Great families need great support.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
- Albert Einstein (speech delay, signs of dyslexia)
CognitionSF offers one-on-one educational therapy services, parent/guardian coaching, social skills groups for Pre-K-8th grade students, and professional development for schools, and many of our services are offered both virtually and in person in the San Francisco Bay Area. A la carte services like personalized reading lists are also available. Learn more about what CognitionSF can offer your family or school!
“She is kind, compassionate, smart, and understands that people are all individuals with their own needs/strengths/weaknesses. She works with that information to support kids, and their parents, in getting the most out of their education.”
Educational Therapy Services
One-on-One or Small Group Therapy
You notice your child shows resistance to going to school, says they’re “not good” at things, gets headaches or stomachaches in the morning. Or, you’ve received an academic or neuropsychological assessment and aren’t sure what to do with the information now. There are so many ways educational therapy services can be helpful.
Play Practice!
How many adults say, “I don’t know how to play pretend anymore,” or reluctantly admit, “I don’t really like playing” – yet wish they could tap into that joy with their own children? This on-demand Play Practice workshop will help both adults and kids think faster on their feet, hone important communication skills, and even learn to handle failure better.
Parent/Guardian Coaching
Getting on the same page about behavior management. Communicating with your child’s teacher. Talking with your child about difficult issues. Making big decisions about evaluations. Keeping your cool when your child is pushing every last button. Sometimes parents and guardians just really need an objective, expert ear, and I am here to help.
Personalized Reading Lists
Looking for your voracious reader’s next favorite book? Trying to find a compelling series to hook your reluctant reader into? Having a hard time finding “just right” books for your child who flips through two pages and puts the book down? I create custom reading lists, personalized to your child’s needs and interests!
Social Groups
Individual therapy is awesome, but practicing social skills with an adult is different than practicing them with peers. In social groups, we use research-based methods integrated with super fun improv games as a tool for practicing important social skills and receiving feedback. Social groups are groups of 4-10 students meeting once a week.
Professional Development for Schools
I offer a variety of workshop topics for schools, parenting groups, and childcare centers. To give you a taste, some of my favorites are “Improv for Governance” from the National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference, and “Design Thinking: Ideation for Womxn Leaders” at the Leadership + Design Wonder Women Conference.
About Melissa
I am an educational therapist and parenting coach in San Francisco, and the founder of CognitionSF.
I started CognitionSF because I love working with kids and parents/guardians of all kinds. With kids, I love seeing those sparks of realization, and the moments when they know they can do something they never did before. I also enjoy helping kids learn about metacognition and take control of their own learning.
With parents and guardians, I love helping them understand and communicate with their children more effectively and helping them learn more about education and learning styles; it helps them help their children better, and it also often leads to their having insights about their own learning or school experiences.
Looking forward to meeting your family!
