I have been working with adults and children for over 20 years. I am a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst as well as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. I strive to aid clients in achieving their goals in a safe and welcoming therapeutic space. I specialize in treating both adults and children with autism, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, behavioral challenges, trauma, adjustment issues as well as other transitional issues. I use EMDR therapy as well as other cognitive therapies and work with a variety of trauma-based strategies to reduce trauma response in day-to-day life.

I utilize EMDR therapy to manage anxiety, trauma, phobias and negative cognitions in order to help clients unlock their potential.

Parent Training Course Series Introduction

Behavioral Science for Parents: Understanding Behavior, Building Skills, and Supporting Change

Welcome to this five-part parent training series.

This course was created to help parents better understand behavior, respond more effectively to challenges, and feel more confident supporting their child with practical, compassionate, behavior-based strategies. Many parents are doing their best with difficult situations every day—tantrums, refusal, aggression, whining, interruptions, transitions, emotional outbursts, or behaviors that seem to come out of nowhere. It can be exhausting and confusing when you are trying hard, but the behavior keeps happening.

This series is designed to make behavior feel more understandable.

Rather than viewing behavior as random, “bad,” manipulative, or defiant, we will look at behavior through a behavioral science lens. That means we will focus on what happens before a behavior, what the behavior looks like, and what happens after it. We will examine the patterns that keep behavior going, the reasons behavior may be occurring, and the tools parents can use to teach more effective replacement skills while reducing stress in the home.

Throughout this course, the goal is not simply to stop unwanted behavior. The real goal is to understand what the behavior is communicating, identify what the child may need, and build more appropriate, sustainable ways for the child to get those needs met. We will focus on prevention first, connection first, clarity first, and teaching first.

Across these five sessions, you will learn how to:

• understand the ABCs of behavior

• identify the common functions of behavior

• use reinforcement effectively

• teach Functional Communication Training, or FCT

• respond to escalation and build de-escalation strategies in a safe, supportive, proactive way

This course is meant to be practical. You will hear real-life examples, learn common parent mistakes that are easy to make, and begin to see how small changes in adult responses, environment, expectations, and follow-through can lead to meaningful improvements over time.

Most importantly, this course is meant to leave you feeling empowered.

You do not have to be perfect to help your child. You do not need to memorize clinical language or become a behavior specialist overnight. What you need is a clearer understanding of why behavior happens, what your child may be learning from the environment, and how to respond in ways that teach new skills instead of accidentally strengthening the problem.

Behavior change is possible. It often starts not with doing more, but with seeing behavior differently.