A Bit About Me
I started my career teaching special education at both the high school and middle school levels. While teaching, I pursued a Master of Arts Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis with an Emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorders. I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has supported children (1-20 years old) with autism and their families in home based settings, clinics, and schools throughout the Atlanta area.
I have always been passionate about providing high- quality, research based services and interventions for the children I serve, but since having my first baby, this work has taken on a new life. When I brought my first son into this world and started to experience the extreme range of emotions we all feel as parents, I became really interested in learning more about conscious parenting. Though I have a degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, and a sound understanding of the science of human behavior, I wanted even more knowledge. I sought out additional education through the Jai Institute for Parenting, where I earned a Parent Coaching Certificate.
I now feel confident that I have a well-rounded knowledge base to meet the needs of parents and families with typically developing children and neurodivergent children as well. Sprinkled with a sense of humor and a large dose of realism, I am here to guide you to be the parent you actually want to be.
One of my goals when working with parents is helping create more ease in their day-to-day life. If you feel like each day is hard to navigate with your kids, I would love to support you.
My Quick Thoughts on Behavior
I am passionate about looking at the whole child and the many factors (lifestyle, health, family dynamics) that influence behavior. The importance of using proactive strategies to decrease the likelihood of problem behavior cannot be understated. This requires us as caregivers to know what makes our kids tick, analyze the environment, anticipate challenges your child may face in different settings and if necessary, modify aspects of the environment to set our children up to succeed.
Behavior is just an outward expression of what is going on inside and may be a signal to look underneath the surface. We spend a lot of time analyzing our child's behavior, but it is equally as important to analyze our own behavior as caregivers. How are you responding to your child in tough moments? Does it seem to be helping the situation or intensifying emotions? Behavior influences behavior.
How connected a child feels to a caregiver is a big piece of the puzzle. When looking to reduce challenging behavior in our children, it is of utmost importance to not only understand the function of behavior(s) and identify replacement skills to teach, but to look at how the child interacts and connects with those close to them. I am trained to analyze why a child may be exhibiting certain behaviors and work with you to decrease the challenging behaviors and increase prosocial skills, typically starting with functional communication training.
I believe wrapping parents in support and compassion is the best way to influence change. The hardest and arguably most important job in our society is being a parent. I believe in using a strengths- based mindset, staying curious and celebrating every small win along the way.
Contact
I'd love to meet with you to learn about your dreams, goals and values as a parent and how I may best support you on your journey.