The Staff
Directors
Dave Nelson
Dave is the Executive Director of The Community School and the Director of the Young Adults in Transition Program. Although he focuses primarily on the young adults, Dave is involved in every aspect of the entire program, including teaching and support, curriculum design and administration. He is a licensed counselor who specializes in working with children, adolescents, adults, and their families with a focus on developing the interactive, emotional, and learning capabilities of all individuals. He also specializes in helping parents understand and address the variety of issues in nurturing the growth of a challenging child.
Based on his experience using Stanley Greenspan’s Developmental, Individual-difference, Relationship-based approach (DIR, also known as “floor-time”) with his own son who was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder at age three, he changed careers to begin working with children facing developmental and learning challenges. Prior to opening The Community School in 2004, he started a middle/high school program at another specialized school in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Through his work with adolescents in school settings, he is on the forefront of creating and implementing curricula that integrates social-emotional development and intellectual learning.
Dave has an M.S. in Counseling and an M.A. in English Literature from Georgia State University, as well as an M.B.A. from Duke University. He is licensed as a professional counselor in the state of Georgia. He has a DIR certificate and is a DIR Facilitator, part of the ICDL Faculty. He is also part of Floortime Atlanta, a professional group of clinicians in the Atlanta area who use the DIR approach. He sees a small number of individuals in private practice, and tutors and supervises a range of professionals. He also participates in monthly meetings to educate other professionals, and has served on the Board of Directors at the Cliff Valley School in Atlanta.
Dave is married and the father of two sons emerging into adulthood. His interests include golf, literature, skiing, hiking, and biking. He is originally from Massachusetts, and still spends part of his summer in New England. Before becoming a counselor, he taught Business Communication at GSU in both the undergraduate and graduate programs, and worked in the computer industry, providing development office turnkey systems to non-profit organizations.
Deven is The Community School Program Director. She provides support for various individuals and programs within the school. She works with both groups and individuals to strengthen social skills and self awareness. Deven has been a part of The Community School since its inception. She first began working with the DIR approach in 2002, working with Dave Nelson at another specialized school program for middle/high school children in the Atlanta area. In addition to The Community School, Deven is licensed as a professional counselor (LPC) by the state of Georgia. She maintains a private practice, working with children, adolescents, adults, and their families. Using the floortime approach, she works with children of any age and level of development to strengthen his or her engagement, two-way interaction, and emotional growth. Deven received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in philosophy from Emory University in 2001 and a Masters in Clinical Psychology degree from Argosy University in 2006. She attends regular meetings for DIR professionals in the Atlanta area, and is working towards DIR certification. Deven enjoys music, dance, cooking, and travel. She lived in France for a short time and, before becoming a graduate student, she volunteered for Emory Reads, a local organization committed to teaching children reading and foreign language. She played ice hockey in high school and college. Deven currently resides in Inman Park with her husband.
Teachers
Lucie works with students both as an art and affinities teacher, as well as a tutor for academic subjects. She is opening the world of creative arts to the students, helping them to find new ways to understand themselves and express their ideas. Lucie works with students individually or in small groups using creative arts to improve communication, develop imagination, and facilitate emotional growth. Lucie has a degree in Early Childhood Development from the University of Georgia and a degree in Graphic Design from the Colorado Institute of Art. She also taught part-time at the Paideia School. Her preferred modes of artistic expression include mixed media and photography. Lucie's past experiences as a researcher for National Geographic, an assistant to Calvin Klein, a corporate logo designer, and a political campaign coordinator all give Lucie an amazing set of experiences with which to connect to the students. Lucie enjoys photography, camping, canoeing, and reading. Lucie has raised two children, ages 19 and 25. Lucie lives in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood in Atlanta.
Beverly has been a full time teacher at the Community School for over five years, teaching a variety of subjects and serving as the Academic Coordinator. She has a degree in Psychology from the University of Arkansas (Little Rock) and is certified in Interrelated Special Educator with the State of Georgia. Currently, she is working on her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction through Western Governor's University. Having worked with children for almost ten years, she approaches teaching knowing that each child is an individual, with differences across a range of dimensions; no two will think or act in the same way. Implementing the DIR model within the classroom therefore helps children learn in a comfortable and safe environment as they form friendships with other students and staff. An avid reader and movie aficionado, Beverly loves to travel and has been an Atlanta area resident for over fifteen years.
Ryan is excited to begin his third year as a member of the TCS faculty. This fall he will be teaching courses in social studies, math, physical education, and visualizing and verbalizing, as well as providing individual Floortime sessions. His interests in special education are rooted in a broader fascination with human development and mental health. Ryan completed a bachelor's degree at Harvard University in June 2009 with a concentration in sociology. He has been working with children and adolescents with disabilities since high school. Before coming to Atlanta, Ryan served as a case manager for struggling families at the Boston Medical Center as a member of the non-profit Health Leads (formerly Project HEALTH). Aside from working at TCS, Ryan provides in-home play therapy for young children as a member of the Floortime player program at Floortime Atlanta. He also volunteers part-time as a research assistant at the developmental neuropsychology lab at Georgia State University. In his free time he enjoys learning martial arts.
Rebecca is excited to start her 8th year as a full time teacher at The Community School. She is part of a team that develops and implements curriculum specifically designed to meet the needs of each student's learning style. This includes creating an environment conducive to emotional, social, and intellectual growth. Before her involvement with The Community School, Rebecca worked for four years as an independent consultant using the DIR (floor-time) approach with special-needs children ranging in age from three to fifteen. She worked with one child as a facilitator in an independent school in the Atlanta area. Rebecca has also worked in the Atlanta Public School system teaching in the Interrelated Program, which serves children with learning challenges. Rebecca received her B.A. in Psychology at Goucher College in Baltimore , Maryland . She completed an internship at Johns Hopkins University in the neurobehavioral unit, working with children and adolescents with autistic spectrum disorder. This experience was a catalyst for Rebecca's commitment to working with children and adolescents with special needs and deepened her understanding of developmental variations in children and adolescents. Rebecca is from Atlanta and comes from a family of educators and mental health professionals. Rebecca enjoys playing soccer, running, traveling, cooking, and reading. Rebecca has attended various workshops and conferences to enrich her development and education in the field. Rebecca attends regular meetings for DIR professionals in the Atlanta area, and plans to attend graduate school.
Heidi is a new full time teacher at The Community School. Heidi is a certified teacher and registered yoga instructor with training in Yoga for the Special Child. She received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Studio Art with honors from The University of Vermont in 1999. She received her Masters in Transpersonal Psychology degree specializing in Creative Expression and Life Coaching from The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in 2010. This school year Heidi is working one-one-one with a young adult, bringing together all aspects of the TCS program. She hopes to bring her yoga skills to the students at TCS in the near future. Heidi first started working with the DIR approach in 2003 at another school in the Atlanta area which specializes in working with children on the autism spectrum and related challenges of relating and communicating. During her nine years there, Heidi performed many roles, including classroom teacher, yoga instructor, art teacher, OT Assistant, Garden Program Coordinator and Transitions Program Coordinator. She has basic training in the DIR/Floortime method and has served as an in-home para-professional Floortime player for young children for several years. Heidi looks forward to attending regular meetings for DIR professionals in the Atlanta area in the Fall. In addition to her involvement with TCS, Heidi teaches yoga privately to individuals and specializes in group work with children with special needs and their families. Heidi blends the DIR philosophy and creativity for greater engagement, presence and joy in her yoga sessions. Heidi is very interested in bringing mindfulness based practices, like Yoga and meditation, to the special needs community, and is currently taking courses in Yoga Therapy. Heidi is from Atlanta, Georgia where she lives with her border collie in the Virginia Highlands neighborhood. She is most passionate about children, yoga, gardening, dance, music and everything to do with nature.
Specialists
After growing up in sunny Virginia Beach, Virginia, Chrissy traveled south to attend the University of Georgia, where she graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice hoping to join the FBI one day. After managing a horse farm, teaching horseback riding lessons, and coaching the UGA Equestrian team for a year after graduation, Chrissy realized that working with families and children was her true passion. She then moved to Atlanta and began a career in international adoption with HOPE for Children, Inc. from 2001 until 2008 as the China and India Adoption Program Director. Together with her team, Chrissy placed more than 270 children into forever families. Chrissy went back to school in 2009 and completed a clinically focused Master's of Social Work in 2011. Following a year-long internship at The Marcus Autism Center, Chrissy knew the next part of her journey would be focused on working with families who have children challenged with autism. Chrissy joined the team at The Community School in 2011 as a Social Worker in the Young Adults in Transition program. In her free time, Chrissy enjoys all things outdoors with friends and her pup, Tango, as well as volunteering, riding horses, traveling, learning about the human brain, and trying new things.
Elana earned a BA in Psychology and French from Emory University and a MA in Psychology from West Georgia University, with a specialty in abuse & trauma and high-risk children & adolescents. Elana has practiced psychotherapy in environments such as a children's unit in a private psychiatric facility, a child/adolescent county mental health clinic, a counseling center at a college, and many other therapeutic environments. Over the last 15 years she has been pursuing post-masters training in: remediation and education for children with learning disabilities (Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, Emory University /Egelston Hospital, All Kinds of Minds Institute), Learning and the Brain (Harvard University), Neurodevelopmental Constructs of Learning (Columbia University, All Kinds of Minds Institute), and academic testing (Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes). Elana came to TCS from The Paideia School, where she was the High School Learning Specialist, and the High School Schools Attuned Coordinator, advisor, and teacher for 8 years. At Paideia, Elana was an active member of both the English and Ethics Departments and taught 11th/12th grade Writing Intensive Literature courses, 10th grade Ethics courses, and Abnormal Psychology. Elana's roles at TCS include acting as a Transition Specialist, Learning Specialist, and Young Adult Executive Functioning & Demystification Specialist. Her responsibilities include curriculum & program design, building and managing neurodevelopmental profiles, academic testing, providing learning support to teachers, developing transition plans for older students, and individual and group instruction. In her spare time she loves to work with stained glass, travel, play music and be in nature whenever possible.
Josephine is a Learning Specialist for the School Program at TCS. She works with the faculty to develop and monitor academic goals for each degree-seeking student, and provides periodic in-service training. Josephine has an M.S. in Educational Psychology and an M.S. in Professional Counseling from Georgia State University. In addition to working part-time at TCS, Josephine is an Instructor in the Educational Psychology Department at Georgia State University, where she teaches developmental psychology to both undergraduates and the M. Ed. students in the local Teach for America cohort. She previously taught at TCS from 2007-09. Josephine is a native Atlantan and lives in Morningside. She and her husband have two children, now both young adults.
Counselors
Whitney is a counselor at The Community School. She has a B.S. in Psychology from North Georgia College and State University and an M.S. in Professional Counseling from Mercer University. She started as a counseling intern at TCS during the 2008-2009 school year and became a staff member the following year. She is licensed through the state of Georgia as an Associate Professional Counselor (LAPC) and is currently pursuing DIR/Floortime certification. Whitney provides support to students and program participants through individual and small group counseling. Her work often incorporates sensory information and activities, focusing on each student's individual differences and developmental profile in order to help each reach an optimal level of functioning. In addition to counseling, Whitney also takes part in the consultation work done by TCS, including working with Strategic Learning and Education Institute in Trinidad, as well as leading local and regional trainings. Whitney also serves as the school's Marketing Coordinator, working to promote TCS in the community and media outlets. She assists with development, making connections with other schools, as well as organizing various fundraising and outreach activities, including professional open houses and the educational conference. When not working, Whitney enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. She lives in Kennesaw with her husband and two dogs.
Beth is a counselor in the Young Adults in Transition Program of The Community School, working with both individuals and groups. Beth has spent the last six years helping to support adolescents and young adults, both neurotypical and with ASDs and other relational difficulties. She worked at Emory University as an Associate Director in the Counseling Center of the Goizueta Business School before joining TCS, first as a counseling intern and later as a full-time counselor. Prior to transitioning into counseling, Beth worked as a strategy consultant in the health care field for eight years. Beth earned an M.S. in Counseling from Georgia State University, as well as an M.B.A. from UCLA, and completed her B.S. at Johns Hopkins University. She is licensed as an Associate Professional Counselor in the state of Georgia and is a Nationally Certified Counselor.
Kim moved to Georgia from Elizabeth, New Jersey at the age of 6. She grew up in Conyers, Georgia, attending Heritage High School. She attended Georgia State University from August 2002 until graduation in May 2006, receiving bachelor's degrees in both Psychology and Sociology. Kim began working at the Marcus Institute as a Behavior Data Specialist in September of 2006. During this time, she worked one-on-one with children in the Language and Learning Clinic, teaching pre-academic skills to children with developmental delays, specifically autism. She began working as a Clinical Specialist the following year, directly supervising three cases in the Language and Learning Clinic, and in charge of meeting with psychologists to discuss treatment decisions, training and implementing behavioral treatments for individual cases, and choosing academic skills to focus on for each child. Kim's work at the Marcus Institute, specifically her work with the families of her clients, led her to her true calling, and she began a counseling program at Georgia State University. Kim graduated from Georgia State University's professional counseling master's program in May 2009 and graduated again with an Educational Specialist Degree from Georgia State in May 2010. She spent the 2008-2009 school year as a graduate counseling intern at The Community School and has worked as a counselor within both the school and young adult programs since graduation. She is a licensed associate professional counselor (LAPC). Kim's role provides support to students through individual and group therapy sessions. Kim lives in Midtown with her roommate and her pets Katinka and Lennon. Kim's hobbies include reading, spending time with friends, seeing live music, watching movies and traveling. She enjoys sports, particularly volleyball and swimming, and loves to do anything outside, especially walking her dog.