We’re passionate about supporting and empowering the families we serve.
Meet Cristina
Cristina Dunn, M.Ed, BCBA spent most of her life moving around South America and the Caribbean before attending the University of Virginia where she received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She began her career in education teaching Special Education in D.C. Public Schools where she received a K-12 teaching license. She also holds a Masters of Education in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from Pennsylvania State University. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over 13 years of experience working with disabled, neurodiverse, and neurotypical individuals from birth to adulthood in school, clinic, and home settings.
Her passion for person centered planning and collaboration across disciplines began as she worked within a variety of programs such as Adaptive Physical Education, Riding Therapy, and Social Skills Enrichment groups. She specializes in adaptive and executive functioning skills, community integration, and caregiver training. She has extensive experience working directly with neurodiverse individuals empowering them to actively identify their own values, develop agency in goal setting, and self-monitor their progress. Her treatment approach incorporates mindfulness training across all team members. Her hope is to make transitions throughout the lifespan not only efficient, but also infused with joy. Cristina is filled with gratitude for the families and colleagues with whom she has the privilege to work and learn. She is committed to helping build more structure, ease, and fun into their days.
Cristina lives in Redondo Beach in a cottage by the sea with her sweet cat, Jean-Luc.
Co-Founder
Meet Mila
Milagros Cima, Ed.M, BCBA comes to us from Buenos Aires, Argentina; although, she spent her childhood living in various countries. She has been in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis for 13 years. She began as a therapist herself but has been in supervisory positions for eight years and has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst for six years. She has experience working in school, clinic, and home settings with neurodiverse toddlers, children, teenagers, and adults. In the last three years, Mila's focus has primarily been caregiver training as she believes this to be a critical component in ensuring treatment effectiveness.
Mila got her Bachelors of Science in Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, and Psychology from New York University. She completed her Masters of Education at Harvard University, where she studied Language and Literacy development with a concentration in Neuroscience. Her graduate thesis focused on bilingual language development in children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and this continues to be a passion of hers in her clinical work.
Mila believes empathy and empowerment to be the pillars of compassionate care, and she strives to continuously embody this in her treatment practice. Her clinical focus is providing strategic leadership and direction to all members of an individual’s clinical team, and she prioritizes building therapeutic alliances with every member. She oversees staff and caregiver training with the goal of fostering a culture of creativity and authentic confidence, collaborating with staff and caregivers on each component of a client’s treatment plan.
Mila lives in Redondo Beach with her partner, dog, cat, and fresh water turtle (rescued by her dog from a sewage pipe).