About Educational Therapist Melissa

Melissa Holman-Kursky, M.A., M.Ed, A/ET is a parenting coach and educational therapist in San Francisco and the founder of CognitionSF. With 20 years of experience as a classroom teacher and school administrator in private, public, and parochial schools, as well as high-level training in social-emotional development and special education, she brings a unique perspective to the school-home relationship.

Melissa also serves as the Director of Curriculum & Training at the Un-Scripted Theater Company®, a nonprofit improv theater, and is a founding member of the Nickelodeon Award-winning ImprovBoston Family Show. She brings this passion and knowledge to her workshops and curriculum design for children and adults, and is an in-demand speaker in the field of experiential learning.

As an educational therapist, Melissa has experience working with kids with learning and behavioral/emotional differences and disabilities like dyslexia, ADHD, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, nonverbal learning disorders, anxiety, and social difficulties.

Melissa loves working with kids and parents/guardians of all kinds. With kids, she loves seeing those sparks of realization, and the moments when they know they can do something they never did before. She also enjoys helping kids learn about metacognition and taking control of their own learning.

With parents and guardians, Melissa loves helping them understand and communicate with their children more effectively and helping them learn more about education and learning styles. She sees how it helps them help their children better, and it also often leads to their having insights about their own learning or school experiences.

If life is feeling more chaotic navigating school or home life with your child, and you’re looking for an educational therapist, Melissa is here to help! Many of her services are offered both virtually and in person in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Education & Training: BA Drama/English (Tufts University); MA Child Development & M.Ed Education (Tufts University); Educational Therapy (UC Riverside); Positive Discipline (certified trainer); Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (certified faculty trainer); Amnesty International Human Rights in Schools (certificate)

Professional Affiliations: Association of Educational Therapists (AET), American Psychological Association (APA), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), California Teacher Development Collaborative (CATDC)

Specialized Assessments: Social Thinking® Informal Dynamic Tasks (ST-IDA)