Cora Palma

Dr. Palma is a Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP 3887). She is an adjunct faculty member for School Psychology and Licensed Professional Clinical Counseling (LPCC) students and has served as the Director of Mental Health Services for a California school district. Dr. Palma is a certified Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines trainer (CSTAG); the gold standard for school-based threat assessments. She was a practicing school psychologist for over 15 years, primarily working in underresourced communities in Los Angeles, and was the Director of the F.A.S.T. program at The Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. She earned her Master’s degree, school psychologist credential, and national certification (NCSP) in 2009, has been a Licensed Educational Psychologist since 2018, and earned her Ph.D. in Education and School Psychology in 2021. Her research and expertise include child development, psychological-educational evaluations, mental health disorders, trauma-informed practices, developmental trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), resilience, crisis intervention/prevention/response, and restorative practices in the school setting. In her private practice, Dr. Palma offers psychological-educational assessments, Independent Educational Evaluations (IEE), trauma-informed direct services, counseling, and training, and support to families and schools using a cohesive multi-disciplinary approach to intervention. She works to increase communication between families, schools, and providers by sharing resources and expertise to ultimately improve outcomes for the youth served.