About Us

Los Angeles Center for Integrated Assessment (LACIA) evolved organically as a different way to approach the work of evaluating children, adolescents, and emerging adults. We are making accurate, holistic understanding of individuals accessible at varying levels of financial commitment as well as working to educate and inspire parents, educators, and providers in multiple disciplines. What started as a solo practitioner model with very compartmentalized thinking has blossomed into a dynamic, collaborative methodology whose whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.
 
Dr. Allison Kawa founded the practice in 2010 as a solo practitioner, providing several different, narrowly-focused types of evaluation (e.g., ADHD evaluations, dyslexia evaluations, etc.). She quickly realized that partial batteries of testing tended to raise more questions than they answered. Since they often proved unhelpful, these partial batteries were systematically dropped from the “menu of services” in favor of more comprehensive assessments. As the depth and complexity of evaluations increased, so did the time required to conduct them. This had the unfortunate result of causing excessive wait times for appointments. On a personal note, Dr. Kawa found solo practice to be lonely, and she missed the camaraderie of working in a multidisciplinary setting.

In 2013, Dr. Kawa founded Allison Kawa, Psy.D. & Associates and in 2018 rebranded as the Los Angeles Center for Integrated Assessment (LACIA). The move from independent to group practice allowed all the staff to learn from each other and to feel connected to other providers in what can be an isolating field. The practice became a place where assessment psychologists have support and mentorship while families are able to get exceptional, comprehensive evaluations without having to wait six months for an appointment. As the practice grew, Dr. Kawa’s role morphed into that of the Clinical Director. To reflect this shift, the practice was re-named LACIA to highlight the integration not only of multiple disciplines, but of all the members of the patient’s treatment team.

Dr. Kawa and her team have continued to refine their approach to testing, which is constantly changing in response to new research and assessment methods. The team has regular case conference meetings in addition to informal consultations that occur “on the fly”. Collaboration is central to the culture at LACIA, and we view ourselves as curators of information from test data, parents, teachers, outside providers, and each other to help get a 360 degree understanding of those we evaluate. The benefit of this model is that there are multiple highly-skilled and knowledgeable people working together to develop a thoughtful, integrated conceptualization of the whole person for each patient coming to the clinic. The collaborative nature of the practice also allows the LACIA staff to learn from each other as well as from all the families we see.
 
Just as the field of psychology and our understanding of the mind is constantly developing and growing, so must our methods for understanding it. LACIA is truly a unique entity driven by big picture thinking, curiosity, empathy, and flexibility. We remain abreast of and responsive to burgeoning research while never losing touch with our psychologically-minded roots. It is this integration of the head and the heart that sets us apart from standard neuropsychological or psychoeducational testing practices.