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DBT Founder & CEO Dr. Cho with her team of BCBA Supervisors
DR. GRACE CHO
Founder & CEODr. Grace Cho is the Founder and CEO of Dr. Cho Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Inc. Dr. Cho received her Ph.D. from UCLA in Special Education with an emphasis on Autism. She founded ABT in April 2015, in order to help children with autism, develop independent lives, improving their social and functional communication skills, so that they can interact effectively with their peers and adults. Prior to this, she worked as BCBA-D for Alexandria City Public Schools. She supervised classroom teachers of children with autism, training them in ABA intervention techniques, to improve these children’s behavior and performance at their schools. Dr. Cho is also Adjunct Professor at GMU, George Mason University, where she teaches graduate students in ABA. In 2006, Dr. Cho established a board-approved ABA graduate program at NSU, Nam Seoul University in Korea, the first program of its kind in Asia. She served at NSU as Chief Professor of the graduate ABA department, teaching graduate students and supervising other professors. She was also the Director of the Behavioral Therapy Clinic at NSU. Click the button below to watch her interview with Voice of America on autism and children.
BRANDI BROWN
Program DirectorBrandi Brown is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst with master’s degrees in Education and Psychology with an emphasized Applied Behavior Analysis. Brandi has worked in various settings teaching and supporting children with diverse disabilities including autism. Settings include hospital, residential, in-home, and school. In the hospital and residential settings, Brandi supported children with severe problem behaviors, depression, suicidal actions, and ideations. While working in the clinical settings Brandi created and taught social skills lessons, conducted functional behavioral assessments, life skills assessments, and developed an implementation of behavioral interventions plans. Additionally, Brandi conducted and developed staff training-based staff needs. While working in the school setting Brandi acted as special education coordinator for a “high functional autism” program. As a coordinator, Brandi trained special education teachers based on ABA principles, developed, and implemented social skills curriculum. Brandi’s overall goal is to improve social skills for children in the domains of emotional control, flexibility, planning, and self-monitoring.
KIMBERLY ROJAS
Senior BCBAKimberly Rojas is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) in Virginia. Kimberly earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Troy University and her Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from Western Connecticut State University. Kimberly developed a passion for ABA in 2014 while working as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) providing 1:1 home-based ABA therapy. She understood the positive impact ABA can have on her patients’ lives and decided to become a BCBA. She has worked with children and adolescents ranging from 2-18 years of age. Her experience in ABA is very diverse, including clinical, home, school, and community-based settings. Kimberly is bilingual and speaks fluent Spanish. She specializes in teaching social skills and independent living skills.
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LAURIE SAMUELS
BCBALaurie Samuels is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) in Virginia. Laurie earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from George Mason University and her Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She has 16+ years of experience implementing the science of ABA across a wide variety of individuals within a number of settings. She has worked extensively with children and adults with disabilities in many capacities. Her journey began as an in-home ABA therapist, to special education teacher at a Therapeutic Day School in Virginia, an in-home consultant, and then as a Behavior Specialist at an additional Therapeutic Day School in Maryland. Although Laurie’s trajectory within the field has been slightly uncommon, her extensive experience and comprehensive training have allowed her to creatively, yet effectively, utilize ABA; all the while wearing many hats.
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RASHAWN JEFFERS
BCBARaShawn Jeffers is an enthusiastic and passionate Licensed Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. RaShawn is passionate about the dissemination of Behavior Analysis as natural science and how it can help improve all human performance and human interactions across multiple environments. RaShawn describes herself as a natural-born behaviorist. Before becoming a BCBA, RaShawn has held the BCaBA credential since 2019 and the RBT credential in 2015. Her experience includes providing direct behavioral support and behavioral consultation to clients in environments, such as day support, community, residential and in-home settings. Her professional interest includes performance management, individualized treatment planning, functional communication skills, and RBT training.
SANDHYA BIKMAL
BCaBA Sandhya Bikmal is passionate about making a difference in the lives of individuals with Special Needs. As a BCaBA and mother of an 18-year-old with Autism, she is a strong proponent of educating and empowering parents in the principles of ABA. Over the last 10 years, she has conducted numerous parent training workshops across the world and set up Verbal Behavior programs in the U.S.A and in India. Her guidance and support have brought about a paradigm shift in the lives of countless families.
DBT Registered Behavior Technicians & Behavior Therapists
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Khatira Amir Ahmadzai
Registered Behavior Technician
Hello, my name is Khatira Amir Ahmadzai. I am currently working as a registered behavior technician (RBT) for Dr. Cho Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I was a medical doctor back in my home country of Afghanistan. I had worked in Afghanistan as a gynecologist. I got my MD back in 2007 from Kabul medical university, and I have been working as a Registered Behavior Therapist since 2016. I studied at Florida Tech institute for my BCaBA. I am currently going for my Master in psychology, to become BCBA.
I have worked with different age groups, from 3 years old to 17 years old. I have faced different challenges in my career. Each case is different and presents its own problems, but my biggest goal is always to bring a smile to my client and their families faces. One of my clients was non-verbal at the start of his sessions, but after I had been working with him for three months, I received a video call from his grandmother, and she asked me to listen, as my client was singing a song “head shoulders knees and toes”. The tears of joy that I witnessed in the eyes of that family were unforgettable, and it stands as one of the greatest achievements in my life. In another case, a client was not able to sit still for even 30 seconds. I observed her behavior and found a strong reinforcer for her. Now, she is able to sit for over 25 minutes to complete an art project. I enjoy working with my clients.I have been working since 2016 with Dr. Cho’s program, and before that, with many other companies as a behavior therapist. But my experience with Doctor Cho is always amazing. In fact, all the other BCBA supervisors in our company are so experienced and supportive. I firmly believe that I owe most of my success in my career to Doctor Cho and to the support of my amazing supervisor Brandi Brown. Dr. Cho and Brandi are major inspirations for me. My goal is to become a professional and efficient as they are when I finally become a BCBA.
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Crystal Alba
Registered Behavior Technician
Hello, my name is Crystal Alba. I received a BA in Psychology from San Francisco State University in special education. I am currently a certified RBT for DBT and have been in the ABA field since 2016. I have learned so much in my experience working with my clients.
I also work as a part-time personal tutor for school-age children and have had background experience as a preschool teacher, volunteering as an after-school soccer coach and youth mentor.
One of my accomplishments as an RBT has been working with a client who was diagnosed with autism who was also considered non-verbal. I worked on reducing his aggressive behavior, as he tended to hurt his peers and even himself when attempting to gain access to reinforcements such as hearing his mom on the phone, playing outside or TV shows that he liked. After working with him for over a year, he is now able to articulate some words for his needs, and in order to get his reinforcements. As a witness to his progress in being able to articulate his needs to his family members and peers, I find that my job is extremely rewarding. Now that he has been able to use his skills to form words, his aggression has decreased.
Working with Dr. Cho has been such a pleasure. I’ve been working with Dr. Cho since 2017, and every day has been a learning experience. I’ve had the best guidance from her and Brandi Brown, a BCBA with DBT. They have shed light on my path to changing the lives of my clients and their families. My confidence in my position is a reflection of their professionalism, flexibility, and, more importantly, their understanding of what it means to be human and learn through the process. To be a part of someone’s progress for their mental health is profoundly rewarding. I am grateful for each day that is a new opportunity to learn and foster my growth.
Kellie Barber
Registered Behavior Technician
Hello! I am Kellie Barber, a behavioral technician (BT) for Dr. Cho Behavioral Therapy. I plan on becoming a registered behavioral therapist (RBT) in 2022. I have a Master's in Human Rights and an additional degree in Secondary Social Studies Education. I am a licensed teacher with an endorsement in special education. I was in a public school classroom for students with autism for four years. I have enjoyed applying ABA techniques to my lessons and social skills groups. One of my proudest moments was working with a student who had great difficulties staying on task and completing his school assignments. After working with him for two years, I saw his progress in being able to complete his assignments on a regular basis, and he ended up with his test scores more than triple when we started his sessions!
The success of this client has made me see the potential for every child with autism. With the proper ABA interventions, all these children can be encouraged to improve their ability to understand their assignments and improve their social skills.
Serena Burgess
Registered Behavior Technician
Hello! I am Serena Burgess, a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Biology from The University of Virginia's College at Wise, and am now earning my Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at Capella University. I first began working in the field in 2016. I have provided one-on-one home-based therapy with clients of diverse cultures and backgrounds and many disabilities. I have worked with children and adolescents ranging from 2-17 years old. I continue to work in the field of ABA, as I realize the positive impact I have made in these people’s lives. I look forward to many more rewarding years working with clients and their families. Just seeing the smile on my client’s face during an ABA session lights up my day!
Dilcia Calix
Registered Behavior Technician
Hello, my name is Dilcia Calix and I am a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) for Dr. Cho Behavioral Therapy (DBT). I am currently working to obtain my bachelor's degree in psychology with a concentration in applied behavior analysis (ABA). I have worked with many amazing families and it is extremely rewarding to me as a professional. To me, each client is an individual with their own needs and goals. I enjoy discovering what each of my client's personal goals is, and coming up with good interventions to encourage them to improve on a daily basis. The parents have been wonderful! They are always grateful that I share parent guidelines with them, and they appreciate my helping them apply ABA interventions to increase their child’s progress. The parents’ participation makes the ABA sessions even more effective.
One of my biggest achievements has been to help a client who had difficulty expressing his emotions. His only way of communicating frustration was to throw tantrums. Through ABA interventions, I was able to re-direct his energy toward positive activities, and he finally was able to decrease his aggressive behavior. His parents are very happy with the progress they have seen in their child.
Faiza Khan
Registered Behavior Technician
Hello! I'm Faiza Khan and I am currently working as a registered behavior technician (RBT) for DBT. I completed all the course requirements at Purdue University, and am now preparing for the BCBA exam in order to become BCBA. As an undergraduate, I majored in Psychology and went on to receive an MBA. I also have an executive certification in Business Administration from William and Mary University. In addition to working as an RBT and Website Coordinator/Designer for DBT, I am also the President of my web design company for the past 17 years. Additionally, I am also a certified Fitness Personal Trainer.
I thoroughly enjoy working at DBT as an RBT. I take every one of my client's personal challenges as an exercise in finding out exactly what “helps them.” For example, I had a client who never stayed on task for more than 30 seconds during online-school classes. The client would show tantrums and kept getting up from his seat during these classes. I noticed that the client would display this type of behavior whenever the curriculum was too advanced for his level of understanding. He was therefore trying to avoid the lesson by showing aggressive behavior or trying to escape. I contacted his teacher, letting her know that I had observed that the level of his schoolwork was beyond his capabilities and that this was prompting his aggressive behavior. I suggested that the teacher give him easier tasks and also try to engage in some one-on-one interaction. The teacher implemented these changes. As a result, the client began to enjoy his lessons, and soon after, he was on task for as long as 30 minutes. Being able to resolve this situation through client observation and ABA interventions was a very rewarding experience for me. I was very happy to see the change in my client, and the mother was in tears, saying she was very appreciative, and that this small intervention changed their lives.
I’m so happy for the opportunity to work as an RBT at DBT. I feel that I am constantly growing as a professional. My goal is to become a BCBA next year.
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Phillip Page
Registered Behavior Technician
Hello! My name is Philip Page and I am an RBT (Registered Behavioral Technician) for Dr. Cho’s Behavioral Therapy. I have been an RBT for a little over a year and have enjoyed every minute of it. This job field is morally uplifting and allows me to make a change, no matter how big, or small, in someone’s life. This keeps me motivated and fully committed. Thanks to the supervision and professional guidance of Dr. Cho, and my BCBA supervisor Brandi Brown, I have been able to exponentially improve my experience and knowledge in ABA therapy. The motto I always try to live by and remember when it comes to working in ABA is, “Children don’t give you a hard time, they’re just having a hard time!”
I’m currently working on my Master's in ABA at Purdue University, and will soon become BCBA.
Vladi Pena
Registered Behavior Technician
Hello! My name is Vladi Pena and I am an RBT with DBT. I have been working in the ABA field since 2019. Prior to my work in ABA I was a Preschool teacher for 5yrs. I have a passion for kids that was passed down by my mother, who is a Preschool Teacher. I loved my work as a teacher but nothing has been more gratifying than the 1:1 work I now do with our brilliant clients. I love being an RBT and seeing my clients learn and grow from Day 1 together. I’m so happy to be part of DBT’s founding family because they really value their staff, clients, and families. I look forward to seeing our company impact the lives of our kiddos and families in the future!
Sylvia Reyes
Registered Behavior Technician
Hello. My name is Sylvia Reyes. I am currently a Registered Behavioral Therapist (RBT) and a student at the University of Mary Washington, majoring in Psychology. I am very passionate about working in the field of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and plan on continuing to pursue a career in this area of study. My bio should be slightly altered and updated within the next year, God-willing! I have known at a very young age that I've had a gift of understanding others and helping them grow.
One of my first occupations was being a Direct Support Professional (DSP) in a group home for older adults with intellectual disabilities. Seeing the elderlies’ improvement, after having been by their families, made me want to dive into the root. I believe that while adults are very capable of growth, children are ten times more absorbent of new ideas and more easily moldable. Over the past 7 years, I have specialized in working with toddler age groups. I started volunteering as early as grade school with Sunday School activities with 3-5-year-olds. I’ve worked as a personal attendant for a few different clients with an array of impairments. In doing so, I've observed hours and hours of ABA between working there and working for the group home as a DSP. While being an RBT, I have also been able to continue observing endless hours of Speech and Occupational Therapy sessions as well. I’ve spent time working as a Teachers' Assistant in a self-contained Special Education classroom, a lead teacher in a private preschool, and plenty more customer service-related occupations that have all contributed to the professional I am today.
It is an honor to be entrusted with clients and their families at DBT.
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Sakina ullah
Registered Behavior Technician
My name is Sakina Ullah. I have worked as an RBT for almost 2 years. I have a BS in Sociology and I am currently doing my Masters of Psychology, in order to become a BCBA. I greatly enjoy working with children and have helped my clients in learning to verbalize their needs and reduce problem behaviors.
DBT Behavior Therapists (BTs)
Ahlam Silawi
Behavior Therapist
Hello, My name is Ahlam Silawi. I am a BT (Behavior Technician) I am new to this field, but I have been working at DBT for the past 3 months. I have an MBA in business management. I'm also a registered nurse (RN) and I currently work as an R.N at First Choice. I'm studying to become a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) by the end of December 2021. I have learned so much from Kimberly, my supervisor BCBA. She is so experienced and has given me the motivation to work hard and truly understand the needs of my clients. I firmly believe that I owe most of the success in my career to Kimberly and Dr. Cho.
As a professional clinician, it is rewarding to see my clients’ improvement on a daily basis. My current client was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He used to engage in elopement at least 3-4 times per session and non-compliance at least 6 times per session. I worked on reducing his elopement behavior, and within three months, he was no longer trying to elope. He is also able to use Manding in anything he needs without prompt. My client now listens to direction and accepts a “no” very well. I also noticed a reduction in his aggression. He has become more verbal, communicating his basic wants and needs. He has become more social with his peers in school and with his family members. His parents are very happy with his progress, and so am I, as his clinician. I'm grateful for each day of my career that helps me help others and foster my own growth.
Shantae Terrell
Behavior Therapist
Hello, my name is Shantae Terrell, and I am a BT (behavior Technician.) I have been working with children for the past 4-5 years. I have also been working in the behavior field for the past 11 years. I am currently in school to obtain my B. A in correctional behavior services, with the anticipation of graduating in the fall of 2022. I enjoy working with DBT, as I have a passion for providing much-needed services to families by supporting their loved ones in the home and in the community. At DBT, I work under the direct supervision of a BCBA, who gives me weekly supervision and provides me with the guidance and support to help me increase the progress of each of my clients. With the help of my BCBA supervisor, Kim, I am able to directly support my clients and provide helpful teaching moments to the families during sessions, so that the families can maintain and generalize the skills that I teach them. One of my accomplishments was with my current client. The client has difficulty with functional communication skills. I was able to increase their independence and communication of their wants and needs. The client still needs improvement, and I will continue to work with the client on increasing their functional communication skills. I find it so rewarding to see the smiles on my client, and the obvious appreciation of the family, who have expressed to me how happy they are with their child’s progress, thanking me for my service. I look forward to making great strides in the success of each of my clients.
Damian Wright
Behavior Therapist
My name is Damian Wright. I am a "people person" with a kindred spirit. I love making others laugh or smile to help brighten one's day. I am big on quotes and inspiration. A few quotes that I live by are:
"Never look down on someone, unless you're extending a hand to lift them up." -Unknown
"Try to be the rainbow in someone's cloud." -Dr. Maya Angelou
I am a soon (very) to be RBT, who have earned my Bachelors Degree in Business Management. I have more than five years of working with youth. I enjoy working for DBT, because of their professionalism, resources, expertise, and the opportunity for growth and development. I parted ways with my previous employer due to the lack of training, professionalism, and resources.
DBT goes over and beyond to ensure I receive competent training so that I can be an asset to clients and their loved ones. Therefore, I am very confident that I will excel under the leadership of my Supervisor, Ms. Brandi, and Dr. Cho.
"Never look down on someone, unless you're extending a hand to lift them up." -Unknown
"Try to be the rainbow in someone's cloud." -Dr. Maya Angelou
I am a soon (very) to be RBT, who have earned my Bachelors Degree in Business Management. I have more than five years of working with youth. I enjoy working for DBT, because of their professionalism, resources, expertise, and the opportunity for growth and development. I parted ways with my previous employer due to the lack of training, professionalism, and resources.
DBT goes over and beyond to ensure I receive competent training so that I can be an asset to clients and their loved ones. Therefore, I am very confident that I will excel under the leadership of my Supervisor, Ms. Brandi, and Dr. Cho.