Meet Rachel Herman, M.A., PCET | Founder and Executive Director Learning for All

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rachel Herman, M.A., PCET and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rachel, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Learning for All began as a quest to help my middle son, who was bright but struggling with learning differences. Years of dismissing symptoms, misdiagnosis, and ineffective therapies lead to a crisis as he approached middle school and remained drastically behind in reading and writing. When we finally discovered that his difficulties indicated dyslexia, ADHD, and auditory processing disorder, I took a leave of absence from my university teaching position to work with him full time. Training myself in an Orton-Gillingham based program to remediate dyslexia changed the course of his life and mine. He finally began to make progress and the change in his academic trajectory, and more importantly, his self-esteem, was profound. As with any learner who shares his profile, he had a long journey ahead, but his hard work and perseverance paid off. Now 26, he is a Summa Cum Laude college graduate with a degree in business marketing and a full-time position where the creativity and innovation that epitomize his neurodiverse brain are developed and celebrated. Armed with the knowledge of how to help learners like my son, I started Learning for All in 2014 in my home office with 4 students. Hungry to help even more learners with more diverse and challenging profiles, I went on to earn numerous professional certifications in additional therapeutic protocols including Advanced Certification in Barton Reading and Spelling, licensure as a Professionally Certified Educational Therapist, and International Certification as a Feuerstein Cognitive Enrichment Practitioner and Trainer.

What was born out of my own desperation as a mom to understand and help my struggling son, became a mission to help both struggling and successful learners of all ages become better thinkers and experience lasting academic, social, and cognitive growth. Along the way I have been guided by some incredible mentors and educators who have poured support, encouragement, and guidance into my life, who have challenged me to think differently and grow past my own difficulties and setbacks to create a program that can address the needs of the whole learner in a compassionate and comprehensive way. Because of their investment in Learning for All, we now have effective strategies to develop new neural pathways for learners with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, nonverbal learning disabilities, Auditory Processing Disorder, comprehension and reasoning disorders, autism, developmental disabilities, PTSD, TBI, Mild Cognitive Impairment, memory issues, brain fog, and so much more. We have also created programs to help neurotypical and even thriving learners grow their critical thinking skills to make the most of learning in the information age. Today Learning for All employs a team of 20 therapists and support staff in two San Diego clinical locations and we have served over 1,000 learners and their families. At Learning for All we teach THINKING so everyone can LEARN.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
At Learning for All we offer one-on-one educational therapy, small group classes on thinking, learning, and memory, learning assessment and consultation, and professional development and training. Many people are not familiar with the term “educational therapy.” Educational therapy is an interdisciplinary practice at the intersection of education, psychology, and neuroscience. By combing the latest research and best practices of all three of these fields we are able to address any condition that impacts thinking and learning in a comprehensive way. Whether clients are children, teens, adults, or seniors, struggling with neurodevelopmental disabilities, processing disabilities, acquired conditions, or just want to improve or maintain thinking, learning, memory, attention, Learning for All can help.

What sets Learning for All apart from many other clinics and programs is the simultaneous integration of cognitive skill building with academic or functional remediation. Some programs, like schools and tutoring centers or executive functioning coaching, focus primarily on academic remediation and functional systems. These are often ineffective for struggling learners because they have foundational cognitive deficits that are not being addressed. They are unable to progress with academic or functional programs because they have global challenges with things like working memory, sustained attention, visual-motor integration, and processing speed that impact all areas of learning.
Conversely, brain training centers work on often developing foundational cognitive skills but they do not connect them explicitly with the academic or functional skills that are lacking. Without the intentional integration of cognitive skills with academic and functional deficits, learners become proficient at playing “brain games” but cannot apply those skills to school, work, or life.

At Learning for All we understand that cognitive skill building and academic or functional skill building must be integrated and taught simultaneously in order to develop new neural pathways and that consistent, intentional, systematic work over time is the key to lasting change. Every client at Learning for All has a personalized therapy plan based on their unique needs, challenges, and goals, that integrate these two spheres of development. At Learning for All, We Teach THINKING So Everyone Can LEARN.

As we look forward to the future, we are excited to continue advancing our services by leveraging the best new science and research to create meaningful, life-changing protocols for all learners. Look for emerging programs in growing and maintaining Memory and Cognition for Seniors, managing college and early career for Young Adults with ADHD, and developing and applying Critical Thinking Skills in the Age of AI for everyone!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
San Diego if FULL of amazing destinations and exciting adventures. Day 1 – Coffee at OB Beans and head to Ocean Beach dog beach for a stroll and some furry love. Explore the tidepools under the Pier if it’s low tide. In the afternoon, drive out the Cabrillo National Monument for the views and tour the historic lighthouse. Back to OB for a late lunch at Hodad’s, best burgers ever. Day 2 head to Balboa Park. SO many options here but my favorite is the Air and Space Museum. Be sure to also stroll the Prado, take a relaxing tour of the Japanese Friendship Garden, and if it is a Sunday, don’t miss the free community concert at the Organ Pavilion. Day 3 – hit the backcountry with a hike up to Stonewall Peak in the Cuyamaca Mountains. Check out Heroes Wood-Fired Pizza and help support our San Diego first-responders, including my fellow San Diego Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Volunteers. If you are a first-responder, military, or law enforcement, bring a patch to add to their collection!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My life and work has been shaped and refined by some incredible mentors. One of the most impactful is Dr. Jeanne Zehr, Director of Feuerstein Programs, North America. Her encouragement, support, and direction has been vital in my own journey and the success of Learning for All.

Website: https://www.learningforallsd.com

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