Testimonials
Mary Sweet-Darter, PhD. Dir: UCO Learning & Behavior Clinic Professor of Psychology Univ. of Central Oklahoma.
Once in awhile a special person comes along who possesses all the characteristics associated with EXCELLENCE. Satinder Walia is one of those special people. I have worked with Satinder Walia both as a student and as a colleague. As a student, her knowledge and skill in diagnosing children, youth, and young adults was second to none. She was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Award at UCO and was chosen from among an impressive field of nominees. Our nationally accredited training program for school psychologists in the US gave her the opportunity to polish and expand the skills she previously possessed when coming from India to the US for advanced training. She exceeded all expectations.
Satinder was the driving force behind the creation of the UCO Learning & Behavior Clinic in Edmond,Oklahoma. Her expertise in assessment, her compassion for parents and their search for answers regarding their child or teenager, and her ability to extend services into the young adult population set the clinic apart from those across the region. The clinic continues to expand, thanks in large part, to the expertise and energy of Satinder Walia. The families she serves in India are fortunate that she chose to return to her home country.
Cheri Vetter, Lead School Psychologist, Paradise Valley Unified School District.
In my capacity as lead psychologist, I have had the opportunity to review a number of Satinder’s psychoeducational evaluation reports. I have found her evaluations to be comprehensive, insightful, and readable for both parents and school personnel. Her recommendations are practical and related to her evaluation results. She has a kind, soft-spoken way that children easily related to. She explains her evaluation results clearly, and portrays a genuine sense of caring for the student.
Dr. Barbara I. Birnbaum Reed, Licensed Psychologist, Arizona.
Over the three years that I have known Ms. Walia, she has consistently presented herself as a highly professional and thoughtful leader in the fields of school and clinical psychology. Team members, parents, and students continue to benefit greatly by her supervision. Her tremendous intellectual capacity, fluency of ideas and effectiveness as a communicator has been an obvious benefit to her colleagues, and the client system that she serves. Her awareness of diverse backgrounds and viewpoints allows her presentation of assessment needs and results, interventions and placement options to be delivered compassionately and appropriately. I have the highest respect for Ms. Walia’s clinical and leadership skills.
Ms. MJ Spadafore, Lead Speech-Language Pathologist, Paradise Valley Unified School District.
Satinder is a strong student advocate and highly skilled evaluator. Her reports are comprehensive and well written. She takes care in completing assessments thoroughly and spends a great deal of time involving parents and informing them of the process. She successfully integrates her understanding and knowledge of child development with proven educational practices and is able to communicate this knowledge to parents and colleagues. One of her many strengths is demonstrating how theoretical and research-based strategies can be applied practically in the classroom and in the home environment.
Laura Bistrow, Director Special Education, Paradise Valley Unified School District
Satinder has excellent skills as an evaluator, establishes rapport with students, staff and parents and cares about each child as an individual. During her time at PVUSD she earned the admiration and respect of staff, students, parents and supervisors. Although she is soft-spoken, she has a warm, friendly and engaging personality. She possesses in good measure both the personal and professional attributes that would make her an asset to any organization.
Ellen M. Diana, Ph.D, Licensed Psychologist, Arizona.
Throughout her tenure with PVUSD, Satinder has demonstrated that she is a conscientious, well-trained and competent professional. She has been an excellent addition to our mental health staff. Her evaluations are comprehensive and complete, she is skilled in assessing children’s intelligence, academic skills, and social/emotional functioning. Her reports are helpful and well-written. She is adept at determining what adaptations and accommodations will be effective in maximizing on the child’s potential.
Susan Benjamin, Assistant Director of Special Education, Paradise Valley Unified School District
Satinder Walia has worked hard to develop a repertoire with parents, staff and students. She is able to review her evaluations with clarity, answer questions and come to the correct conclusions. She is an excellent role model because she continuously updates her skills and is always interested in learning new evaluation tools and research based approaches focused on student progress both academically and behaviorally. She has worked with a wide variety of age groups. She has had experience supporting students with autism both fully included and in a self contained setting. In all of her experiences she has been able to build rapport with the most difficult students and support those students toward positive growth.
Drew Davis, Principal Liberty Elementary School, PVUSD.
I would like to enthusiastically recommend Satinder Walia for the position of psychologist. She regularly displays strengths in her work product, dedication, and ability to work with a diverse group of people. She employs an excellent attention to detail. She is clearly an expert in her field as her evaluations are marked with precision and detail, leading to a strong level of confidence in the conclusions drawn from her psychometric evaluations. In all instances I have found her participation to be important and well focused on the needs of students.
Marianne M. Bursi, Principal Explorer Middle School, PVUSD.
It is my pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Satinder Walia, one of Explorer’s most dedicated, hard-working, and competent psychologists for the 2008-2009 school year. Satinder quickly earned everyone’s respect by the manner in which she worked to provide the best services for our neediest students, through careful analysis of various assessments and reports, and thoughtful conversations with everyone involved with the child’s education. She is one of the most capable psychologists that I have ever had the opportunity to work with in 27 years. All of her reports, assessments, and data entries were completed in a timely manner. She fulfilled all of her professional responsibilities as our school psychologist to the highest of standards with the most exemplary of performance. She will be missed as a valued and respected educator in the Paradise Valley Unified School District.