Our Divergent AbiliTEAM*

Hi! We Are Glad You Are Here :-)

The Divergent Abilities Team (the AbiliTEAM) is just one part of a much larger FRAMILY we have built for ourselves over the years: FRiends + fAMILY = a family of friends (or FRAMILY, for short). Some of us happen to be related, but we all found and have stayed with each other because we all try to be the best version of ourselves and help each other to strive for the same. We are a diverse group of humans who value:

compassion
inclusion
learning
respect
transparency

Email our Clinical Staff directly: clinical@divergentabilities.com

If you're interested in learning a bit more about the rest of our FRAMILY, check out our Divergent Abilities Community Partners!

Susanne Albarrán, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA-TX: Behavior Analyst, Clinical Team

What do we call you? Ms. Suzy, but use my government name (above) to verify my credentials (links below)
What would you say you do here at Divergent Abilities? On the clinical side, I primarily work directly with clients and their support networks for initial assessments and ongoing services within my expertise and scope of practice. My unofficial job titles include: community relations; crafty ideas lady; social media guru; provider of Whataburger & Sonic
What are your divergent abilities? I'll get back to you.
What is one quote that represents who you are or what you value? I'll get back to you.
Why? I'll get back to you.

Stephanie M. Martinez, M.S., QIDP, BCBA, LBA-TX: Behavior Analyst, Clinical Team

What do we call you? Ms. Stephanie, but use my government name (above) to verify my credentials (links below)
What would you say you do here at Divergent Abilities? On the clinical side, I primarily work directly with clients and their support networks for initial assessments and ongoing services within my expertise and scope of practice. My unofficial job titles include: grammar czar; knower of rules and statutes; joke cracker; colorful hair and body person (hint: I have permanent pictures drawn onto my body, and LOTS of them!)
What are your divergent abilities? (1) I am our "Vulcan" Behavior Analyst. If you don't know, Vulcans are characters in the Star Trek universe known for being very logical and suppressing (pushing down so they don't show) their extremely strong emotions. They are not emotionless! This means that my emotions can be so powerful that I have to work a little bit harder than most people to keep myself from showing on the outside how strong my emotions can be on the inside. I ABA myself every day so I can set a good example for my daughter, niece, and anyone else who might have the same struggles. (2) I script (quote things verbatim) a lot. Like a lot a lot. I rarely go 5 minutes without incorporating a movie/show/stand-up quote or song lyric into my sentences. Some people may call it "weird", but not my people; they call it "just Stephanie" :-)
What is one quote that represents who you are or what you value? "Don't be sorry, be better." - Meegan, Key & Peele
Why? Saying "sorry" is what I call a habit word. When we overuse a habit word, it does not always mean what we think it means [yes, that was a Princess Bride quote. Told you I rarely go 5 minutes!]. Although this Key & Peele quote was meant to be funny, I have found it to be a surprisingly good phrase to live by: if we do things that are or that we think are incorrect, the best thing we can do is not to apologize for or feel bad about what has already happened, but to commit ourselves to trying to do better in the future.

Danielle Velasquez, PMP, CSM, CSPO: Chief Compliance Officer, Clinical Team

What do we call you? You might hear or see other team members call or refer to me as "D," but please call me Ms. Velasquez
What would you say you do here at Divergent Abilities? I am the HIPAA Compliance Officer on the clinical side, so I make sure everything we do aligns with state and federal privacy laws. My unofficial job titles include: being the "bad guy"; keeping Ms. Suzy and Ms. Stephanie in line, on task, and on time for the administrative-y stuff they don't like to do; translator/interpreter (Spanish, ASL)
What are your divergent abilities? (1) I. Love. Lists. I live by lists. My life is lists. (2) I am an epileptic. It isn't fun to have a brain that shorts out, but it has helped me learn to pay attention to my body and how I am feeling. It also means I am pretty skilled at helping others to notice specific details so they can do the same. (3) I'm basically a cyborg. I am fully deaf in one ear and mostly deaf in the other, so I got a state-of-the-art cochlear implant to help me hear as much as I can for as long as I can. I am also fluent in sign language and a certified interpreter. (4) I thrive in chaos, which can be overwhelming, but has made me resilient. (5) I am terminally creative, as in to a fault. It is really cool to be able to make all sorts of things just from words and pictures floating around in my head, but sometimes I can get a little caught up in the details.
What is one quote that represents who you are or what you value? "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Why? In the thick of a mess, it may seem like everything is overwhelming and there is no solution. But if you pause, take a deep breath, and re-evaluate, sometimes the solution is right in front of you. Also, Albus Dumbledore, in my opinion, is the most powerful and knowledgeable wizard in the Harry Potter universe, so of course he would be my Spirit Wizard.

Gary Rogers: Behavior Technician, Clinical Team

What do we call you? Gary
What would you say you do here at Divergent Abilities? I am a Behavior Technician on the clinical side, so I get to work directly with clients to help them learn new skills.
What are your divergent abilities? Autism and ADHD
What is one quote that represents who you are or what you value? "Tell me I won't!" - Gary Rogers
Why? No one will ever know.

Aden Von Arx: Behavior Technician, Clinical Team

What do we call you? coming soon
What would you say you do here at Divergent Abilities? coming soon
What are your divergent abilities? coming soon
What is one quote that represents who you are or what you value? coming soon
Why? coming soon

Audrey Basaldua, LVN, AAHA: Nursing Consultant & Environmental Arrangement Specialist, Clinical Team

What do we call you? You might hear or see other team members call or refer to me as Mom, Grandma, or Audrey; you can call me Mrs. Audrey or Mrs. Basaldua
What would you say you do here at Divergent Abilities? On the clinical side, I help with environmental assessments, which means identifying what environmental modifications (organization and the like) might be helpful for our clients. As a Nursing Consultant, I am an initial point of contact for new inquiries and help identify whether our team might be a good fit based on individual clients' needs. My unofficial job titles include: do-er of most administrative-y stuff that the behavior analysts don't like to do; boss around everyone else so they get things done; fixer of broken materials (sewing, hot glue, etc.); maker of crafty stuff for the Behavior Analysts to use; maker of our Vulcan Behavior Analyst and Psychiatric Nursing Consultant
What are your divergent abilities? (1) I consider myself to be functionally obsessive and compulsive. On my watch, there are no crooked picture frames or peas touching mashed potatoes: No. Touching. Food. Ever. This also means that I experience childlike glee when I am asked to help organize, clean, or label things.
What is one quote that represents who you are or what you value? "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one." - Chief Science Officer Spock, Star Trek: The Original Series
Why? Because I like taking care of other people and making sure they are happy, healthy, and safe. Besides, one of my daughters is our resident Vulcan and another is our Psychiatric Nursing Consultant, so it makes sense.

Danielle Muñoz-Shuler, RN: Psychiatric Nursing Consultant, Clinical Team

What do we call you? You might hear or see other team members call or refer to me as DJ or DJ Johnna, but please call me Mrs. Danielle
What would you say you do here at Divergent Abilities? As a Nursing Consultant, I am an initial point of contact for new inquiries and help identify whether our team might be a good fit based on individual clients' needs. Because I specialize in psychiatric nursing, specifically children and youth, I also provide the clinicians with recommendations for behavioral/mental health referrals and consultation regarding the potential effects of clients' psychotropic medications and/or behavioral health diagnoses on treatment efficacy. My unofficial job titles include: finder of community resources and referrals for services outside the behavior analysts' scope of practice; Harry Potter expert; maker of our team's mascot
What are your divergent abilities? I like to think about things, sometimes a lot more than others do. This means that I can get distracted sometimes, but it also - SQUIRREL! - means I can come up with really different and useful ideas. It also means that I am really good at empathizing with others, especially kids and my neurodivergent peers.
What is one quote that represents who you are or what you value? "Expecto patronum!" - protective spell, Harry Potter universe
Why? Because it reminds me that even through the dark days, as long as I can think of happiness, I'll be okay.