In December we talked with the incredible Courtney Hodge, the owner of Shine Pediatric Therapy. Courtney shared a little bit about her life and her professional approaches that have fueled the remarkable growth of Shine Pediatric Therapy throughout 2023.
1. Can you share your journey in ABA therapy and what inspired you to pursue it?
I was a speech therapist and always wanted to open my own pediatric clinic. I worked for a large hospital network for several years that was inefficient and didn’t value its employees, so I wanted to change that. I then worked as an outpatient speech therapist for an ABA clinic and saw how incredible ABA could be. From my time there I realized that there was a real opportunity for a new ABA model in my area. A model that created a collaborative care environment focused on early intervention where families could receive ABA, occupational, physical, and speech therapies all in one place. So with that vision, we started Shine Pediatric Therapy in 2022.
2. What's been the most rewarding aspect of your role as a BCBA or clinical owner?
The most rewarding aspect as a clinic owner is seeing the impact that our therapy and environment has created for our clients. It’s also been great to see staff learn and grow as we continue to innovate and improve the clinic.
3. Share one powerful ABA strategy or technique you find impactful for your clients.
Positive reinforcement because it is motivating to learners, but can also build their confidence (verbal praise) and build rapport between the RBT/BCBA and learner.
4. Outside of work what's a hobby or interest you're passionate about and how do you balance it with your professional life?
My husband and I enjoy traveling internationally. It's become a little more difficult since we opened the business, but we have worked hard to set things up at the clinic so it can still run effectively while we are away. Even when we're traveling I am able to work remotely to make sure things are going smoothly, and Motivity is a big help with that.
5. How did Motivity contribute to Shine Pediatric Therapy's growth and scalability?
The integration between AlohaABA and Motivity has been excellent for scheduling and maintaining medical records for 40+ learners. Data collection and documentation from Motivity has been crucial in our learner's obtaining continued authorizations and having individualized programming. As we look to open our second building in 2024, I am not stressed about data collection, documentation, therapy notes, or the ability to scale from 4 BCBAs to 8-12 using Motivity within the next year.
6. One thing you love about Motivity?
All of our team members (parents, RBTs, BCBAs, ST, OT) can view learner data and progress within the app. Motivity's graphs, treatment notes, parent notes, and overall platform are user friendly and easy to navigate.
