My Story
I have lived in Lane County since 1978 and have worked with individuals with intellectual disabilities and their parents, foster parents and direct support staff in various capacities for all that time. For 12 years I worked as an administrator in charge of programs for high school students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. At that time I developed and supervised classrooms that included students with autism and other developmental disabilities who exhibited severe acting out behaviors.
I was a counselor for 10 years at a center that specialized in people intellectual and other developmental disabilities. My focus was on individuals who exhibited challenging behaviors.
I was a licensed adult foster home provider for individuals with developmental disabilities for 7 years.
I teach parents and other support providers of neurodivergent children, adolescents, and adults (with a focus on Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disabilities) how to effectively handle challenging behaviors and intense emotions while building a strong relationship so that they can reduce their own stress while helping the individuals that they support feel safe, accepted, and competent.
