The CARES Supervisors have years of experience working with
children with Autism and developmental disabilities.
They hold doctoral and master’s level degrees in psychology and
speech-language pathology. They work as a team supporting each other,
sharing experiences and ideas and working together to make a difference in
each child’s life.
The CARES Supervisors
The Primary Supervisors
Michaela Ene, Ph.D. (PSY 17703) is a licensed clinical psychologist and primary supervisor with CARES. She has worked with children and adults with pervasive developmental disorders for over seven years. While working on her doctoral degree in clinical psychology, she worked at the School for Children with Autism and Pervasive Development Disorders and at the laboratory of the Neuroscience of Autism. She completed her doctorate level thesis in the area of Autism / Asperger’s syndrome under the clinical and academic supervision of Dr. Lincoln. She obtained her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – San Diego.
Dr. Ene currently provides consultation and supervision of home-based behavior modification programs for children with autism. She has training in psychological and neuropsychological assessments, discrete trial training, pivotal response training and PECS. She also facilitates social skills training group for children with Asperger’s syndrome and/or children with high functioning Autism.
Monica Feinberg-Gizzo, Ph.D. (PSY 19064) is a licensed clinical psychologist who joined CARES in January of 2003. She comes from New York where she completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Westchester Medical Center working with children diagnosed with autism and other developmental disorders.
She received her doctoral degree form the California School of Professional Psychology-San Diego in September of 2001. Dr. Alan Lincoln was her academic supervisor and supported her doctoral dissertation research, “Using Social Stories to Teach Specific Social Skills to Children with Autism.”
Dr. Feinberg-Gizzo has received training in psychological assessment, discrete trial training, and the use of social stories. She is also a program coordinator for a social skills training playgroup (STAR Program) for children with Autism/Asperger’s Disorder/PDD-NOS between the ages of 5-12 years. Dr. Feinberg-Gizzo is a supervisor for CARES and provides consultation and supervision of behavior modification programs for children with autism.
Sunday Landraint, M.A. graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (1995) from Northwestern College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her undergraduate studies included an internship within the Autism field as well as a research emphasis in Behavior Modification. While living in Minneapolis, Ms. Landraint worked for Fraser Community Services (Fraser School), a highly regarded educational program for children on the Autism spectrum. She continues her work within the field of autism at CARES, where she has provided behavioral services and consultation since 1997. Ms. Landraint is responsible for the implementation of quality training standards at CARES. She also works as a diagnostic teacher at the CARES: ABC Clinic. She recently received her Master of Arts in Education and is nearing completion of her School Psychology Credential: Pupil Personnel Services. Ms. Landraint has an emergency teaching credential and is trained in Discrete Trial, PRT, PECS, and TEACCH methodologies.
Regina Veprin, M.S., CC-SLP (Sp 8606) joined CARES in the fall of 2000. She comes from the San Francisco Bay Area where she received her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 1989. She spent 6 years as an Itinerant Speech-Language Pathologist in California School Districts. In 1995, she became the teacher in a Diagnostic Special Day Class. While there she instructed a group of students with needs including Autism, Down Syndrome, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Emotional Disturbances, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, and Asperger’s. She provided Discrete Trial Training, TEACCH, and Total Communication systems and implemented a variety of behavioral intervention strategies. She further implemented these skills while working for a private agency (LEAP) providing home-based intervention. She is certified in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, holds a Clinical Rehabilitative Services Credential, a Special Day Class Authorization Teaching Credential, a California State License in Speech-Language Pathology and a Certificate of Clinical Competency awarded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. In addition, she has had training in Social Stories, Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS) and Pivotal Response Training (PRT).
Mrs. Veprin currently provides consultation and supervision of both home and school-based behavior modification programs for children with autism. She also serves as the clinic coordinator and primary teacher for the CARES: Academic & Behavioral Clinic.The Secondary Supervisors
Siri M. Andrews, Ph.D. (PSB 29705) received her Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development and her Masters and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Andrews began working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in 1995. She has worked with people on the Autism Spectrum from 18 months in age to young adults. Dr. Andrews taught at Del Sol Academy where her classroom consisted of first through sixth graders with ASD. Her experience also includes individual and group psychotherapy with typically developing children; psychological and educational assessments; working with children and adults in an inpatient hospital; psychotherapy with children with special needs; training teachers and school staff on ASD and behavior modification; parent training; and research. Dr. Andrews’ doctoral dissertation study examined the effectiveness of social stories with school aged children with autism. Dr. Andrews is trained in Discrete Trial Training, Pivotal Response Training, the Picture Exchange Communication System, Floortime, Social Stories, TEACCH and behavior modification strategies. Currently, Dr. Andrews supervises home and school based programs for children on the Autism Spectrum. Dr. Andrews is a Registered Psychological Assistant and is under the direct supervision of Dr. Kathie Sweeten (Director of CARES).
Jana Bresenden, M.A. (PSB 30180) is a registered psychological assistant for Dr. Sweeten. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego and completed her master’s degree in Human Behavior in 2002. She has been working with children with developmental disabilities since 1990. In 1995, she began providing behavioral services and consultation to children with autism and pervasive developmental disorders under the supervision of agencies such as the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), Autism Partnership and CARES.
Ms. Bresenden currently provides consultation and supervision of behavior modification programs for children with autism. She provides an integrative treatment approach including the use of discrete trial training, pivotal response training, PECS, TEACCH/Visual teaching, social stories and play therapy.
Alicia Matheson, M.S. graduated from San Diego State University (SDSU) with a Bachelor’s degree in Speech-Language Communicative Disorders (2000). While attending SDSU she worked in the capacity of Speech, Language and Hearing Assistant at varying schools located in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. She obtained her Master of Science in School Psychology from National University, San Diego. Miss Matheson is near completion of her Pupil Personnel Services Credential. She has worked with children with speech and language disorders since 1995 and with children with autism and pervasive developmental disorders since 1998. She incorporates strategies from integrating interventions including; Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS), Discrete Trial Training (DTT), TEACCH, social stories and play therapy. Miss Matheson is a supervisor for CARES and provides consultation and supervision of school-based and home-based behavior modification programs for children.
Marie Rocha, M.A has a master’s degree in experimental psychology with an emphasis in behavior analysis and is in the process of earning her doctorate at University of California, San Diego. Marie has a specific interest in evaluating clinical interventions through research and her research interests include individualizing treatment based on parent and child variables, parent education and joint attention intervention. For the past six years, she has been working under Dr. Laura Schreibman at the UCSD Autism Research Laboratory. Marie has presented at many annual conventions including International Meeting for Autism Research, Autism Society of America and The Association for Behavior Analysis. She provides consultation and training for behavior modification programs at CARES. She incorporates strategies from different interventions including behavior modification, Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS), Pivotal Response Training (PRT), discrete trial training, peer training, social stories and TEACCH in her work with children with autism.
Shirin Sherkat, M.A. (PSB 29185) has a master’s degree in clinical psychology and is in the process of obtaining her doctorate al Alliant International University. She has been working with children with autism and pervasive development disorders for the past eight years. Her Doctoral research study focuses on the behavioral treatment of children with autism. Ms. Sherkat provides consultation, training and supervision for behavior modification programs at CARES. She works with children and their families in home-based and school-based programs. She has been trained in discrete trial techniques, PECS, and Pivotal Response Training. She works under direct supervision of Dr. Sweeten and Dr. Lincoln (Directors at CARES).
Christiana Silva, M.A. (PSB 29849) is a registered psychological assistant for Dr. Kathie Sweeten. She attended UCLA and then transferred to UCSD, where she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology. Mrs. Silva is presently attending Alliant International University. She has received her master’s degree and is currently in the process of obtaining her doctorate in clinical psychology.
Mrs. Silva has worked under Dr. Laura Schreibman at the UCSD autism lab. She has worked at the Isis Crisis Center, Calworks Stepforward and the VA hospital as a research assistant.
Mrs. Silva has been working in the field of autism for over 5 years and is currently a secondary supervisor at CARES. She has experience in Pivotal Response Training (PRT), Discrete Trial Training (DTT), social stories and Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS).
Jennifer Stender, Ph.D. (PSB 30804) is a registered psychological assistant to Dr. Alan Lincoln. She has a doctoral degree in clinical health psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University. She has been working with children with autism and pervasive developmental disorders for the past nine years, and works as a behavior specialist providing supervision and consultation for children with autism in home-based and school-based programs.
While working on her doctoral degree, she worked at the Laboratory on the Neuroscience of Autism, the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and on the University of California San Diego’s Childhood Asthma Management Project. Dr. Stender has performed psychological assessments as part of an on-going research project at the Institute for Developmental Research at the San Diego Center for Children. Dr. Stender is currently working with Dr. Lincoln in developing a Quality of Life questionnaire for use in the autism population.
She has training in psychological and neuropsychological assessments, discrete trial training, PRT, social stories and PECS. Dr. Stender has done assessments of children with Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders for inclusion into the STAR program, a social skills training play group for children between the ages of 5-12. Dr. Stender also has co-facilitated a social skills training group for adults with autism.