Therapy & Clinical Services

Elisa works with children, adolescents, and parents - both individually and together - to understand the factors contributing to a child’s behavior. She helps parents reduce stress and feel more confident in their parenting, while supporting families in improving communication, strengthening connection, and implementing changes that reduce challenging episodes.

Approach

Elisa’s therapeutic approach is aligned with the Collaborative Problem Solving® (CPS) philosophy, the foundation of HBCC’s mission.  Relational and strengths-based in her style, she works with children, adolescents, and parents to build skills that support growth and positive change. She considers family dynamics and the broader environments that shape a child’s experience. In addition to helping parents become confident using CPS, Elisa integrates a variety of approaches into her work, including ACT, CBT, and DBT. She is committed to providing therapy that is client-centered, trauma-informed, relational, and affirming, and she welcomes feedback throughout the process. 

Supporting Families & Neurodivergent Communities

Elisa is passionate about supporting families living with neurodivergence, including neurodivergent children, teens, and/or caregivers. Drawing on her lived experience as a parent and her background in clinical social work, she creates a safe, judgment-free space where clients feel valued, supported, and empowered. Her work focuses on helping young people and their families communicate and understand each other better.  She also supports the development of emotional regulation, problem-solving, and self-advocacy skills in ways that honor each person’s neurology, strengths, and preferences, supporting growth without pathologizing difference. 

Experience You Can Trust

Elisa holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine. She is a Registered Associate Clinical Social Worker (ASW131623) under licensed supervision, employed by Wave Therapy and is contracted with several insurance providers. 

In addition to providing therapy, Elisa teaches Collaborative Problem Solving® to parents, educators, administrators, and clinicians. She provides individualized parent coaching, runs support groups, facilitates role-play workshops, and has guided parents in developing trauma-informed school behavior plans. Her background includes work in outpatient, academic, and community settings, where she integrated evidence-based practices into her work with children, adolescents, and families. 

Let's start with a conversation. Elisa offers a free consultation to discuss your unique needs and explore how we can work together (Elisa is contracted with several insurance providers).  Complete the contact form above and we will get back to you.

 Steve understands you want a better relationship with your kiddo.  Yet, most of the parents he meets with have been given generic parenting advice that often backfires with “outside-the-box” or “challenging” kids, making unwanted behavior even worse!  His guidance is different because the problem isn’t your parenting, it’s the outdated, one-size-fits-all advice that treats unwanted behavior as THE problem, when it’s really a sign of your kiddo’s hidden struggles.  

Approach

Steve’s approach is aligned with the Collaborative Problem Solving® (CPS) philosophy—the foundation of HBCC’s mission.  As a result, he helps families stop battling unwanted behavior and instead understand what lies beneath it because, in most cases, your kiddo isn’t giving you a hard time as much as they are having a hard time.  Ironically, every meltdown, shutdown, or outburst is a kiddo’s way of communicating unmet needs and saying, “Help!” 

Supporting Families & Neurodivergent Communities

Steve shows you simple ways to respond that work with your child's unique wiring, creating calmer days, kids who believe in themselves, and a happier home.

His support has 3 simple steps: 

• Recognize: Know what’s underneath your child’s unwanted behavior. 
• Respond:  Use simple strategies to respond to your kiddo’s hidden struggles.
• Relax: You’re not alone. Gain the confidence to know you’re not just doing enough—you're building a foundation that supports connection and cooperation.

 Experience You Can Trust

Steve holds a Master of Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University, A Master of Church Leadership from Vanguard University, and a B.A. in Pastoral Ministry from Southern California College. As an Assistant Professor of Psychology for more than two decades, he taught courses such as Developmental Psychology, Childhood and Adolescence, Psychological Disorders, and Behavior Modification—just to name a few.  He’s been diagnosed with ADHD and is very familiar with how it impacts everyone at home. 

Let's start with a conversation.  Steve offers a free consultation to discuss your unique needs and explore how we can work together.  Complete the contact form above and we will get back to you. He takes clients with PPO insurance plans as an out-of-network provider.