Most Frequently Asked Questions of Dr. Zari Alipour

Please take a moment to read this before hiring Dr. Zari.

What are the different types of presentations that you offer?

I offer presentations for various types of audiences from students, teachers, counselors and mixed audiences.

If you click on the Speeches & Seminars navigation bar on this website, you’ll see detailed descriptions of each of my presentations.  If you would like to discuss which one might be appropriate for you, contact me at 310-574-3832 and we’ll set up a time to talk about what you’d like a presentation to accomplish and which one I would suggest given your needs.

How long have you been working with adolescents and how ?

I completed my post doctoral hours in1996-1997 in children services in the County of Orange, CA, where I had an opportunity to work for 12 years as a school nurse and later as a psychologist in the area of substance abuse with dependent adolescents and troubled college students.  The settings have been both clinical and in the schools.

How did you get to be a specialist with adolescents and the adults who interface with them?

Through my educational and medical training as well as on the job experience as a nurse and psychologist since the early 90’s, I decided to focus my time with students and the adults in their lives.  Personally speaking, I made decisions at a very young age that informed the decisions I made.  I believe that given the facts, often children are able to make decisions that are in their best interests.

Who are your clients exactly?

My clients are adults and adolescents who have different challenges.  I am particularly interested in focusing on how to help students navigate through life to graduate from high school and college successfully.  And since adolescents mirror the habits of adults, I am currently expanding my speaking range to include various adult audiences who struggle with healthy choices, difficult times and seek solutions to everyday concerns.

What kind of results can I expect?

Generally speaking, results depend on the individual.  My hope is that my audiences walk away inspired to make decisions that are in their best interests and empowered with the words and accountability tools that reinforce healthy choices.  My philosophy is to bring out the best in people.

How are you different from other speakers with your expertise?

My philosophy is based on my personal experience growing up in a dramatically different culture from my present culture here in the United States.  At great peril to myself, I refused to stop reading books and at the age of 12 when I was forbidden to attend school, I started my own sewing business so that I could secretly buy books to continue my studies.  At the root of that experience is my belief that individuals have to be accountable for the consequences of their own actions.

What type of organization is your presentation not going to work for?

Those organizations fall into three categories:  Organizations where personal growth and human potential is not a priority, educational organizations that don’t invest in helping adolescents learn to make wise choices and organizations where campus safety and/or addiction prevention is not a top priority.

If I am gathering the best candidates for the event, is there a video of you speaking or an event where I see you speak live?

Most of my presentations have not as yet been recorded.  I am currently working on gathering footage so that my work can be previewed.  Please contact my office to see if there is a future event where I am speaking that is open to the public.

What happens if I want to hold a date with you until we make a final decision?

If you have a specific date for your meeting, but have not made a final decision, we can hold a date for you.  If another client requests the same date and is ready to make a firm offer with a deposit, you will be given 24 hours to make your final decision with payment or release the date.

How do I confirm our invitation for you to speak and how do we pay you?

To secure the date, an agreement will be issued, which must be signed and returned within two weeks and requires a 50% deposit.  The remaining 50% is due two weeks before the event date.

Checks are to be made payable to Dr. Zari Alipour.  (Tax ID #205874858)

What is your speaking fee?

I have a standard fee schedule which I will email to you immediately upon request.  As you read through my presentations, call me to set up a time to talk about the length of your program, the location, the size and profile of the audience.  We’ll discuss the investment for each of my presentations and see which best suits your needs.

Do you offer any discounts and accept credit cards?

I have offered discounts, but I do not always offer discounts.  Yes, I accept credit card payments.

We have three different needs for a speaker at the same event.  Will you speak more than once at the same event for the same fee?

I enjoy doing multiple presentations at the same event.  We offer a 50% discount for additional programs booked for the same day at the same conference. The first program is contracted at full price and every additional program is contracted at half price.  Also, we offer a 15% discount for additional programs booked by the same client but held on additional days. The discount is applicable only if the contracts are issued simultaneously.

Does your speaking fee include expenses?

Travel expenses are in addition to the speaking fee.  Expenses include r/t airfare from Los Angeles, CA or previous day’s host city, ground transportation, lodging, tips and meals. Hotel reservations are to be made by the client and charges are to be billed directly to the organization’s master account.  Expenses will be invoiced to client as soon as the receipts are available.  Payment is due upon receipt.

OK, I know which program I want.  How do I reserve the date and time with you?

The fastest way to confirm a booking is to call me at 310-574-3832.

Your name is on the short list of prospective speakers in which we’re interested but I have a couple of additional questions.  May I call you?

Of course. I usually return phone calls within 24 hours, often the same day.  My office number is 310-574-3832 .

 

ABOUT ZARI ALIPOUR, Ph.D.

Few would have bet on Zari Alipour becoming a Ph.D. in America.  Raised in Abbadan, Iran, growing up in a culture shrouded by gender inequality, Zari’s father informed her that she could no longer go to school.  At the age of 12, he said that her place in society was now to provide domestic chores for the family.

But in her mind, the world Zari wanted to inhabit was about continuous learning.   “Reading and learning was my escape,” Zari says, “my way of feeling alive.”

Having excelled in school and being enterprising even as a child, Zari taught herself to sew.  She began to sell dresses to the girls and women in her neighborhood.  With the money she earned, she was able to secretly purchase books and continue to learn on her own knowing that she would be punished if caught.

“Real growth isn’t just about tests and measurements.  It’s about minute to minute decisions, taking the high road and living in a way that benefits you and those around you in a positive way.”

Ultimately choosing to return to school, Zari graduated from high school and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from the University of Tabriz. In 1979 at the age of 20 and amidst the Iranian Revolution, Zari escaped the turmoil by immigrating to the United States where she diligently continued her education and enjoyed American ideals such as freedom of speech and women’s rights.

She took the California state board of nursing exams and began working as an intensive care nurse.  After 10 years in the field, Zari returned to school and obtained her doctorate in psychology.

Dr. Zari is a licensed psychologist in the State of California. Additionally, she is a certified alcohol and drug counselor, a clinical hypnotherapist and a neuro-linguistic practitioner.

She is a member in good standing with the Los Angeles County Psychological Association and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Being a woman of two very different cultures, Dr. Zari has learned the skills, insights and objectivity necessary to successfully evaluate challenges that she and others face and provide the support imperative in carrying out a positive plan of action.

“Each of us is responsible for our own destiny. It has been my honor to witness people transforming their lives and living their dream.”