Rooted Within
Offering educational evaluations and parent guidance that help families feel resourced, understood, and connected.
led by amanda Handleson
Educational Evaluations in Santa Barbara | Amanda Handleson, LEP
licensed educational psychologist
Whole-child evaluations that bring clarity to learning and development while honoring strengths.
Evaluations
Educational Evaluations & Psychoeducational Testing for Students K–College | Rooted Within by Amanda Handlesoneading
Parent guidance rooted in connection, regulation, and practical strategies.
Guidance
Parent Guidance Sessions Available Online | Rooted Within by Licensed Educational Psychologist Amanda Handleson
THE STORY BEHIND Rooted Within
Rooted Within began with a persistent thought: What if we approached evaluations and support through a lens that honored the whole child, how they think, feel, and grow within the context of their home and relationships?
After years working in school systems where home life was often sidelined, I saw a clear gap. Families were doing their best, but the support felt fragmented. We were layering on when we needed to be easing in.
As both an educational psychologist and a parent, I’ve found that real clarity doesn’t come from diagnosis alone. It comes from understanding a child’s social and emotional world, their sensory experience, the environment around them, and who they are as a whole. Establishing this kind of understanding gives families ownership, validation, and confidence. It roots a sense of knowing within, something to look to when decisions feel uncertain or the path forward is unclear.
That is why I call this methodology Rooted Within. The framework is designed to help families build this deeper knowing, weaving together whole-child evaluations and family guidance while recognizing where each child is developmentally and what each family truly needs. Grounded in attunement, aligned insight, practical integration, and ongoing resourcing, the goal is always to help families feel supported and steady as they navigate learning, regulation, and parenting in everyday life.
About Rooted Within | Educational Psychologist Amanda Handleson | Whole-Child Approach
Evaluations for parents and students seeking insight into ability, processing, and learning.
Each evaluation includes formal, standardized testing and moves beyond scores to consider how a child’s strengths, temperament, relationships, and developmental stage shape their learning experience. Rooted in the whole-child process, these evaluations offer integrated insight, clear next steps, and formal diagnosis when appropriate.
ROOTED WITHIN
LEARNING
1:1 | online & IN PERSON
Guidance sessions to support parenting, learning, and regulation.
These sessions begin with attuned understanding. Together, we look at what’s working, what’s feeling hard, and what your child may be communicating through behavior. Grounded in the whole-child process, they offer insight and practical tools that align with your family’s needs.
rooted within home
1:1 | online
The Rooted Within Collective is a growing space offering opportunities to learn, connect, and create meaningful change alongside like-minded professionals. Here you’ll find offerings such as co-led evaluations and special projects with therapists, educators, and care teams. This work follows the whole-child process, integrating insight across disciplines to better support children and families.
rooted within
collective
in collaboration | Online & in person
offerings
Her ability to communicate complex information clearly has been crucial in helping families and educators understand their children's needs and strengths, particularly benefiting newer teachers and parents.
colleague &
speech and language pathologist
KIND WORDS
Parent Testimonials & Client Feedback for Educational Evaluations & Guidance Sessions
colleague & education specialist
KIND WORDS
It is rare to find an assessor as nimble and effective as Amanda. Her competence, professionalism, insight, and natural ability to connect with students and earn the trust of their families make her one of the most outstanding school psychologists I have had the pleasure of working with.
rooted values,
Intentional practice.
Rooted Within Values | Insightful, Attuned, Integrated Family Support
Every child’s story is more than a score. My process looks beneath the numbers to uncover how your child thinks, learns, and relates to the world. Discovery means noticing their capacity for growth, how they approach challenges, adapt, and reveal potential that test scores alone can’t capture.
start with attunement
discovery
context
Children don’t grow in isolation. Their strengths and challenges are shaped by family rhythms, classroom environments, and expectations. I also consider temperament and personality, how a child naturally responds to the world around them, because these traits influence how learning unfolds.
learning in connection
application
An evaluation should never end with a report that sits on a shelf. I translate findings into practical, developmentally aligned strategies you can use at home and share with teachers. These strategies reflect not only academic skills, but also emotional strengths like resilience, motivation, and flexibility that shape long-term success.
Practical, Everyday Tools
insight
The most meaningful support is the kind that lasts. My goal is for you to leave with insight into your child’s unique learning profile — including multiple intelligences and underlying foundations such as visual and auditory processing. With clarity, you’ll feel equipped to respond to challenges and support growth with confidence.
clarity to carry forward
Rooted Within offers an approach grounded in connection, curiosity, and the everyday realities of parenting. Here, you'll find space to pause, reflect, and move forward with clarity and care.
Every child is different, and so is every family. That’s why we begin by getting curious about your child’s unique development, their relationships, and the daily environments they live within.
This is support that meets you where you are. It's designed to help you feel more resourced, more grounded, and more confident in the steps ahead.