STERLING INSTITUTE FOR AUTISM - Key Persons
Dr. Bahl is a double board certified psychiatrist who earned her undergraduate degree from Columbia College of Columbia University and Medical Degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Dr. Caitlyn Gumaer is a neurodiversity-affirming licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified behavior analysts specializing in autism spectrum disorders and related neurodevelopmental disorders.
Dr. Gumaer has been working with youth and their families for 15 years across a variety of settings including in-home and clinic-based programs, pediatric healthcare settings, and via telehealth. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from Pitzer College, and her Master's and PhD in Positive Developmental Psychology from Claremont Graduate University. She completed graduate training at the Claremont Autism Center at Claremont McKenna College, and became an Associate Clinical Director. She also served as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Claremont McKenna College and Interim Director of the Claremont Autism Center. Dr. Gumaer completed post-doctoral fellowships through Emory University's School of Medicine at the Marcus Autism Center and at the Autism Discovery Institute at Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego.
Dr. Gumaer specializes in the assessment and treatment of autism spectrum disorders and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Combining her developmental, behavioral, and clinical psychology backgrounds, she uses a strengths-based and family-centered approach when working with youth and their families. She has extensive experience providing naturalistic developmental interventions to toddlers and young children as well as therapeutic services to school-aged children and teens including social skills groups and cognitive behavioral therapy. She also has experience implementing caregiver-mediated interventions to address behavioral concerns and adaptive functioning, and providing support through individual and group-based parent training and parent education programming. Dr. Gumaer is skilled at providing comprehensive diagnostic, developmental, and psychological assessments, including administering the ADOS, which is considered the gold standard for assessing autism in children, adolescents, and adults. She is also trained in Acceptance-and-Commitment Therapy (ACT), PEERS, Project ImPACT, Pivotal Response Training (PRT), and Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) Level 1. In her spare time, Dr. Gumaer enjoys playing volleyball, going to the beach and dog park with her two dogs, and spending time with her family.
The Sterling Institute for Autism is a private group practice dedicated to providing collaborative, evidence-based treatment and assessment for autistic children, teens, and adults.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist
As a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) trained psychologist, Dr. Karp uses a strengths-based, family-centered approach to work collaboratively with families to set and reach goals for treatment. Dr. Karp is a licensed psychologist who has trained and worked at some of the top academic medical centers in the country. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). She has an expertise in helping individuals with ASD and co-occurring anxiety disorders.
Job Titles:
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Jade Starleaf is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in working with adolescents and their families. Her specific areas of clinical expertise include autism, pediatric OCD, selective mutism, ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, and other mood/anxiety related disorders. Dr. Starleaf is skilled at providing comprehensive diagnostic assessments, including administering the ADOS, which is considered the gold standard for assessing autism in children, adolescents, and adults.
Job Titles:
- Director and Founder of SIA
- Founder & Director / Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Dr. Sterling is the director and founder of SIA. She is passionate about serving the community of autistic children, teens and adults. Dr. Sterling is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in autism. She earned her undergraduate degree in Psychobiology from UCLA and her Masters degree and Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington (UW) Autism Center.
Dr. Sterling has been conducting comprehensive diagnostic evaluations for youth and adults with suspected autism for almost 20 years, and has extensive experience and expertise providing individual therapy for autistic individuals, especially those who are also experiencing anxiety, depression, or other co-occurring symptoms.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director at University of California
Ms. Brock has been working with neurodivergent children, teens, adults, and their families since 1995. She has been a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) in the state of Washington since 2005 and a licensed professional clinical counselor (LPCC) in the state of California since 2021. Ms Brock is able to see clients in Washington state (telehealth) and California (telehealth and in-person).
Ms. Brock has been the Executive Director at University of California, Irvine's Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders since 2014. Prior to this position, Ms. Brock served for 20 years as the Associate Director at the University of Washington's prestigious Autism Center.She has a range of clinical experience, with training in cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy techniques. Ms. Brock has worked as a clinician at Cadence Child and Adolescent Therapy in Kirkland, WA in addition to maintaining a private practice in Washington for over 15 years. She is excited to have a similar practice serving neurodivergent youth and adults in Long Beach, CA.