Most families come to me stuck in the same place: something is getting in the way of learning, but no one has given them clear answers or a plan they can move forward with.
Clarity about what's really going on. A thorough assessment that goes beyond basic checklists to capture how your child learns, processes, feels, and engages with the world around them.
A roadmap you can follow. Concrete strategies and next steps for home, school, and everyday life, not a pile of jargon-filled paperwork that you’ll never actually use.
Someone in your corner for the long haul. Ongoing counseling and executive function coaching that help your child build lifelong skills, feel understood, and trust that someone sees the whole picture of who they are.
Licensed Educational Psychologist #4523
Nationally Certified School Psychologist
PEERS® Certified Provider
You deserve to work with someone who truly understands what your family is navigating. I've spent over a decade walking alongside families in moments exactly like yours, working inside traditional public schools, charter schools, virtual academies, and non-public schools. I know how these systems work, where they fall short, and how to get children the support they need.
Your child is more than a diagnosis, a report, or a score. They are a whole person with strengths worth celebrating, a story worth understanding, and potential worth recognizing. My job is to help you understand what your child needs so that they can navigate school and life with confidence, especially in a system that too often asks neurodiverse young people to be someone they aren't.
I see children and young adults from Los Angeles and Orange Counties, in person at my Long Beach office and virtually across California.
Through one or two multi-hour testing sessions along with input from parents, teachers, and other sources, I gather the information needed to understand your child as a whole person.
After compiling and analyzing all of the information collected, you'll receive a comprehensive written report with findings, any applicable diagnoses, and clear, actionable recommendations. We'll then meet for a feedback session to walk through what it all means and what comes next.
Drawing from trauma-informed CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and solution-focused approaches, I meet each client where they are and tailor our work to fit who they are.
We'll begin with an intake session. Parents can join for the opening portion, or we can connect separately to gather your input. Ongoing sessions are 50 minutes and one-on-one with your child, giving them space that is fully their own.
When helpful, we'll include family sessions to connect what's happening in counseling with what's happening at home and school, so the skills your child is building get applied to everyday life.
Sessions are collaborative and individualized, focused on building systems and strategies that work with how your child's brain operates.
Together, we'll identify where things tend to break down, build tools that fit real life, and practice using them so they stick. For younger children, I involve parents to help reinforce strategies at home.
Whether you're just beginning the process or have been navigating it for years, you'll have a knowledgeable partner who understands school systems from the inside. Support can be short-term for a specific meeting or ongoing as your child's needs evolve.
This service is a great fit for parents navigating school-based services, whether your child already has an IEP or 504 in place or you're just beginning the process. I'll help you translate what you're hearing and communicate in a way that gets school teams to listen.
Based in Long Beach, ThriveMind Psychology & Learning Solutions offers in-person sessions at my office and virtual sessions for families across California.
A psychoeducational evaluation is a deep dive into how your child (or you) learns, thinks, and experiences the world. Through a combination of testing, interviews, and input from parents, teachers, and other key sources, I assess cognitive ability, academic skills, attention, executive function, and social-emotional functioning to understand your child’s strengths and what is impacting their progress. The goal is a full picture of who they are as a learner and a person, along with practical recommendations for home and school.
Every assessment is tailored to the individual, but the general process includes intake sessions to get to know your child, one or two multi-hour testing sessions, and rating scales and interviews with parents, teachers, and possibly other sources. Once all the information is gathered and analyzed, I write a comprehensive report with the findings, any applicable diagnoses, and specific recommendations. We'll close with a feedback session to walk through everything together and talk about next steps.
Most insurance plans don't cover psychoeducational testing because they classify it as "educational" rather than "medical." There can be exceptions when there are co-occurring mental health concerns, but coverage is rarely straightforward. I can provide a detailed Superbill that you're welcome to submit to your insurance for possible out-of-network reimbursement. We'll talk through cost and options during our free consultation, so there are no surprises.
Yes. A comprehensive psychoeducational assessment is one of the most thorough ways to evaluate for ADHD. Instead of relying on a short checklist, I look at attention, executive function, academic performance, emotional functioning, and input from multiple sources to determine whether ADHD is present, what type it is, and what else might be going on alongside it. You leave with clear, evidence-based answers, not a quick guess.
Anxiety is often part of the bigger picture I explore during an assessment, especially because it can significantly affect how a child learns and performs in school. Through rating scales, interviews, and direct observation, I can identify patterns of anxiety and how they're impacting your child's daily life. You'll receive clear answers and guidance on how to move forward.
There's no single "right" time, but some common signs it might be a good step include ongoing sadness, worry, or irritability, changes in sleep, appetite, or mood, difficulty managing big feelings, school avoidance, struggles with friendships, or a loss of confidence. You don't need to wait for a crisis. If something feels off, or if your gut is telling you your child could use support, that's reason enough to reach out.
Not at all. A diagnosis can sometimes provide helpful context, but it's not a requirement to begin. Many of my clients come in to work through anxiety, low self-esteem, school stress, friendship struggles, or life transitions, with or without a formal diagnosis. What matters most is that your child has a safe, supportive space and someone who truly gets them.
I work with children, teens, and young adults. For younger children, sessions often incorporate play and creative expression, since that's how kids naturally process their feelings. For older children, teens, and young adults, sessions become more conversational and collaborative. The approach always adapts to your child's developmental stage, personality, and current challenges.
Progress in counseling doesn't usually look like a straight line, but there are signs worth watching for. You might notice your child using new coping strategies, handling hard moments with more ease, communicating more openly, or simply seeming more like themselves. I'll also check in with you periodically to talk about what you're noticing at home and make sure we're moving toward the goals that matter most to your family.
Traditional therapy sometimes focuses on helping a child fit into expected norms, which can unintentionally send the message that who they are isn't okay. Neuroaffirming counseling starts from a different place: your child doesn't need to be fixed; they need to be understood. I honor how their brain is wired, build on their strengths, and support them in developing skills that work with who they are, not against it.
ThriveMind is a private pay practice and does not bill insurance directly. I’m always happy to provide a Superbill, an itemized receipt you can submit to your insurance company to request reimbursement. You’re also welcome to pay with an HSA/FSA account. If you have questions about fees or payment options, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Executive function is the set of mental skills that helps us plan, organize, prioritize, start tasks, manage time, and follow through. These are the skills school and life constantly demand, and they're also the skills that tend to lag for kids with ADHD, anxiety, Autism, or learning differences. When executive functioning is impacted, even a bright, motivated child can end up missing assignments, feeling overwhelmed, and losing confidence. Coaching helps build these skills in a way that fits your child's brain.
Nope. Plenty of kids and young adults struggle with executive function without a formal diagnosis. Coaching is helpful for anyone who wants to build stronger systems for planning, organization, and follow-through, whether they're neurodivergent or just finding that the demands of school and life have outpaced their current skills.
Tutoring teaches content. A tutor helps your child understand what the essay should say or how to solve the math problem. Executive function coaching teaches the skills around the content: how to break the essay into manageable steps, how to take action to start it, and how to remember to turn it in on time. If your child understands the material but still can't seem to get it done, coaching is usually the missing piece.
Absolutely. College ramps up the executive function demands in a big way, and a lot of students who coasted through high school suddenly find themselves drowning. Coaching can help you build systems for managing coursework, deadlines, and daily life, understand how your brain works, and develop strategies you can stick with.
Counseling is focused on emotional wellbeing, while executive function coaching is focused on skill-building and practical strategies. If your child is having a hard time regulating their emotions or is struggling with anxiety, depression, or trauma, counseling is usually the right place to start. If the main struggle is organization, follow-through, and day-to-day overwhelm, coaching may be a better fit. For some families, a combination of the two works best, and we'll figure that out together.
Yes, and this is one of the most common reasons families come to me. An IEP can look comprehensive on paper but still miss the mark in practice, whether because goals aren't specific enough, accommodations aren't being implemented, or the plan doesn't match what your child actually needs. I'll help you review the current plan, identify what's missing, and prepare for the conversations needed to get things back on track.
I'm a Licensed Educational Psychologist and Nationally Certified School Psychologist with over a decade of experience working inside schools, including traditional public schools, charter schools, virtual academies, and non-public schools. I've been part of many IEP and 504 meetings from the school's side of the table, which means I understand how these decisions get made, what's possible, and where families often get stuck. That inside perspective is what I bring into consultation with you.
Both are options. Some families reach out for a single consultation to prepare for a specific meeting or talk through a concern. Others work with me on an ongoing basis as their child's needs evolve, new challenges come up, or plans need to be revised. We'll figure out what fits best based on what you're navigating.
Yes, and I'm glad you're asking. Feeling dismissed at school meetings is exhausting and demoralizing, and it happens to a lot of families, especially those advocating for neurodivergent kids. Together, we'll clarify what your child needs, put it into language schools respond to, and prepare you to show up ready and confident. Being prepared changes the dynamic, and so does having someone in your corner who understands how these systems work.
It's helpful but not required. If you have a current IEP or 504 plan, recent assessments, or relevant school communication, sharing them ahead of time lets us use our session more efficiently. If you don't have any of that (or aren't sure what's relevant), don't worry. We can start with a conversation and figure out what's needed from there.
