HOPEFUL HANDS - Key Persons
In addition to being a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Dr. Jensen brings the added perspectives of a Licensed Psychologist and a background in behavior genetics to his analysis and treatment of challenging behavior. He is a Past President of Northwestern Association for Behavior Analysis. Dr. Jensen has extensive consulting experience, having worked with over 50 agencies in Washington and nationally, including over 20 school districts in the Seattle area. He has provided over 400 in-home consultations and has provided ABA and psychological services to seven group homes.
Grace is a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and licensed behavior analyst (LBA) in the Hopeful Hands clinic. She obtained her M.Ed in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2019. She began her career in ABA as a registered behavior technician (RBT) and continues to pursue further studies.
Grace has worked with children and adolescents with special needs for the past 4 years. She has experience providing crisis management and positive behavior support plans for children and adolescents with challenging behaviors.
Grace can provide behavioral services in English and Korean to individuals and their families.
Hayley is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and licensed behavior analyst (LBA). She also maintains a Washington state counseling credential (CCC). She is a Seattle native and has worked locally in the field of applied behavior analysis since 2002. Hayley has varied experience providing behavior analytic intervention in a variety of settings, through many modalities, and across the lifespan. Her areas of clinical interest are tweens and older learners, working specifically on soft skills in executive functioning, self management and regulation. Hayley is the ABA Services & Summer Program Executive Director at Hopeful Hands, Inc overseeing all clinic based and in-home services as well as summer programming.
James L Nicolaus, (Founder and President), started Hopeful Hands on July 9th, 2005. James has two bachelor's degrees, one in Anthropology and one in Sociology. He also has two master's degrees, one in Business Administration and the other in Counseling Psychology. Providing mental health therapy services and behavioral support to the community and school systems are the cornerstone of Hopeful Hands, Inc. James has been working directly with children and adolescents with mental health challenges, autism, and significant behaviors of concern across many settings for the last 23 years. James has also worked for the State of Washington at Children's Administration as a Social worker 3. He ran investigations, provided community resources and helped families who were without hope. His many years of work with neurodiverse individuals fuels him to continue learning and pursuing education.
Jamie Henson is a CBT, who will be pursuing her Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis this fall. She began her ABA journey at the University of North Texas, where she earned her Bachelor's in Applied Behavior Analysis. She has 14 years of experience via in home, in school and in clinic. She has traveled from Texas to Washington to further her ABA experience and career.
Jennie is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and licensed behavior analyst (LBA) who has been providing services to individuals with ASD and their families since 2004. She is originally from New Jersey and graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology.
Jennie is a certified K-5 educator with extensive experience working in private and public schools and has provided supervision, consultation, and training to families across home and community settings. Jennie's areas of expertise include behavior and classroom management, skill acquisition programming, and staff training. Her interests include the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior. Jennie is the clinical supervisor of the morning day program at Hopeful Hands, Inc.
Karlie Ormiston is a CBT/RBT who began her work in the field of ABA in Southern California back in 2017. Her background in ABA consists of working with a variety of ages and diagnoses in a clinic, home, and school settings. She has experience using Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) in a naturalistic ABA setting, as well as life skills teaching within a classroom setting. In 2021 Karlie returned to Washington State with her husband, where they were able to welcome their first child. After going back to work in the ABA field, Karlie soon joined the Hopeful Hands team and has recently begun a Master's program with the goal to become a BCBA. In her off time she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and their zoo of animals.
Lyla is new to ABA, but not Autism. She has previous experience caring for and working with toddlers and young adults. She will be starting college in the fall, pursuing psychology and child development with the hopes of working in the field of child advocacy. When she is not at work you can find her exploring the outdoors or practicing yoga.
Megan Drake is a RBT and CBT who has worked in the field since October 2019. She has experience with both verbal and nonverbal learners aged 2-21. Megan is currently pursuing a master's in special education with an emphasis in ABA to become a BCBA. Outside of work, she enjoys playing with her dogs, reading, and going on spontaneous road trips with her husband.
Job Titles:
- Speech - Language Pathologist
Nicole Rodgers is a speech-language pathologist who completed a MA degree in Communication Disorders, with an emphasis in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, at California State University, Fresno. She is originally from Oakland, CA, and has experience working with multiple populations in various settings, including school districts, skilled-nursing facilities, and private practices. Nicole has practiced in both California and Washington and has extensive knowledge in the areas of early childhood language development, pragmatic and social language disorders, articulation, phonological processing, oral motor development, voice, and swallowing disorders. Nicole holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA), where she is also a member.
Tore Lydersen has a Ph.D. in psychology and specialized in behavior analysis. He is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) and a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA). Tore has extensive experience in behavior analysis in both academic and applied settings. He has published research in applied and experimental analysis of behavior and has presented this work at various conferences. Tore has worked for more than three decades with children and adults who exhibit challenging behaviors. Currently, his focus has been on helping children who are having difficulties benefiting from educational experiences in school.
Vance Hunter is a CBT and a RBT who has worked in the field of behavioral health as a behavior tech for 3 years and started with Hopeful Hands in December 2021. Vance grew up in Western Washington and graduated from Stadium High School in Tacoma. Vance has worked with clients as young as 2.5 years and as old as 18 and has experience providing interventions in a variety of settings. From schools, in home, and in the clinic Vance has experience teaching various skills that have led to improved quality of life for his clients. Vance hopes to obtain his BCBA and continue to work in the field as a licensed behavioral analyst.