4455 Brookfield Corporate Dr.
Suite 101 • Chantilly, VA 20151
703.378.7998
5602 Shields Drive
Bethesda, Maryland 20817
301.581.1120
Rachna Varia co-founded MindWell in 2004 and serves as the Director of Testing and Diagnostics. Dr. Varia has been a licensed clinical psychologist for over 12 years. After becoming a parent, she saw a need to create a professional clinic in a warm, family friendly setting that understood the needs of parents and children. Dr. Varia trademarked MindWell in 2009 and now helps operate both the Chantilly and Bethesda offices.
Dr. Varia graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with highest honors and distinction with a bachelor’s degree in psychology (BA) in 1993. She received a Masters in Education (M.Ed) in 1994 and a doctorate in clinical psychology (PhD) in 1998 from the University of Virginia. Dr. Varia’s predoctoral internship was at the prestigious Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Hospital, associated with Stanford University. Dr. Varia then completed a post doctoral fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center where she was appointed to the Department of Psychiatry faculty. Dr. Varia worked as the Psychological Assessment Coordinator at the Alexandria Mental Health Center for four years, supervising interns, and serving as the main assessor for the youth and family, geriatric, and adult services units. She started private practice in 2002.
Dr. Varia’s expertise lies with comprehensive assessment that teases out subtle and complex diagnostic questions. She works hard at understanding and explaining in plain language the interaction between behavioral, educational, and emotional findings to best inform both home and school recommendations.
Dr. Varia enjoys conducting learning disability (psychoeducational) testing and has a special interest in early detection of reading disorders, particularly the different subtypes of dyslexia. Dr. Varia also enjoys testing for and explaining Aspergers Syndrome to families, so that they understand that there are many different ways this disorder can affect an individual and family emotionally, cognitively, and socially.
Dr. Varia is a board member of the Washington Independent Services for Educational Services and thus is connected with many of the tutoring and private schools in the metro area. She is also a board member/psychological consultant at the Auburn School, a school specifically geared towards those with Aspergers. She has been a guest speaker at a number of private and public schools in the area to discuss psychoeducational testing. Dr. Varia is a forensic certified psychologist in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She has served as an expert witness in city, county, and federal courts, including the US Court of Appeals. She is a member of the International Dyslexia Association, Northern Virginia Society of Clinical Psychologists, Virginia Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Association.
Her publications include articles on perceptions of abuse and attachment and she has been published in The Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect and The Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. She has been involved in research projects at Duke University, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia, and Stanford University.
Dr. Varia is married and has two children. She enjoys reading and practicing yoga when she is not driving her kids around Northern Virginia and thinking about how to better balance work and family!