Director and Supervisors

Nicole Beadles, Associate Professor and Director of CAS

Dr. Beadles is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She has been a part of the School Psychology Program at Mason since 2011 and served as the Academic Program Coordinator from 2013 to 2023. Additionally, she has been providing supervision to Mason’s graduate students since 2011. Dr. Beadles graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, and a minor in Italian. She continued her study of psychology at James Madison University, where she received her Masters and Educational Specialist degrees in School Psychology. After working for a number of years in the schools, Dr. Beadles went on to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Virginia. Dr. Beadles has spent more than a decade working in the local public schools (including Fairfax, Montgomery, and Howard County), as well as in international schools in Geneva, Switzerland and Brussels, Belgium. She has also worked in the neuropsychology department at the University of Virginia hospital, as well as in residential and outpatient settings. Throughout the years, Dr. Beadles has focused her practice on helping children and adolescents with academic, social, and emotional needs, and she specializes in assessment.

Maral Abooali, Supervisor

Maral Abooali is a Licensed School Psychologist and Nationally Certified School Psychologist. She graduated with honors from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minor in Chemistry. Ms. Abooali continued her studies in psychology by earning a Master’s degree and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in School Psychology from George Mason University. She worked as a school psychologist for six years in Loudoun County Public Schools, primarily supporting students at the secondary level. Her varied experiences include psychological assessment, eligibility for special education services and 504 accommodations, schoolwide social-emotional and behavioral supports, individual and group counseling, crisis response, and problem solving with parents and school staff to support students’ unique needs. Ms. Abooali currently works in private practice, where she completes comprehensive psychoeducational and psychological assessments to identify a wide range of presenting concerns, including Specific Learning Disorders, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), developmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and behavioral and mood disorders (e.g., anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, etc.). Additionally, Ms. Abooali provides individual therapy services to children and adolescents to help them gain self-awareness and the necessary coping skills to address a variety of mental health concerns. Ms. Abooali enjoys working with future school psychologists and fostering their skills in conducting ethical, culturally sensitive and high-quality assessments.

Megan Davis, Supervisor

Megan Davis is a Licensed School Psychologist in Virginia who holds National Certification in School Psychology. She graduated from Villanova University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and then earned a Master’s Degree and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in School Psychology from George Mason University. She worked as a school psychologist for more than a decade in local public school systems (Arlington, Charles, and Fairfax Counties) with students at the preschool, elementary, and secondary levels. Her varied experiences include psychological assessment, eligibility for IEP and 504, social-emotional-behavioral supports, counseling, crisis response, problem solving with parents and school staff, and participation in a district-wide committee regarding the identification of dyslexia characteristics. In addition to her role as an Advanced Assessment Supervisor, Ms. Davis is the Director of the Cognitive Assessment Program (CAP) at Mason. She enjoys guiding new generations of practicing school psychologists as they learn to conduct ethical and meaningful assessments for children, adolescents, and their families.

Amber Ong, Supervisor

Amber Ong is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. She graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and then earned a Master’s degree in Education, and a PhD in School Psychology from Temple University. Dr. Ong has worked in a variety of settings including: clinical, private, and school. In addition to her role as an Advanced Assessment Supervisor, Dr. Ong is a current school psychologist for Fairfax County Public Schools. Her varied areas of expertise include supervision, comprehensive assessment, social/emotional and behavioral intervention, individual and group counseling, crisis response and consultation. She is passionate about supporting early year psychologists in culturally responsive and ethical assessment and intervention.

Peter Thaxter, Supervisor

Dr. Thaxter is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Licensed School Psychologist in Virginia. He graduated from The College of William & Mary with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a minor in Music. After completing his undergraduate education, Dr. Thaxter attended DePaul University in Chicago, IL where he received his Masters and Ph.D. in Clinical-Child Psychology, completing his pre-doctoral internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Thaxter has worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, private practice, and educational environments as an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapist, child and family therapist, and an examiner conducting pediatric neuropsychology evaluations. Primarily, Dr. Thaxter specializes in assessment and evaluation of a wide range of presenting concerns, including Specific Learning Disabilities, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), behavioral disorders, and developmental disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In addition to supervising school psychology graduate students at Mason, Dr. Thaxter works as a School Psychologist for Prince William County Public Schools and as an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Mary Washington.