About Dr. Busch

David T. Busch, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist serving primarily children, adolescents and families, though he does see a few adults individually. He describes his work as a calling, not a career.  At age seven, growing up in Texas, he told his mother that when he grew up, he was going to be someone who children could talk to. Dr. Busch pursued his calling through study at Lamar University, and at East Texas State University (now a part of Texas A&M), where he received his Ph.D. in Psychology.

Between his Master’s Degree and Doctoral work, Dr. Busch taught fourth and then twelfth grade in Texas public schools. He left his work with primary and secondary school children to continue his graduate education.  After completing his Doctorate, he taught at Columbia College for two years and then secured a tenure track position at Valdosta State University.  There, he was the first person in the history of the department, of fifteen faculty members, to be granted promotion on the first attempt, and the following year he was the first person in the history of the department to be granted Tenure on the first application.  Dr. Busch also had a private practice in Valdosta.  He averaged a presentation a month at professional conferences during the decade he taught at VSU.

A leader in his field, Dr. Busch has been honored in Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, 2,000 Outstanding People of the 20^th Century, Who’s Who Among Outstanding Americans, The International Book of Honor, and Who’s Who in the World. Dr. Busch was the second Registered Play Therapist Supervisor in Georgia. 

An avid outdoorsman, Dr. Busch and his family often vacationed in the northern part of the state and fell in love with the Appalachian Mountains.  He became the first person to resign after having been granted tenure in the University System of Georgia, moving his family to the small community of Cherry Log, Georgia. He thus began his full time private practice in the nearby town of Ellijay, Georgia, in 1996. 

He first started helping children professionally in 1977 and has served more than 5,000 people. His practice continues to thrive with a full calendar, with some clients travelling hours seeking his help.  Dr. Busch has never done any marketing, yet has had no openings on his clinic calendar in the 48 years he has been helping children and adolescents.  He offers cutting edge assessments and treatment for all kinds of children’s issues, offering a subspecialty in ADHD assessment and treatment.

Dr. Busch remains an avid outdoorsman, maintaining a large year-round organic garden of open-pollenated vegetables, a greenhouse of tropical fruits, and an extensive orchard of nut and fruit trees, berry bushes, grape vines, and dozens of varieties of medicinal and culinary herbs, on a 55 acre property adjacent to the Rich Mountain Wildlife Management Area of the Chattahoochee National Forest.  Dr. Busch is also a beekeeper and raises chickens, ducks, and rabbits.  He also regularly teaches workshops on sustainable organic gardening and has developed his own brand of organic fertilizer known as Dr. Dave’s Ultimate Living Fertilizer, which is sold in retail garden centers in several states and online.  It has the highest NPK ratio of any organic fertilizer on the market.  He enjoys connecting his clients with nature, encouraging the children to start their own gardens at home, giving them seeds and fertilizer to help them get off to a good start.