Jessica Utley, PhD

Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Jessica Utley is a clinical psychologist at NSG’s Jackson (Ridgeland) clinic, where she completed advanced postdoctoral training in neuropsychology under Dr. Anne Carlew. A Mississippian through and through, she earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Mississippi State University and completed her APA-accredited internship at the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson. She is licensed as a psychologist in the state of Mississippi.

Clinical practice. Dr. Utley evaluates adults and children age 10 and older, with particular focus on ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and complex psychiatric presentations requiring diagnostic clarification. Her neuropsychological training at the Jackson VA spanned dementia — including Alzheimer’s, vascular, and Lewy body presentations — traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and decision-making capacity in older adults, along with psychological evaluations for organ transplant candidacy. Her evaluations are written to be used: diagnostic clarity for the referring provider, and practical recommendations families can carry into schools, workplaces, and treatment.

Before psychology. Dr. Utley’s path to the testing room began in child welfare. She served as an investigator and adoption specialist with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, managing cases for children in long-term foster care and testifying in court on their behalf. That experience — years of sitting with families in crisis and translating complex situations for judges, schools, and caseworkers — still shapes how she works with children and parents today. She later returned to Mississippi to work on a National Institute of Justice-funded study of bullying in high schools before beginning her doctorate.

Research. Dr. Utley’s research on bullying, peer aggression, and serious mental illness has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including Self and Identity, Frontiers in Psychology, and Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, as well as the Routledge International Handbook of Changes in Human Perceptions and Behaviors. Her dissertation built and validated the Bullying Myths Scale, examining why adults minimize peer aggression — work with direct relevance to the children and adolescents she now evaluates. She has presented at national conferences, served as a Graduate Student Delegate for the Mississippi Psychological Association, and co-presented a Mississippi Psychological Association workshop on the mystery and misconceptions of mild traumatic brain injury with Dr. Carlew.

Teaching. Before joining NSG, Dr. Utley taught social psychology as instructor of record at Mississippi State University and served as a teaching assistant for Psychology and the Law — a background that shows in how she explains results: clearly, without jargon, and with patience for questions.

Outside of work, Dr. Utley is a band, football, and baseball mom who enjoys creative writing, horror movies, and attending concerts.