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bio
While earning my bachelor degree at University of Oregon I had the opportunity to work as a child victim advocate, helping families through the court process following an incident of abuse. It was at that time that I decided that working as an advocate for children was my calling. After graduating and moving to San Diego, I worked as a behavior therapist, conducting in-home, ABA therapy for about four years before completing my graduate program at San Diego State University. During my four year graduate training, I worked on two grants. The first focused on partnerships between school psychologists, and speech-language therapists to better serve children with Autism. The second grant was designed to improve services for Native Americans, and other indigenous youth. Also during my graduate training, I specialized in behavior, completing extra coursework in behavior, as well as completing supervision hours from a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). I completed three years of practicum work in the San Diego Unified’s public schools, and a year long internship in San Marcos Unified.
Following the completion of my graduate program, I worked in San Marcos Unified for five years as a school psychologist. During that time I worked in preschool-high school, completing psycho-educational child evaluations, educationally related mental health assessments, functional behavior assessments, and assessments to determine if a student was in need of a one on one aide. I designed, and implemented interventions in the areas of behavior, academics, and social-emotional. I implemented evidenced based curriculum class-wide, in small groups, and individually. I supported teachers in writing individualized education plans (IEPs), and measuring goals. I consulted with teachers on interventions, and classroom management. I designed, and presented professional development presentations during teacher/aide trainings. Finally, I delivered assessment results in IEP meetings, and helped to facilitate IEP meetings. During my last years in San Marcos, I was responsible for completing all of the child evaluations in the non-public school settings. This provided me the opportunity to learn about the full spectrum of services that are available to children who are in need, and to see first hand what San Diego (and surrounding areas) has to offer as far as educational settings go. After extensive experience in the public school system, I made the decision to offer my services in a private practice setting. This allows me more time, and flexibility to focus my attention on what I feel is most important for your child.
Why choose me to complete your child’s evaluation?
My educational background, training, and my own experience as a mother has shown me how important it is to consider the individual uniqueness of your child in the context of their social, and learning environment. I consider the WHOLE picture, and the whole child, not just their test results. I spend the time to really get to know their background, their environment, their interests, their strengths. With this information I am able to identify areas in need of extra support. Taking input from the child’s parents, school, and of course the child, I provide recommendations for interventions that are evidence-based during each child’s evaluation.