Cheryl Tien

My path to autism assessment is deeply personal. Over the years, many of my clients — and my own husband — went undiagnosed as neurodivergent for far too long. Watching them navigate a world that wasn't built for them, without the language or support to understand themselves, revealed a profound gap in care that I couldn't unsee. I began specializing in assessment because I wanted to be part of closing that gap — to offer people the clarity and validation that had been missing, and to connect them with care that actually fits. I believe that a diagnosis, when approached with compassion and affirmation, isn't a label — it's a key. It opens doors to self-understanding, community, and a life that finally makes sense.

My approach to assessment is rooted in the same values that guide all of my clinical work: cultural humility, trauma-informed care, and a genuine curiosity about the whole person in front of me. I don't come into an assessment looking for deficits — I come in looking for the full picture. Drawing on my background in multicultural psychology and my personal experience with neurodivergent loved ones, I work hard to create a space where your experiences are validated, not minimized. As someone with a neurodivergent partner, I also bring a lived familiarity with what it means to move through the world differently — and the relief that can come from finally having that acknowledged. My goal is not just to complete an evaluation, but to leave you feeling more understood, more empowered, and more connected to your own strengths than when we started.