About Psycho-Educational Consultants Group

Built by Clinicians Who Saw a Better Way

After decades of working with neurodiverse children, Karen and Sarah founded PEC Group to understand every child's gifts and challenges and give families a clear roadmap for what comes next.

Psycho-Educational Consultants Group (commonly known as PEC Group) is a Licensed Educational Psychology practice founded in 2022 and headquartered in Sorrento Valley, San Diego, California. We specialize in comprehensive educational evaluations & support for children, teens, and adults across San Diego County.

This Practice Exists for Families Like Yours

If you have ever walked away from an evaluation feeling more confused than when you started, you are not alone.

For too many families, the process looks the same: months of waiting, a report filled with scores and jargon, and a meeting that ends without a clear answer for what to do next.

You came looking for understanding. You left with a binder.

Karen Veinbergs and Sarah Vakharia saw this happen over and over during their years working inside public school systems across California, Ohio, and Massachusetts. They understood the system well enough to know its limits, and they believed families deserved something better.
An evaluation should give your family a real roadmap, one that tells you not only what is going on with your child, but exactly what to do about it at home and at school. That belief is what PEC Group was built on, and it drives every evaluation we do.

We See What's Possible, Not Just What's Hard

Every evaluation and support service is built around the full picture of who your child is, not just where they struggle, but where they shine. A strengths-based evaluation changes how your child sees themselves. It gives them something to build on, a way to understand their challenges through the lens of what they are already capable of. You will leave knowing how your child thinks, what lights them up, and what specific steps will help them grow.

Your child will leave with something just as important: the confidence to understand their own brain and advocate for what they need.
Here is what that looks like in practice:
A comprehensive evaluation that looks at your whole child: strengths, challenges, learning style, and everything in between
Results explained in plain language during a dedicated review meeting, no jargon, no confusion
A personalized Roadmap of Services with specific, practical next steps for home and school
A follow-up call with our Family Education Specialist to make sure the plan is actually working for your family
Bilingual and culturally responsive evaluations for families who need assessments that account for language and cultural background
Possible coordination with your child's school team and outside providers to make sure everyone supporting your child is on the same page

Unique Parts of Our Process

Every part of the process is intentional. Here is what that means for your family.

Your child is part of the conversation.

Most evaluations are delivered to parents while children are kept out of the loop.

At PEC Group, your child is part of the process from the start. They are encouraged to ask questions and stay curious. Plus, they receive their own review session, so that they gain a clearer sense of how their brain works and learn how to talk about what they need.

A planned check-in, not an afterthought.

Your evaluation report is a practical roadmap built specifically for your child.

And because even the best plan needs support to put into action, our Family Education Specialist Jamie Komen personally follows up within a month of your evaluation review to make sure the recommendations are working and no question goes unanswered.

We know this process inside and out.

Karen and Sarah hold Diplomate status from the American Board of School Neuropsychology. But their understanding goes beyond credentials.

They have worked as school specialists and sought support for their own children. They know this process from every angle, so when you sit down with them, you are getting someone who genuinely gets it.

The recommendations will actually work in your life.

A report full of clinical language does not automatically translate into Monday morning. We see our job as bridging the gap between what the evaluation finds and what actually works in your home, your schedule, and your child's school day.

Every recommendation is designed to be specific, practical, and achievable for real families managing real lives.

Meet the Team

Karen Veinbergs, LEP
Licensed Educational Psychologist #3851
Diplomate, American Board of School
Neuropsychology (ABSNP)
Sarah Vakharia, LEP
Licensed Educational Psychologist #3779
Diplomate, American Board of School
Neuropsychology (ABSNP)
Laura Katz, Ph.D., LEP
Licensed Educational Psychologist
Nationally Certified School Psychologist
Ph.D., Temple University
Jayme Copans
Learning Specialist
Jamie Komen
Family Education Specialist

Credentials & Affiliations

Our team holds some of the most rigorous credentials in the field of educational and neuropsychological assessment.

Both Karen and Sarah hold Diplomate status from the American Board of School Neuropsychology, one of the highest levels of specialization available in the field.

Credentials & Affiliations
Areas of Specialized Training
  • Bilingual and culturally responsive evaluations (Spanish)
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder evaluation and assessment
  • Evidence-based literacy instruction, including the Wilson Reading System, Lindamood-Bell, and Orton-Gillingham
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to support emotional challenges

Testimonials

Think of it as the difference between a snapshot and a deeper understanding. A psychoeducational evaluation gives you a clear snapshot of your child's academic performance and cognitive abilities, focused on quantitative test results. A neuropsychological evaluation goes further. It still includes those scores, but it also examines the brain-based processes behind learning and behavior, including attention, memory, executive functioning, language, and emotional functioning.

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Think of it as the difference between a snapshot and a deeper understanding. A psychoeducational evaluation gives you a clear snapshot of your child's academic performance and cognitive abilities, focused on quantitative test results. A neuropsychological evaluation goes further. It still includes those scores, but it also examines the brain-based processes behind learning and behavior, including attention, memory, executive functioning, language, and emotional functioning.

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Locations & Areas Served

Psycho-Educational Consultants Group is based in Sorrento Valley, San Diego, and serves children, teens, and adults throughout San Diego County and all of California.

Our Office:

5405 Morehouse Dr., Suite 230
San Diego, CA 92121

You Found the
Right Place

You came here looking for answers and support for yourself or your child. We are here to help you find both. If you are ready to take the next step, we would love to connect.

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