About Paul Shawler, PhD

Licensed Child Clinical and Adolescent Psychologist 

Paul M. Shawler, PhD

A brief history

Dr. Shawler is an expert in Child and Adolescent Psychology with over a decade of experience supporting families. Prior to opening Shawler Psychology, PLLC, he served as the Chief Psychologist for Oklahoma's state-wide juvenile justice agency, the Office of Juvenile Affairs. He served as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics for the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and had an adjunct appointment in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences within the College of Medicine. Additionally, he served 14 years in the Army National Guard achieving the rank of Major before deciding to leave the military to focus on his family and civilian career. 

Dr. Shawler earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology at West Virginia University and went on to work in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities in Massachusetts and California before returning to graduate school at Oklahoma State University. He earned his Masters' and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Child and Adolescent Psychology. He completed his predoctoral internship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and completed his post-doctoral fellowship within the Section of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics at OU Health Children's Hospital. 

Dr Shawler served as lead psychology faculty for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program at OUHSC funded through the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. He was appointed by the governor to serve on Oklahoma's State Advisory Group (SAG) for juvenile justice given his expertise in prevention, early childhood mental health, understanding of trauma, and developmental disabilities

Dr. Shawler consults and trains nationally for a variety of organizations serving youth and families. He has published numerous peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals. He has particular interest in dissemination and implementation of evidence-based treatments and policy aimed at improving the lives of children and families. He founded the Oklahoma City Mighty Mouth Kids Camp, a speciality service for children with Selective Mutism with training from world renown expert and treatment creator Dr. Steven Kurtz. He further founded a program for young children with autism spectrum disorder focused on puberty and social skills. He has in-depth expertise working with parents and children who present with challenging behavior, in particular utilizing Parent-Child Interaction Therapy after years of working with master trainers across the country. He enjoys working on interdisciplinary teams and partnering with other community members. His diversity of experiences has prepared him well to manage a multitude of presenting needs and concerns. He looks forward to working with you! 

Dr. Paul Shawler opened his practice in Carbondale, IL when he and his wife moved for her to join the faculty within the Psychological and Behavioral Sciences program at Southern Illinois University (SIU). He has a faculty appointment at SIU where he teaches doctoral level graduate clinical psychology courses and supervises clinical work. 

Training Child Welfare workers
Presentation for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges 

Paul Shawler, PhD Curriculum Vita

P.Shawler.Vita.2022