Welcome!

Tidepool Learning is a small, independent educational psychology practice offering expert, personalized educational services to Pre-K through College students and organizations in the Long Beach and Orange County area of California. Our services are informed by research-based methods and expert knowledge of California school systems and student development. We follow standards and best practices as recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists and the Board of Behavioral Sciences to ensure your students receive the best possible support for an improved experience at school and beyond.

Services Offered

Educational Therapy

Let’s build skills and self-trust for navigating life at school! Educational therapy helps K-12 students overcome academic and social-emotional frustration by teaching them to strategize, persevere, and self-advocate through school problems.

Whether it’s math difficulty, writing challenges, test anxiety, low motivation, distractibility, or friendship struggles, or school resistance, we’ll create a personalized plan to address these common challenges.

Great for gifted and/or neurodiverse learners (i.e. dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, anxiety, Autism, & more).

Executive Function Coaching

Get it done…with compassionate support. Bring academic and professional goals into focus with personalized EF coaching. Preteen-Adult students with executive functioning weaknesses and/or ADHD can address overwhelm, disorganization, and low achievement by learning to prioritize, problem-solve, and self-advocate in order to feel capable and motivated at school.

EF coaching is great for students who could use some friendly guidance with their planning, task-initiation, time-management, emotional regulation, and other “get it done” skills for school and career-building success.

Parent Guidance & Advocacy

Parents often benefit from strategic support, gentle guidance, or just a listening ear. Let’s develop a shared understanding of your child’s needs, strengths, and educational development. Whether you need a sounding board, expert advice about public or private school services (IEP, 504, or other school accommodation plans), or want to add to your toolbox as a parent, consultation services will help you reach your education-focused parenting goals with clarity and confidence.

Homeschooling Support

Enrich and bolster your child’s homeschool experience with academic intervention or enrichment, coaching for improved behavior and increased independence, or consultation services to help you create and implement a developmentally appropriate school day for your student.

Reviews

C.S. (Long Beach)

Working with Katy has been one of the best decisions we’ve made for our daughter. Katy was able to do an assessment of her educational needs and set clear goals for our daughter to work towards. She regularly provides detailed updates on her progress. Katy’s sessions are always fun (she even incorporates arts and crafts) and our daughter truly looks forward to them. Katy has also been key in helping us advocate for our daughter’s accommodations at school. She has helped us understand how to best support our daughter on all levels. Katy genuinely cares about her clients (students and parents) and is committed to helping them thrive!
Natasha

My son has clear goals to work on to improve areas to successfully transition to college after high school. Katy is very communicative and shares pertinent information with me. And we are all working together to ensure my son's success
Piper, age 9

Katy is very flexible and is up for creating ideas that incorporate things I'm interested in. For example, she knew I liked dragons so she created a fun learning activity where we play Dungeons and Dragons. She's also very kind to me. I always want her to come every Friday!
A. Pathak

Katy really helped my daughter by giving her tools to be able to understand why people behaved in the manner that they did but also how to advocate for herself. My daughter's grades were being affected because of her class dynamics. If it were not for Katy she would have never been as mentally strong as she is now. We are very grateful for Katy and what she was able to teach my daughter.
Kathryn Ambrose-Enright (she/her/hers)

Katy Parker has had a profound impact on my children's academic and emotional development. What I appreciate most is Katy’s talent for meeting my children where they are—whether academically or emotionally—and helping them grow in both areas. She understands that learning is not just about academics, but about building emotional resilience, self-awareness, and communication skills. Thanks to Katy, my son now feels more empowered and less anxious at school. I wholeheartedly recommend Katy to any family seeking a compassionate, skilled, and well-rounded educational therapist. Her ability to nurture both academic growth and emotional development is truly exceptional.
J.C.

Katy is fantastic with my ADHD 3rd grader who just transitioned to homeschool. She is very knowledgeable, patient, and positive, and kind. She has excellent skills in helping with common ADHD issues like emotional regulation, while also helping us move forward with academics in a positive and creative way. Highly recommend!!!
M.P.

My 6th grader loves seeing Katy and leaves sessions smiling. For her, It’s like a combination of therapy and academic support in one.
O.S.

My 4th grader just had his first day of school. He got a writing worksheet, and I’ve never seen him sit down and so easily (and willingly) come up with answers. Katy has put in hard work with him over several months, and we are so grateful!