The Behavioral Trifecta: part 2 of 2
Behavioral Trifecta
Our Ability Specialists’ team is always striving to better ourselves, so we may continue to give at the highest levels to our clients, their families, and our community. And as promised in our April 2024 newsletter, this May 2024 edition will introduce you to the leaders behind The Behavioral Trifecta.
The Behavioral Trifecta is the Ability Specialists’ development program where employees will receive comprehensive training in behavioral and emotional intervention through three certification programs:
Instructional Applied Behavior Analysis (IABA): Applying interventions that are based on the principles of the learning theory to enhance the effectiveness of the 40-hour Registered Behavioral Technician (RBT) Training and State Certification.
Power2Relate: Human Connection Training and Certification.
Move Through Yoga: Adaptive Yoga and Trauma Informed Yoga Training.
This behavioral trifecta is funded by a Training Grant awarded to Ability Specialists from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a part of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. The program is built for our employees to foster a holistic approach to behavior treatment that combines data, science, and human connection. This approach is expected to improve emotional regulation for both staff and those we serve, thereby reducing work fatigue and enhancing staff and client retention.
We had the opportunity to ask the leaders of these three unique programs a few questions in between sessions with our employees. We are incredibly grateful to each of them for their time and expertise in helping us move toward the fulfillment of our mission.
Here’s what we captured, in their words…
Instructional Applied Behavior Analysis (IABA)
Jessie Cooper, CEO & BCBA
Dr. Toshi S. Szpyra, DBH, BCBA, Clinical Supervisor
Jessie: When TJ and I met, it was clear that she is a values-first kind of person. I am as well, so it was a nice match. Our goal is to deliver quality access to care across the lifespan and funding sources. We already do this well in Illinois, and now we had a chance to bring it to Colorado. We were thrilled!
With ABA in many areas, it can be set up more as a ‘cookie-cutter’ solution. Our team at IABA works to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each client in order to customize a treatment plan to set that client up for optimal success. We did exactly that for the Ability Specialists’ team.
And here’s a bonus – one of Ability Specialists’ existing clients was an IABA client 10 years ago! It’s a small world after all.
Toshi: My goal with the Ability Specialists’ team is to help them hone the skills they’ve learned in RBT training in a person-centered way. I was there, in Colorado, to ensure I had a connection and bond with each team member. The in-person experience is vital to the success of our program.
We also went into the field to navigate the community, the client interactions, and observe real experiences. This insight allows me to fine-tune the program based on the individual’s strengths and areas of growth. I also have the opportunity to model the program and tools we teach on the spot. We observe maladaptive behaviors, body language, how to respond to the situation, and promote positive interactions.
Bottom line, it’s a collaborative setting where we can translate book knowledge into day-to-day actions. It improves services offerings. And that’s a powerful result!
POWER2RELATE®
Joe Clem & Sherry Blair, POWER2RELATE® Co-Creators
Why did you choose to work with Ability Specialists?
Joe: I was contacted by TJ Roper, President & CEO of Ability Specialists, about a client whom I had mentioned on a podcast. The Ability Specialists’ team was considering working with a client with the same uncommon challenge.
It became clear, instantly, that the founder's vision, commitment, and dedication was to excellence in quality services and not only for the clients but for the staff as well. Ability Specialists’ vision to be the best provider in the region made the choice to partner with them an easy one.
Sherry: During a virtual meeting some months after Joe was working with Ability Specialists virtually, I had the opportunity to meet with TJ and Joe and learned more about her vision. I became super excited about the opportunity because I feel passionate about investing in human capital and helping people and organizations to change for positive results.
It’s always refreshing to find leaders and other like-minded people that really want to make this world a better place and especially when it is for people who have been challenged in more ways than the average person. We created POWER2RELATE® for this very reason and considering the connected vision, we believed it to be a win-win-win – for them, for us, and for the people served.
What impact will your program have with our staff, and indirectly, our clients?
One of Ability Specialists’ core principles is to build strong staff and a positive workplace culture. Power2Relate®'s goal is to provide individuals an increased power to be and feel connected, so the pairing was perfect.
By increasing the staff's ability to understand and relate to themselves in more positive, powerful, and productive ways by learning techniques and strategies to increase connections, they in turn gain confidence in themselves as individuals and care providers. This confidence naturally, and more rapidly, enables and empowers staff to teach the necessary skills clients need for increased success to be and feel connected.
A humbling and heartwarming outcome is that we notice staff and clients just enjoy themselves more. And what’s better than that? Joy is the work, and who doesn’t want more happiness, peace of mind, and success in life?
The opportunity Ability Specialists has provided is such a bold, assertive, and innovative move. We are graced to be able to play a part of TJ's vision along with the caring team at Ability Specialists to improve the quality of many lives.
What makes your program unique?
Power2Relate® is a systemic, wholly inclusive model which seeks to build power in the provider of services (whether that be a parent, caregiver or corporate administrator/team member) as well as that of the individual identified with a challenge.
By teaching an integrated model and bringing in an understanding of the interrelated nature of skills and the interdependence of skills to create and maintain success, Power2Relate® provides a framework for success where other models fall short by taking a singular focus.
Evidence based strategies based on decades of research are the foundation of Power2Relate® and because human beings are complex and part of a system, it merely makes sense to tap into the various elements of power that are needed to be successful.
We also do not believe in “cookie-cutter” programs that leaves you wondering how and when to use a technique. We wholeheartedly believe in the uniqueness of the individual, family, or organization and there are different strokes for different folks as the saying goes. By becoming equipped with a toolbox full of tools for different jobs, you understand the interrelatedness of the Power2Relate® system and you can learn how to draw from your tool kit when and where you need it with as much intensity as you need in that moment.
What are some fun facts about yourself?
Joe: I began taking self-improvement courses when I was 18 and had a vision of being on the planet to improve the quality of life. I first earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Visual Arts and worked in the entertainment industry for 20 years, spending 17 years in Los Angeles working on feature films. From working with Oprah in Baltimore to movies starting on The Abyss and finishing on Training Day, I came to realize true quality was within an individual, not in what they consumed. I then transitioned to psychology. I also love live music, hiking, and spending time at the ocean.
Sherry: I come from working class roots. I bartended and worked in restaurants for many years. I love making people laugh and can be “inappropriate” for some because I swear! I learned my greatest skills while working behind a bar and scrubbing other people’s toilets.
I love music and often burst out singing while training, or just in life. Songs are always in my head! I also believe that dancing and music saved my life as a young person, and I still love to dance. I’m an animal lover with two dogs. I love the beach, nature, gardening, and travel - and I’m committed to living life to the fullest with joy, love, and laughter.
Move Through Yoga: Adaptive Yoga and Trauma Informed Yoga Training
Stefanie Gross, President and Curriculum Innovator
Why did you choose to work with Ability Specialists?
Ability Specialists’ three pillars seamlessly align with Move Through Yoga. We, too, want our clients to reach their greatest potential and feel a sense of belonging to a community.
We believe that through adaptive yoga an even greater sense of community can be achieved for individuals with IDD. Breathing and moving in safe, accessible, and inclusive approaches brings everyone together regardless of one's athletic or cognitive background.
What impact will your program have on our staff, and indirectly, our clients?
We are ecstatic that the Ability Specialists’ staff are taking the Move Through Yoga Trauma Conscious and Adaptive Yoga Training, and that they’re already seeing the benefits of it with their clients! We just concluded week 5, and the team has shared many stories of how they’ve used techniques learned in training thus far, and how well the clients are responding.
When are training concludes, we are confident that the Ability Specialists’ team will have the skills to teach accessible and inclusive yoga classes. Additionally, they will undoubtedly be more attuned to ways they can mitigate their stress through self-regulation strategies, which will also be used to co-regulate with clients who may be dysregulated.
What makes your program unique?
Move Through Yoga's program provides comprehensive training for individuals who may otherwise be new to yoga principles and concepts. We enable all trainees to effectively implement adaptive yoga strategies with their clients. Our program does not require trainees to be certified yoga teachers, thus we bring even the tougher concepts of proprioception, interoception, isometrics, and how to accommodate all minds and bodies (to name a few) to trainees of all levels.
Our methodology and training program were designed by seasoned educators, who have extensive backgrounds in curriculum design and working with students of diverse needs, as well as extensive yoga expertise. We have a unique ability to relate the curriculum to parents, educators, and other professionals who work with individuals with IDD.
What are some fun facts about yourself?
I'm from Philadelphia and a die-hard Eagles fan - the way I say "water" is a dead giveaway! I love chocolate-covered gummy bears. When I'm not teaching yoga or leading trainings, I am busy being a mom to a beautiful baby girl and stepmom to two amazing teens.
All of us here at Ability Specialists are excited about these relationships and the program we’ve developed, especially as it relates to our continuous improvement in service to our clients and our community. This grant and the implementation of this program moves us one step closer to our goal of becoming the best mentors in Denver!