Hande Cihan has been working in ABA since 2016 as both a Behavior Tech and as a BCBA. While perusing her Master’s degree in Special Education Hande was exposed to ABA as a visiting scholar at Columbia University. Hande was so fascinated by ABA that when she returned home she completed her master’s degree and moved to Boston. In Boston, Hande completed her second Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis at Simmons University.

Hande’s Clinical interests include supervision and clinical training as well as verbal behavior and language development. She has worked with individuals from infancy to age 19 in a home, school, and clinic setting. Hande enjoys working with the fun and passionate team at SPBS in addition to being in a supportive environment.

Hande can speak three languages and she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and watching movies.

Katie Hermann holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Toledo in Ohio and a certificate in interprofessional teaming. Katie found a passion for childhood development when a family friend was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Though often discussed in the education of a speech therapist; Katie discovered ABA when she had the opportunity to work at a clinic during her graduate studies. This experience allowed her to understand the importance of open-mindedness and collaboration while also giving her the chance to share her scope of practice as an SLP. Katie uses a child-led approach when working with children and specializes in following their interests and embedding therapeutic techniques into their play.

While looking for a position that allowed her to help children develop their language and play skills in an outpatient setting, Katie stumbled upon SPBS. Intrigued by our unique environment and holistic approach to meeting children at their current level, she decided to join our team and make Scottsdale Pediatric Behavioral Services her new home. Still a kid at heart, Katie finds the most rewarding part of her day to be playing and engaging with her clients and seeing them independently use targeted skills. In her free time, Katie enjoys traveling, making hand-crafted espressos, and experimenting with herbs and spices in her kitchen.

Alex has three years of ABA experience and has worked with children from two to seventeen. Armed with a bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s in special education with an emphasis in Applied Behavioral Analysis from ASU, Alex’s area of expertise is in the management and recovery from challenging and difficult behaviors while also focusing on the care and connection with the individuals he works with.

Alex was drawn to SPBS’ multifaceted team and the growth opportunities we provide to our staff beyond the master’s level of education. With several family members on the spectrum, Alex shares a close relationship with ASD and enjoys the heavy focus placed on our clients and their needs. Alex enjoys the ability to know all his coworkers and build relationships in a collaborative environment.

When he isn’t at work, you can find Alex mentoring youth in the community, spending time with his cat Momo, or engaging in physical activities such as Rock climbing or snowboarding.

Paul Ettinger grew up in a suburban town in New Jersey 30 minutes outside of New York City. He discovered ABA shortly after high school when a friend referred him for a job with a non-profit organization that provided community-based services for individuals with Autism. From there, Paul attended Kean University in Union, New Jersey, where he completed his undergrad in Psychology and went on to Arizona State University where he attained a Master’s in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavioral Analysis.

Most of Paul’s experience is in early intervention in the clinical setting with children ages three to six and has worked with both adolescents and adults in the residential setting. Paul has a strong background in using discrete trial teaching methods as well as utilizing functional analysis procedures to better identify function-based interventions for maladaptive behaviors. Paul finds the most rewarding part of his day to be connecting with clients and their families daily as well as watching his clients make progress towards living more independent and fulfilling lives.

Paul made the choice to join our team due to our emphasis on quality vs quantity in the care of our patients as well as our focus on early intervention. He enjoys the readiness to help from our clinical team and the diversification of skills amongst our supervisors.

Outside of work you can find Paul participating in recreational sports such as volleyball or hockey or camping and hiking outdoors while working towards his goal of visiting all 63 national parks.

Shaela Bruce graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and University of Nebraska Medical Center with a Master of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Applied Behavioral Analysis. While studying Occupational Therapy in her undergrad, Shaela discovered ABA and fell in love with the idea of working with children who have autism while also being able to use both her analytical and creative skills to better the lives of others.

As a BCBA, Shaela has ten years of experience in Early intervention and Severe Behaviors and enjoys teaching beginning communication skills to early learners and more advanced social skills to learners who are transitioning into standard classroom settings.

Scottsdale PBS stood out to Shaela due to the light and positive atmosphere of our practice and the team-oriented culture of our BCBA staff. Shaela demonstrates genuine care and joy when interacting with each child and thrives from seeing their success each day. When not working at the clinic you can find Shaela baking, dabbling in special effects makeup, or revisiting her country girl roots visiting the outdoors.