About Dr. Shabnam Salanga
Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Psychological Assessment Specialist

Experienced Practice 

Dr. Salanga began her career providing psychotherapy to diverse populations throughout Los Angeles before discovering that her passion was psychological and psychoeducational assessment.

She pursued specialized training in psychoeducational assessment through the Reiss-Davis Child Study Center's Psycho-Educational Diagnostic Testing Service (PEDS) program at Vista Del Mar. This experience provided extensive training in comprehensive assessment and in understanding the complex cognitive, academic, behavioral, and emotional factors that can affect an individual's functioning.

Over the years, Dr. Salanga has conducted psychological and psychoeducational evaluations with children, adolescents, and adults from a wide range of backgrounds and with a variety of presenting concerns.

In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Salanga teaches graduate-level courses in psychological testing and assessment, helping train future mental health professionals in the use and interpretation of psychological assessment. 

A Comprehensive Approach to Assessment

Dr. Salanga has seen firsthand how educational and psychological testing can positively impact a child’s life. As a result, she is passionate about helping children and adolescents better understand their strengths and challenges and supporting their educational and emotional success. Most children, and many adults, experience difficulties at various points in their development, education, or everyday lives. Comprehensive assessments can help identify underlying factors contributing to these difficulties and provide greater understanding, practical recommendations, and resources for moving forward.

A comprehensive assessment is a detailed evaluation of each child, adolescent, or adult. The process may include in-depth interviews, input from parents, teachers, therapists, or other providers, one-on-one standardized testing, review of relevant records, and observations when appropriate. Once the evaluation is completed, you will receive a comprehensive written report describing your or your child’s unique pattern of strengths and areas of need. For children experiencing academic difficulties, testing can help clarify the cognitive, learning, attention, executive functioning, behavioral, and/or emotional factors that may be contributing to their struggles.

Dr. Salanga works closely with parents, teachers, and students to help families better understand a child’s educational needs and identify supports that may help them succeed at school. For emotional and psychological evaluations, she may also collaborate with therapists, psychiatrists, physicians, and other providers, with permission, to help clarify diagnoses and inform treatment recommendations. Psychoeducational and psychological assessments can help identify conditions such as ADHD, learning disorders, autism, anxiety, depression, and other neurodevelopmental, emotional, or behavioral concerns.

When appropriate, Dr. Salanga participates in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings to explain evaluation findings, discuss recommendations, and answer questions from parents and the educational team. She also conducts Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs) for families and school districts. Her role as an evaluator is to provide an independent and objective assessment of the student’s strengths, needs, and educational functioning and to offer recommendations for consideration by the IEP team.

Dr. Salanga also works with adolescents and adults seeking accommodations on standardized tests and professional examinations, including the SAT, ACT, MCAT, LSAT, GRE, and various licensing examinations. Evaluations are individualized to help document relevant diagnoses, functional limitations, and recommended accommodations when supported by the assessment findings.