About
Jessica Craig Psych Testing
I am a licensed educational psychologist serving individuals, couples, and families in California. Â Bridging clinical psychology and education to provide comprehensive assessments, therapy, and advocacy for children, adolescents, and adults. Â LEP License #4701
About Jessica Craig, Licensed Educational Psychologist & Therapist in the South Bay
LEP #4701
Hi, I'm Jessica Craig, a Licensed Educational Psychologist with a deep background in mental health treatment and educational psychology. With dual Master's degrees in Clinical Psychology and Education, I bring years of hands-on clinical experience treating complex mental health conditions alongside my expertise in psychoeducational evaluations.
Based in Hermosa Beach, I serve individuals, couples, and families throughout Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, El Segundo, Palos Verdes, and all South Bay communities. Whether you're seeking answers about your child's learning, support for your relationship, or help finding clarity and direction in your own life, I provide the expertise and compassionate care you deserve.
đź“‹ Comprehensive Psychoeducational Assessments
At the heart of my practice is a commitment to providing thorough, insightful psychoeducational evaluations that give families real answers—not just numbers on a page. I specialize in assessing ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning disabilities (including dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia), and the complex ways these conditions interact with anxiety, mood, and life circumstances.
What sets my evaluations apart is the depth of understanding I bring. With my background in clinical mental health, I don't just identify whether your child meets criteria for a diagnosis—I help you understand how their mind works, why they've been struggling, and what will actually help. My reports aren't 60-page documents that collect dust. They're clear, practical roadmaps with specific recommendations that schools can implement and families can use at home.
I conduct evaluations for:
- ADHD – for children, teens, and adults who need answers about attention, focus, and executive functioning
- Autism Spectrum Disorder – including those who've learned to mask, especially girls and women often missed by other evaluators
- Learning Disabilities – dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and other specific learning differences
- Cognitive & Academic Achievement – understanding strengths and weaknesses across all areas of learning
- Social-Emotional & Behavioral Concerns – when anxiety, depression, or behavior is impacting school performance
- IEP & 504 Plan Documentation – evaluations that get your child the support they need
- Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) – when you need a second opinion or disagree with the school's assessment
Every evaluation I conduct gets my direct, personal attention. I take the time to truly understand your child and your family's concerns—because you deserve answers, not just test scores.
🌟 What Makes My Approach Different
I'm not just an evaluator who runs tests. I'm a clinically trained therapist who has spent years in the trenches of mental health treatment—working with individuals facing dual diagnoses, mood disorders, personality disorders, and complex life challenges. This clinical depth means I see the whole person, not just the test scores. I understand how anxiety, depression, trauma, and life circumstances impact learning, relationships, and daily functioning.
As a parent of neurodivergent children myself, I also know what it's like to sit on the other side of the table—advocating fiercely, searching for answers, and hoping someone truly understands what your family is going through.
🧠A Foundation in Mental Health Treatment
Before specializing in educational psychology, I built my clinical foundation working as a mental health therapist in intensive treatment settings. I've worked with individuals navigating some of life's most challenging conditions—dual diagnoses where mental health and substance use disorders intersect, mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder, and personality disorders that affect how people relate to themselves and others.
This wasn't textbook learning. I was in residential treatment centers, in group therapy rooms, sitting with people in crisis and helping them find their way forward. I learned to see beyond surface symptoms to understand the deeper patterns, the underlying pain, and the hidden strengths that people carry. This experience profoundly shapes how I approach evaluations and therapy today—I don't just identify what's "wrong." I work to understand the complete picture of who you are and what you need to thrive.
🏫 Supporting Students Through ERMHS Counseling
As an ERMHS (Educationally Related Mental Health Services) counselor in local high schools, I worked directly with students whose mental health needs were significantly impacting their ability to succeed in the classroom. These weren't students who simply needed better study skills—they were dealing with real, serious struggles that made it nearly impossible to focus on academics.
I counseled teens experiencing bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, severe anxiety, aggression, selective mutism, and school refusal. I helped them develop coping skills to manage the overwhelming stressors of school, relationships, and life. I watched students who had been written off as "problems" find their footing when they finally had someone who understood what they were carrying.
This experience gives me a perspective that many evaluators lack. I know what students are actually facing behind the scenes. I understand how anxiety can masquerade as defiance, how depression can look like laziness, and how trauma can derail even the brightest student's academic potential. When I conduct an evaluation or work with a family, I bring this lens of understanding to everything I do.
đź’• Couples Therapy: Building Stronger Connections
There's nothing more rewarding than watching a couple who arrived disconnected and frustrated leave with a renewed sense of partnership. In my work with couples, I've had the privilege of witnessing transformation—partners who couldn't have a conversation without it escalating into an argument learning to truly see each other again.
I help couples develop strong communication skills that go beyond surface-level fixes. We work on understanding each other's emotional worlds, recognizing the patterns that keep you stuck, and building the kind of connection where you feel like a team rather than adversaries. My couples learn to listen not just to respond, but to truly understand. They learn to express their needs without criticism and receive feedback without defensiveness.
The relationships that emerge from this work are stronger, happier, and more genuine. Partners who once felt like strangers sharing a house rediscover why they fell in love. They build something more resilient than what they had before—a relationship grounded in mutual respect, authentic communication, and the knowledge that they can face challenges together.
Whether you're navigating a rough patch, recovering from betrayal, struggling with life transitions, or simply feeling like you've lost your spark, couples therapy can help you find your way back to each other.
🌱 Individual Therapy: Finding Your Voice & Your Path
Life doesn't always follow the script we imagined. Sometimes we find ourselves stuck, overwhelmed, or wondering how we ended up feeling so disconnected from the person we thought we'd become. I work with individuals who are ready to make changes but aren't sure where to start.
Failure to Launch
I specialize in working with young adults experiencing "failure to launch"—those who have finished high school or college but are struggling to take the next steps into independent adulthood. Maybe they're living at home, unable to find direction. Maybe they're paralyzed by anxiety about the future or overwhelmed by the expectations placed on them. Together, we work through the barriers—whether they're rooted in anxiety, ADHD, depression, or simply not knowing who they are yet—and build a path forward that feels authentic and achievable.
Anxiety & ADHD
For those struggling with anxiety and ADHD, the world can feel impossibly loud and chaotic. You know you're capable, but something keeps getting in the way—the racing thoughts, the paralysis, the shame of not living up to your potential. I help clients understand their minds, develop practical strategies that actually work, and—perhaps most importantly—release the self-judgment that's been weighing them down.
Finding Your Voice
Many of the adults I work with share a common experience: somewhere along the way, they lost themselves. They've spent so long meeting others' expectations, managing everyone else's needs, or just surviving that they don't know what they actually want anymore. I help people find their voice in all the noise—to reconnect with what matters to them, to set boundaries that honor their needs, and to bring focus and joy back into their lives.
Therapy isn't about becoming someone new. It's about becoming more fully yourself.
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A South Bay Parent Who Understands Your Journey
I'm not just a psychologist who works with South Bay families—I'm also a mom who has navigated these same communities and school systems. My children attended school in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. I've experienced the pressures, the parent-teacher conferences, the worry about whether my kids were getting what they needed. I've been on both sides of the IEP table.
When you work with me, you're working with someone who genuinely understands what you're going through—professionally and personally. I don't offer clinical distance. I offer real understanding paired with professional expertise.
My Approach
I believe in meeting people where they are—with compassion, without judgment, and with a commitment to truly understanding your unique situation. Whether I'm conducting a psychoeducational evaluation, working with a couple in crisis, or helping an individual find their path, I bring the same philosophy: you are the expert on your own life. My job is to help you access the clarity, skills, and understanding you need to move forward.
I take a neurodiversity-affirming, strength-based approach. I don't believe in pathologizing differences. I believe in understanding how your unique mind works so we can develop strategies that fit you—not force you into a mold that doesn't fit.
Communication is everything. You will never leave a session wondering what I meant or what to do next. I translate complex psychological concepts into plain language. My evaluation reports include specific, actionable recommendations. And in therapy, we work collaboratively—you're not a passive recipient of treatment, you're an active partner in your own growth.
Proudly Serving South Bay Families
I provide psychoeducational evaluations, couples therapy, individual counseling, and ADHD/autism assessments throughout the South Bay:
In-person sessions in Hermosa Beach | Secure telehealth throughout California
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Whether you need a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation, support for your relationship, or help navigating your own path forward, I'm here. Let's talk about what you're facing and how I can help.
Schedule a Free Consultationđź“ž Phone: (424) 254-6767
✉️ Email: [email protected]
đź“Ť Office: Hermosa Beach, CA (In-person & Telehealth