EmpowerEd Psychological Services - San Rafael, California

Alison Williams

We engaged Erin to provide a report on our 15 year old son who was the subject of the report. We were very impressed both with the approach she took to the composition of the analysis, the written report and the way she handled the feedback session with my wife and me. On specifics, bucketed in three categories:

1.Report components
Erin took a thorough approach to sourcing content for her report.
This included interviews with us as parents, our child and a broad group of his teachers which clearly took time for Erin to track down and arrange interviews with
She also used a variety of technical/ analytic/ observation tools in sessions with Rex to provide relevant qualitative input.

2. Written report
Erin’s detailed 48 page written report contained a lot of nuanced and thoughtful content which very effectively conveyed a broad range of insights. Each conversation with her sources was clearly both accurately captured in a personalized way and the tone of the different speakers came across well.
The technical analysis sections combined analytics and well phrased/ summarized implications and observations in a user friendly way.
In addition, the key takeaways and recommendations were provided from several perspectives (school, home, child) which cemented clear to dos.
Generally, our experience from other reports like this is that recommendations are hedged or generic. Here Erin clearly put a lot of personal perspective and expertise into them.

3. In person meeting
Erin dedicated significant time into the review session and was flexible in giving time beyond the allotted hour to address Q&A and review her recommendations.

4. Overall working and interpersonal style
She was very personable throughout the preparation which included through the in person session and in subsequent follow ups, made us feel at ease and created a collaborative environment.

I am writing this review several months after the session and reading the report afresh reinforces the positive assessment we have of the report and our experience with Erin. The learnings and recommendations made by Erin have been very helpful and we treat the report as a “living to do list” to support the learning/ behavioral needs of our son.

Thrupthi Reddy

Erin Crawford is an exceptional educational psychologist and we were lucky to find EmpowerEd for an independent educational evaluation for my neurodiverse 7-year-old. Throughout the process, she took the time to understand my child’s strengths and challenges, offering insights that truly helped us understand our daughter’s unique learning needs.

Erin’s approach was both thorough and compassionate. She provided clear explanations at every step, which helped us as parents feel fully informed and confident in the recommendations. Her detailed assessment report not only highlighted key areas for growth but also outlined practical strategies we (and her school) could implement right away. Thanks to her guidance, we now have a clearer path forward in supporting our child’s educational journey.

If you’re seeking a knowledgeable, empathetic, and dedicated educational psychologist, I wholeheartedly recommend Erin.

Jill Kelly

Erin was wonderful to work with for our son, 10 years old. We weren't sure if there was a problem, and we weren't sure what our options were to find out. Erin explained everything to us and walked us through everything we can expect, including how to work with our school district. Our son didn't even mind going through the process of testing because Erin made it fun for him. And her follow up was super helpful. She went above and beyond to create a summary of what our son needs that we can provide to his future teachers. Overall, this was an amazing experience to help parents help their children.

Suzanne Friend

We had a great experience at EmpowerEd. Erin was responsive and engaged and easy to talk to. Our daughter felt supported and motivated through the testing process. The results were shared clearly and in a timely manner. We definitely recommend EmpowerEd.

robert panknin

Cannot say enough positive things abt Erin!
Erin was a tremendous resource to our family in helping us think through our child’s unique needs in the context of public middle school. Specifically, her extensive experience practicing in public schools helped us navigate the evaluation process and best advocate for our son’s needs. She was able to make clear and simple what had seemed like a very complicated process which helped us better hold the school system accountable for providing appropriate support and services. In addition, her extensive experience evaluating children helped us better understand our child and what types of environments may best suit his specific learning style.

Jennifer “Jen” Israel

I cannot Erin Crawford enough for anyone seeking top-notch support for their child's psychological evaluations and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). While I haven't directly utilized Erin's services myself, her expertise and dedication have been invaluable to me through her guidance as a trusted friend of many years. Erin's professionalism, empathy, and deep understanding of educational psychology have undoubtedly made a significant positive impact on countless families, including mine. If you're in need of compassionate and expert support for your child's psychological well-being and educational needs, Erin will guide you and your family with actionable approaches and solutions to even the most complex challenges! We’ve learned so much from Erin, but more importantly, having her in our corner has given us the peace of mind and confidence that we are on the right track.

Lisa Nielsen

Erin was an incredibly helpful guide on our journey to find the best path forward for our child, who was befinning to struggle in school. She helped us understand the difference between public and private assessments, the pros and cons of each, and how to approach our child's school to request a special education evaluation. She gave us invaluable guidance around the laws pertaining to special education assessments including timelines, what to expect from the process, what eligibility looks like, what supports our child could potentially receive from the school and what our options were if we disagreed with the school-based assessment. Her extensive experience working in schools is such an asset to helping families navigate this confusing and stressful process. My child is now well on her way to receiving the support she needs to be successful...we wouldn't have gotten here so quickly without Erin!

Tessa Pickard

Our son was recently tested for Dyslexia by Dr Crawford. What stood out was how friendly and approachable Erin was both over the phone in setting up the appointments and in person during the testing. As a parent, the process can feel overwhelming and emotional. She was professional, empathic and thorough from start to finish. She worked with us to implement a testing battery specifically tailored to my son's needs. I'd highly recommend Dr Crawford and would definitely use her again.