialized treatment and assessment of Sex Offenders during her internship. Dr. Gambles began her Post-Doctoral Residency training at St. Elizabeths JHP before leaving to take a staff psychologist position in Maryland. Prior to leaving St Elizabeths she developed and implemented a Multi-family group that included chronic patients and their family members who were being considered for release in the community. This group was well received and continues to be a part of the Hospital’s offerings to patients looking forward to release.
After leaving St. Elizabeths, Dr. Gambles accepted a position at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center (CTPHC), a Maximum Security Forensic Hospital in Jessup MD as a staff psychologist. She continued to specialize in the treatment and assessment of sex offenders practicing as the only sex offender treatment professional in the hospital. In addition to sex offender treatment, Dr. Gambles also served as the resident expert in behavior modification. In late 2010, she developed and implemented a hospital wide training in behavior modification prior to the implementation of a high profile behavior modification plan with an extremely violent patient. The training and plan was extremely successful and has since changed the hospital’s approach to treatment of long-term violent patients.
Dr. Gambles subscribes to the belief that human behavior should be viewed on a continuum and that individuals have a unique ability to adapt and evolve, integrating their experiences from the past and present to inform their futures. Her psychological perspective seeks to combine the multifaceted theories of psychology with the complex factors that mitigate human behavior.
Dr. Gambles has a special affinity for educating others with a goal towards empowerment. To that end, Dr. Gambles has been a presenter in multiple venues such as high schools, the Urban League, community colleges, Crisis Intervention Team annual trainings, regional training workshops, state hospitals, and the Media as a member of an expert panel on a local radio program.