Our Staff
Clinical Director
- Heather is the Clinical Director for Focus’ home-based Behavior Intervention Programs. Ms. Kahn conducts initial assessments, oversees the Clinical Supervisors and client programming, and provides relevant training. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with both a wealth of experience and a passion for providing individualized, effective services to children with Autism and their families. Heather earned a Masters Degree in Psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis Track, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. During this time, she received hands-on training and experience on the neurobehavioral unit at the Kennedy Krieger Institute at John’s Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. She began working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis in 1997 and has provided clinical and administrative services in educational, residential, vocational, inpatient, and home-based settings. Primary interests and specialization include functional behavioral assessment and analysis, the development of treatment plans for individuals with challenging problematic behavior, autism and developmental disorders, verbal behavior, and the dissemination of the principles of behavior analysis. Ms. Kahn is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis and the California Association for Behavior Analysis.
Ani Nikolova, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Clinical Director
- Dr. Nikolova is Focus’ Director of school programs funded by Glendale Unified School District and home programs funded by North Los Angeles Regional Center. In these capacities, she oversees the work of Supervisors, keeps up-to-date with current research, directs the ABA intervention program in her service areas, and conducts training workshops on a range of intervention topics, including Functional Behavioral Assessment, Teaching Self-Management, and Verbal Behavior. Dr. Nikolova holds a Ph.D. degree in Applied Cognitive Psychology from Claremont Graduate University and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Inspired by her passion for helping children and families deal with Autism diagnosis, she began working with developmentally disabled children as an undergraduate student. She has been providing behavior intervention, programming, supervision, parent education, and consultation to schools since 1997. Her expertise includes behavioral assessment, developing intensive behavioral treatment programs for children and adolescents diagnosed with autism or related disorder, treatment program development for challenging behaviors, consultation, and parent/staff education. Dr. Nikolova has conducted research in the areas of executive processing and memory, is fluent in Bulgarian and has a unique appreciation for cultural diversity.
Fae Rubenstein, LCSW, BCBA
Clinical Director
- Ms. Rubenstein has been the Clinical Director of Focus’ LAUSD school-based services since 2003. She interviews new clients and their families, supportively oversees all aspects of their school-based behavioral services, manages the Supervisors and Behavior Interventionists providing those services, and directly supervises clients. She is dedicated to providing individualized, quality ABA services in the school sector, enabling Focus’ clients to receive the greatest possible quality of life through the development of skills for academic, social and personal success in the school setting. Fae also conducts initial assessments for Regional Center clients, supervises in the home setting, and co-trains Focus staff. Prior to working with Focus, Ms. Rubenstein created and ran a school social work program for Culver City Unified elementary schools, provided therapy to foster care children and teens on probation, and co-authored a board game for adolescent girls at risk for teen pregnancy. Ms. Rubenstein also has a private practice in West Los Angeles specializing in working with parents, families, and children with special needs. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, has done post-graduate studies with the Psychoanalytic Center of California, and completed her BCBA course work at CSUN.
Ramona Lopez, M.S., BCBA
Program Director of BMPC
- Ramona is the Program Director for the home-based Behavior Management / Parent Consultation program. She conducts functional assessments, writes individualized behavior support plans and works directly with parents to learn the principles and application of Applied Behavior Analysis. Ramona holds a Masters Degree in Counseling/option Applied Behavior Analysis and a B.A. in Child Development with an option Multiple Subject Credential. She has over 15 years experience working with direct service for school age children and as a supervisor for the NPA program. Ramona has worked with Focus since 2005 and is dedicated to working with children and their families. She believes with her knowledge and experience along with her love and devotion she can make a significant and positive difference in the lives of children and their families.
Emily Ooms, M.A.
Supervisor
As an NPA Supervisor for Focus, Emily works closely with behaviorists, parents, teachers, and school administrators to facilitate the support of children in the school setting. After receiving her master’s degree from the University of Chicago, Emily worked in university administration for 12 years, counseling students and organizing academic conferences. Wanting to work with younger children, she returned to school to obtain a teaching credential and taught third and fourth grade for 13 years. Emily brings extensive experience with special needs students to her work with Focus and is committed to providing her clients with the strategies and support they need to achieve their full potential.
Leila Rambod, M.A.
Supervisor
- Leila completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology in 1999 and a Masters Degree in Special Education in 2006. She has extensive training in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) methods, including Pivotal Response Training (PRT) and Discreet Trial Training (DTT) and has been working with children with Autism and other related disabilities since 2004. Leila specializes in working with both in-home and in-school cases, conducting behavioral assessments, designing individualized intervention plans, writing reports, and providing ongoing parental and staff training. Leila is dedicated to improving the life and maximizing the potential of each and every child served. She enjoys her work and feels that she benefits even while providing service, saying, “The children that I have worked with have taught me about life and how precious it is, and that’s a gift that I will always treasure.”
Ra'Nica Jackson, M.A.
Supervisor
As a supervisor for Focus' NPA and Parent Training programs, Ra'Nica provides supervision to behavior interventionists in the school and home setting. Additionally, she develops behavioral programs and provides support and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) training to parents and families. With more than 10 years experience in ABA, Ra'Nica brings to Focus her passion and commitment to make a difference in the lives of children with special needs. Ra'Nica currently holds a BA in Psychology from UCLA (2000), and a MA in Teaching with a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis from National University (2009). She is currently eligible to sit for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board's (BACB) examination to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Ra'Nica is a member of the California Association for Behavior Analysts.
Joy Jirakuntacha, M.A., BCBA
Supervisor
Joy is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who supervises Focus' school programs in the Glendale area and home-based programs consisting of early intensive behavior intervention (EIBI) and behavior management/parent consultation (BMPC) in the Los Angeles/East Los Angeles areas. She also conducts functional behavioral assessments, provides supervised experience hours for staff seeing BACB certification and maintains close contact with behavior interventionists, teachers and parents. Joy received her undergraduate degree in Psychology with an Applied Developmental Psychology minor at UCLA. During this time she was introduced to the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) through a course taught by Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas which allowed her to receive hands on training at the Lovaas Institute and gain experience in a clinic based program. She volunteered at the UCLA Intervention Program for infants and toddlers with developmental risks and disabilities and worked with professors on research projects. Joy has a Masters degree in Teaching with a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis from
Leticia Pineda
NPA and ABA Program Coordinator
Kyrah Johnson, B.A. Contact
Business Manager
- As the Business Manager, Kyrah Johnson serves Focus Inc. in many management roles. Kyrah is committed to the quality and improvement of Focus Inc., and the staff to all aspects of her work, overseeing the company's operations, administrative and business functions including human resources, benefits, payroll, billing, accounting, and the administrative staff. She obtained several years of experience in Human Resources prior to coming on board with Focus in the non-profit, entertainment, and service industries. She joined Focus Inc. in 2006 and quickly established herself in an integral role, helping to implement key policies, procedures and projects. Kyrah earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Argosy University and is certified in Human Resources Management from the University of Phoenix.
Psychological & Educational Services | 1427 North La Brea Avenue | Los Angeles, CA 90028 | Phone: 323.851-4577 | Fax: 323. 878-0443