About Vanessa
I’m a Registered Psychologist in Alberta, and I work with kids and teens — that’s the work. I built Bench because I wanted to do assessment the way it should be done: in plain language, in two-hour blocks, with hoodies on.
Why assessment, specifically
Most psychology programs cover assessment as one piece of a broader training in clinical work. My master’s at the University of Calgary was three years focused on assessment specifically — standardization, conceptualization, and the part most generalist programs don’t go as deep on: writing reports that schools and parents can actually use.
I graduated in 2022 and have been doing this work in Calgary since.
“Assessment is its own craft. I wanted to learn it that way — focused — not as a side skill picked up alongside everything else.”
Who I’ve worked with
Assessment work isn’t the same for every child — and good work depends on actually understanding the context your child shows up from.
CBE, Calgary Catholic, charter schools, independent schools. Each one structures support differently — and reports get written for the structure your child is actually in.
Payment plans are part of the practice — so cost is less likely to be the reason a child doesn’t get an answer.
Cultural context matters in how questions get asked, how rapport gets built, and how findings get framed for what’ll actually help.
Hourly billing is intentional: you only pay for the work that’s actually done.
My posture in the room
I wear hoodies to work. I structure testing in two-hour blocks because that’s how a child can actually sit. I keep candy on the desk because something tactile and sweet within reach takes the pressure off.
These aren’t gimmicks — they’re what good data depends on. A child who’s tense gives you tense data. A child who’s relaxed enough to think clearly gives you a real picture of how their brain actually works.
I’d rather meet your child where they are than make them rise to where I’m sitting.
Scope of practice
Bench does one thing well. Knowing what we don’t do is just as important as knowing what we do — so the right children find their way here, and the wrong fit gets pointed somewhere better.
What Bench is
What Bench isn’t
The reason this exists
A lot of families come to assessment having already been through years of “let’s just give it more time” or “have you tried being more consistent at home.” By the time they’re sitting across from me, they’re tired. They want an honest answer — and they want their child to be okay during the process of getting it.
That’s what Bench is built for. Honest answers, and a child who isn’t dreading the day they get them.
“My job isn’t to deliver a verdict. It’s to describe how your child’s brain actually works — and to write that down in a way someone can use.”
Vanessa Rankin, M.Ed., R. Psych.
Registered Psychologist, Alberta · Founder, Bench Psychology
When you’re ready
An intake is a 1-hour video call (30 minutes in person for gifted assessments). You tell me what you’ve been seeing. I’ll tell you whether what Bench does is what fits — and if not, I’ll tell you that too.
The intake is the first hour of the assessment, billed at $240 — a free 15-minute consult call or email first is always an option.
