Dr. Kristen D. Nolfi is an educational psychologist whose work centers on structural analysis within complex developmental and institutional systems. Her career spans more than three decades across public schools, specialized programs, residential treatment settings, correctional environments, and court-adjacent contexts.

Her professional formation began in structured educational settings serving students with developmental and learning differences while completing graduate training at American International College Curtis Blake Center. These early experiences established a foundation in cognitive variability, language differences, and the practical realities of how institutions respond to developmental complexity.

Dr. Nolfi holds advanced graduate certification in Special Education and School Psychology and a Doctorate in Educational Psychology. In 2006, she pursued postdoctoral study in structural cognition through the Personality Assessment System (PAS), an empirically grounded framework focused on cognitive organization and adaptive functioning. This training became foundational to her analytical approach.

Across roles and systems, her work has included more than 2,000 formal evaluations, manifestation determinations, eligibility analyses, and collaboration within child and family forensic contexts. Over time, her practice expanded into court-involved systems, where institutional demands and developmental realities frequently intersect.

Throughout her career, Dr. Nolfi’s focus has remained consistent: examining how cognitive structure, developmental history, and environmental expectations interact, and designing targeted, structured interventions when alignment breaks down.

Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School (1996-2001) | Teacher