Our Staff  


Hopeful Journeys is proud to employ a team of highly experienced and educated professionals who are committed to providing quality care and services to our students. To ensure the highest level of clinical and educational programming and implementation, Hopeful Journeys staff are dedicated to providing comprehensive initial and on-going training and educational opportunities to our direct care staff. These training opportunities assist our staff in building their careers and enhancing their work lives through continuous support and growth within their positions.


All Hopeful Journeys staff are formally trained in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). In addition, our staff members include the following:

  1. On-site Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) possessing extensive experience with children with autism and challenging behaviors
  2. Master’s level Certified Special Education Teachers
  3. On-site Certified Speech and Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists
  4. Bachelor’s level 1:1 Teachers formally trained in ABA
  5. Specialized consultants including feeding specialists, vocational specialists, physical therapists and PhD level BCBAs


Staff Training
Upon hire, all direct service staff at Hopeful Journeys undergo a rigorous two week training program. Trainings are conducted using behavioral skills training methods that include discussion, modeling, role playing, and feedback. Our training program includes all required policies and procedures trainings that meet the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requirements for a licensed school as well as Hopeful Journeys specific trainings that involve a multi-component training of Applied Behavior Analysis, teaching methodologies of discrete trial training, task analysis, incidental teaching and social skills, as well as de-escalation (CALM) training.

All staff must meet competency standards for all trainings prior to being allowed to work directly with students. Once working directly with students, staff receive ongoing training to ensure performance remains consistent across time. Ongoing training includes refreshers of topics covered during initial training, supervisor-implemented competencies that show skill maintenance, as well as in introduction to advanced topics in applied behavior analysis.

Continuing Education
Hopeful Journeys is proud to partner with the Van Loan School at Endicott College’s Institute for Behavioral Studies in offering three graduate-level programs in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Special Education on-site. These programs are helping to meet the growing demand for professionals to serve children and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and other related developmental disorders, to help them reach their fullest potential. Staff enrolled in these programs enjoy the convenience of a program located at their job site as well as the benefits of participating in a cohort with their colleagues. Along with access to the program faculty and staff, Hopeful Journeys offers generous tuition reimbursement programs to our staff.

For those staff enrolled in ABA programs pursuing their Board Certified Behavior Analysis (BCBA) certification, Hopeful Journeys provides on-site mentoring and supervision hours with our team of experienced clinicians. These mentoring opportunities not only satisfy the requirements for certification by the board, they provide invaluable hands-on experience under the supervision of highly regarded professionals in the field.