our Team
Heather Batalden
Licensed Professional Counselor and Behavior Specialist
Heather Batalden (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Behavior Specialist who specializes in working with children and families ages 2-15 to meet their treatment goals. She utilizes evidence-based treatment models including Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and CBT while incorporating healthy behaviors and mindfulness into her work with clients. She has over 15 years of experience in all corners of the behavioral healthcare field. Heather works with caregivers and clients impacted by ASD, Anxiety and Depression, ADHD, and behavioral challenges. Heather provides parent training and consultation as well as in-person, short-term intensives to families.
Services offered by Heather:
- Individual and Family Therapy
- Behavior Consultation
- Caregiver Training
- Intensive Family Training
- PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) Informed-Care
Contact Information:
To work with Heather please contact her directly:
Sasha Torres
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Sasha Torres (she/her) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who specializes in working with children of various complexities from 2-15 years of age. Her vast clinical expertise is shaped by over 20 years of experience working with children, behavior specialist, families, school teams, and other professionals working collaboratively to help her clients thrive. She provides a holistic, functional, and individualized approach that incorporates a variety of evidence-based methodologies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), DNA-V, AIM, Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), and naturalistic methods to help her clients meet their objectives and gain confidence and skills to help them navigate in various environments. Sasha values connection, communication, and collaboration and is often considered as a valuable lifeline in times of uncertainty. She works with caregivers and clients impacted by ASD, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, social and emotional skill deficits, and behavioral challenges.
Services offered by Sasha:
- Behavior Assessment and Consultation
- Behavioral Intervention Plans
- Behavioral Support Services
- Social Skill Development and Support
- Family/Caregiver Guidance and Coaching
- Professional Development and Consultation for school teams and other service providers
- Intensive Family Training
Contact Information:
To work with Sasha please contact her directly:
Donka (Dona) Le-Dimitrova, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Dona (she/her/hers) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT 99957) who specializes in working with children 2-13 and their families. Dona uses a strength-based and client-centered approach to create a safe space for individuals to find their potential and thrive. She incorporates various evidence-based modalities such as Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), family systems, and mindfulness to support a wide range of needs. Dona integrates creative games and art to make learning new skills tangible and fun for kids. She has over 13 years of experience helping children and their families. Dona works with caregivers and clients impacted by Anxiety and Depression, ADHD, problematic parent-child relationships, and behavioral challenges. Dona has always believed in the importance of collaboration and offers to work with schools, teachers, and all systems relevant to each child’s life.
Services offered by Dona:
- Individual Therapy
- Family Therapy
- Support with Strengthening Sibling Relationships
- Social Skills Support
- Behavior Consultation
- Parent/Caregiver Coaching
- Mental Health/Behavior Consultation and Training for teachers, school staff, and other service providers
Contact Information:
To work with Dona please contact her directly:
Elizabeth Lewis
Early Intervention and Education
Elizabeth Lewis’s (she/her) dynamic skill set comes from over 20 years of experience in Early Intervention and Education. She specializes in working with children of all abilities ages 2-7 and their families to provide holistic, individualized, strengths-based support in social-emotional development, behavior, and education. Elizabeth utilizes a multi-modal approach, a behavior specialist, and believes the best way to foster success is by starting with empathy, establishing trust through meaningful connections, and building healthy and appropriate communication. Once a child feels empowered, respected, and understood, he/she/they will have the foundation on which to develop new skills that promote self-efficacy and independence. Elizabeth works with individuals impacted by significant cognitive and developmental delays, complex communication challenges, ASD, ADHD, anxiety, social-emotional deficits, and behavioral challenges.
Services offered by Elizabeth:
- Individual Behavioral and Social Skills Support
- Behavior Consultation
- Consultation on evidence-based learning approaches
- Training for Parents and Caregivers
- Consult/Training for Administrators, Teachers, and School Staff
Contact Information:
To work with Elizabeth please contact her directly:
"We support children and families in California, San Francisco Bay Area and Oregon, Telehealth"
OUR TESTIMONIALS
Our family worked with Heather and Sasha for an entire weekend for Intensive Family Training. We were blown away by how much we were able to LEARN in one weekend. We have adopted most of the strategies and tools we learned and have revealed the consistent improvements we have seen in the well-being of our children as well as our confidence as parents. My husband and I are finally on the same page!
The follow-up coaching has been incredibly helpful, the children loved both of these ladies and are always telling us when we don’t follow through, “We better call Ms. Heather and Ms. Sasha,” they were simply phenomenal! This service is perfect for busy families as we exchanged weeks of intervention or months of sitting on a waitlist with one weekend that packed a solid punch! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
K.D. Mom of one LD child, one ADHD child, & one perfectionistic worry wart!
“I worked in tandem with Elizabeth to provide educational support for a child with Down Syndrome. I have a Master’s Degree in Education, and a Master’s Degree in Library Sciences, and was an early elementary teacher for over twenty years. In all my years of teaching, I have never witnessed an early intervention specialist of the caliber of Elizabeth. She has an extraordinary gift of engaging her student/client by knowing the right balance of academic work with behavioral mentoring. Elizabeth knows exactly when to push her student and when to pull back. The result is that Elizabeth is able to achieve outstanding results in both the student’s behavior and educational goals. The reason for this positive outcome is that her students trust her. Elizabeth extends herself to her student with her whole heart and the student feels her sincere intention. She’s just the best at what she does.”
Cathy Robinson, MA, Education
“We were in a scary and desperate place as a family, immobilized by the behavior of our 10-year-old son. Heather was exactly who we needed! She provided a warm, but no-nonsense approach to behavioral intervention. She walks in, takes off her shoes, and gets right down to business. She has been such a support for us not only by improving our parenting skills but our daily interactions and appreciation for one another. I wish I would have known people like Heather were out there years ago.”
Mother of a spirited 10-year-old diagnosed with ADHD
“Ms. Torres is one of the most professional people I have ever met. My son was having a difficult time at his new school. He was not listening to directions, running out of the classroom, and breaking school property. Ms. Torres was able to provide the school with recommendations to best support him. My son has made huge strides and is now doing really well at his school. Without Ms. Torres’s support and knowledge this story wouldn’t have had a happy ending.”