Doctors who see the whole child

We are passionate about understanding why individuals struggle and then developing a comprehensive plan that helps those individuals reach their full potential.

Professionals collaborating over notes at a table

✳ Evidence- and strength-based

Pediatric assessments

What makes us unique

Our entire team supports families through a collaborative, empathetic approach that examines the whole child. We look past academic struggles to identify the social and emotional factors that affect daily functioning, and because our assessments are evidence- and strength-based, we never stop at the struggle. We identify each child's unique strengths.

Our clinical team has specialized, extensive training in child and adolescent development, neuropsychology, and clinical psychology. We provide high-level, individualized, comprehensive evaluations, and our reports are written so parents and educators can understand and use them. Every report includes a detailed, individualized treatment plan specific to your child's environment.

Dr. Karen I. Wilson

Clinical Neuropsychologist and Owner

Licensed Psychologist, State of California, PSY 18249. Credentialed Health Service Provider in Psychology, National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology.

Dr. Wilson is a clinical neuropsychologist and the owner of West LA Neuropsychology, PC. Clinical neuropsychology is a specialized discipline of psychology that examines the relationship between brain systems and behavior. For more than 17 years her work has focused on assessing neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents, and she also brings a great deal of experience evaluating adults.

She began her private practice work with Lorie Humphrey and Associates in 2003, served as a Clinical Psychology Supervisor at the HELP Group in Sherman Oaks from 2004 to 2006, and formed her own independent practice in 2010.

She completed postdoctoral fellowship training in Neuropsychology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital, an APA-accredited predoctoral internship at the University of Florida Health Science Center, and practicum training at the Medical Psychology Clinic at Johns Hopkins University.

She served as Graduate Coordinator and Department Chair of the Psychology Department at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and as an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Medical Psychology Assessment Center (MPAC) within UCLA's Semel Institute. Her research has examined psychosocial functioning in children with learning disorders and AD/HD and psychological functioning in college students with AD/HD, with funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The California Legislature Assembly has recognized her dedication and commitment to students and the community.

Beyond the practice, Dr. Wilson hosts the Diverse Thinking, Different Learning podcast and founded ChildNEXUS, a digital platform that connected parents with pediatric mental health and educational resources.

Download Dr. Wilson's CV (PDF) Speaking engagements LinkedIn X (Twitter)

Dr. Claudia Kernan

Licensed Clinical Neuropsychologist

Director of the Pediatric Neuropsychology Fellowship Program at UCLA Medical School. Clinical faculty, UCLA Semel Institute.

Dr. Kernan is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist specializing in the assessment of children, adolescents, and young adults, with over fifteen years of experience conducting neuropsychological assessments in private practice, hospital, and community health settings. She received her B.A. from Princeton University, where she studied anthropology and psychology, and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from UCLA, where she minored in developmental psychology. She completed her predoctoral internship in pediatric neuropsychology at New York University and her postdoctoral residency in clinical neuropsychology at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, where she is currently a member of the clinical faculty.

At UCLA, she serves as the director of the pediatric neuropsychology fellowship program within the medical school, which partners with The Help Group, a nonprofit organization serving the mental health and educational needs of children throughout the Los Angeles community. As an active research scientist in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, she has published and presented at scientific conferences on topics affecting children and young adults, including attention difficulties, dyslexia and learning differences, traumatic brain injury and concussions, and ethnic identity and multiculturalism in school settings.

Referral concerns that Dr. Kernan frequently addresses include learning differences and a wide range of medical and developmental concerns, and she has extensive experience assessing cognitive abilities for placement in gifted or enriched educational programs. In terms of practice philosophy, she is passionate about using the science of neuropsychology to empower youths and families to look “beyond” diagnoses and gain an in-depth understanding of an individual’s unique constellation of cognitive and emotional gifts and challenges. Her customized assessments provide an integrative understanding of cognitive, academic, behavioral, and emotional functioning, offering holistic insight into the person. She enjoys helping children and young adults “learn about their learning style” and uses a team approach with parents, educators, and intervention specialists to design comprehensive plans for addressing concerns and optimizing development.

A former professional ballet dancer and choreographer, Dr. Kernan is an advocate for the integration of art and science education. She serves as an advisory board member for the Entertainment Industry Council, a nonprofit founded to support the entertainment industry in portraying cutting-edge science, mental health, and diversity issues in a socially responsible manner, and her longstanding interest in the neuroscience of creativity informs her clinical practice.

Her CV is available upon request.

Dr. Jesse Fischer

Licensed Clinical Neuropsychologist

PEERS® for Adolescents Certified Provider.

Dr. Fischer is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist who specializes in the neuropsychological assessment of children, adolescents, and young adults who think and learn differently. His clinical expertise includes assessment, diagnosis, and academic and treatment planning for individuals with neurodevelopmental concerns such as learning disorders and AD/HD, traumatic brain injury and concussion, epilepsy, emotional difficulties, and other complex medical conditions.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, and a former collegiate football player, Dr. Fischer found his passion for the connection between brain and body in a desire to help athletes return to peak performance, maximize their potential, and continue to reach their goals in and out of sports after concussion or injury.

He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in the Neuropsychology of Brain Injury and Sports Concussion track with UCLA's Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine, and his predoctoral internship in Pediatric Neuropsychology at the Medical Psychology Assessment Center at UCLA's Semel Institute. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Houston and a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Kinesiology from Occidental College. His clinical settings have included inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, integrated pediatric care, and specialty outpatient clinics at nationally recognized medical centers, including Texas Children's Hospital, TIRR Memorial Hermann, and the UCLA Semel Institute.

His research focuses on the impact of family environment and early childhood stress on brain development, the neural correlates of traumatic brain injury, and interventions that enhance recovery from sports concussion and more severe TBI. He has published on sleep, depression, anxiety, and self-regulation following pediatric TBI, continues to publish in high-impact scientific journals, and presents at national and international conferences. Learn more about his work at jfischerphd.com.

Dr. Chandni Singh

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Specialist in autism spectrum and neurodevelopmental differences.

Dr. Singh is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the diagnostic assessment of children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental concerns. Her more than 10 years of experience working with neurodivergent individuals has shaped her commitment to supporting culturally and ethnically diverse populations of children and youths through the integration of empirically based assessments and personalized treatment recommendations. She has provided psychological evaluations and behavioral consultations in a variety of settings, including medical centers, research programs, residential facilities, and rural communities, and she values working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams of healthcare providers, which further informs her holistic approach to assessments tailored to the specific needs of individuals and their families.

At West LA Neuropsychology, PC, Dr. Singh's expertise focuses on early diagnostic evaluations for infants, toddlers, and young children, as well as comprehensive diagnostic and psychoeducational assessments for school-aged children with suspected neurodevelopmental concerns and co-occurring mood disorders.

She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University in Chicago, where her research focused on behavioral markers of anxiety in youth with Fragile X syndrome. She completed her predoctoral internship in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and her postdoctoral fellowship in Autism and Developmental Disabilities at the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) and Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. During her fellowship, she worked in several advocacy and outreach programs, providing consultative and training services to families, schools, and community partners to advance quality care in remote communities with limited access to mental health services.

After her fellowship, she provided diagnostic expertise at the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment, assessing children in the multisite NIH Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials (ABC-CT) research study, and served as a clinical specialist in the UCLA Pediatric Pain Program on a telemedicine intervention pilot for youth and young adults experiencing pain secondary to cancer. She then served as the lead developmental psychologist at the Kaiser Permanente West LA Learning and Development Clinic, providing diagnostic assessments and consultation to children with suspected neurodevelopmental disorders and their families. In 2023, Dr. Singh transitioned to private practice, and she has since been providing comprehensive diagnostic and psychoeducational assessments to the West Los Angeles community.

Teresa Darensbourg

Office Manager

MA in Clinical Psychology. Spanish-English bilingual.

Teresa is the first voice most families hear at the practice. She holds a master's degree in Clinical Psychology with a special interest in child development, and her thesis examined intellectual, social, and emotional functioning in children with AD/HD and learning disabilities.

Her background spans work with children and parents as a behavior therapist, research assistant, social worker's assistant, project manager, and educational coach. Her interest in studying child psychology grew from wanting to understand the complexity of learning and behavior, and how difficulties connect to the human experience.

Teresa enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, and she hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in the future.

Talk with our team

You have met the doctors. The next step is a conversation. Call us or send a message, and we will help you decide what makes sense for your child or young adult.

Send us a message Call (310) 876-4294