Dr. Hettinger is a licensed clinical psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has spent her career supporting people across the many stages of life, moving from early childhood intervention through adolescence and young adulthood and into the demanding seasons of professional life.

Her educational foundation began with a master’s degree in Emotional Disturbances and Learning Disabilities from Florida State University, paired with direct classroom experience teaching K–5 students and supporting children on the autism spectrum. Wanting to find a better way to help the families she met, she studied to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and progressed through the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Starting as a Behavior Technician, she advanced through every level of clinical leadership until reaching what felt like a natural ceiling in the field. Continuing her commitment to expanding access to care, she transitioned from direct clinical work into operations management, where she was tasked with opening new services in underserved markets.

Her skills as an executive served her well, and she was soon recruited to become the Area Vice President of Clinical Operations and Growth for some of the largest ABA organizations in the field. In these roles, she shared her depth of clinical experience, oversaw clinical quality, taught clinical development seminars, and led national expansion efforts — ultimately opening a combined 50 ABA markets across 27 states.

This cross‑disciplinary path gave her a rare vantage point: she saw how executives, providers, funding sources, clinicians, schools, and families each hold different roles, pressures, and stakes within a complicated system of care. She developed a clear understanding of the services available, the gaps and inefficiencies that burden families, and the ways providers can work together more effectively to support meaningful, sustainable change. She is someone who fully understands the systems, people, and care delivery at every level.

As she led national expansion efforts, she found herself returning to a simple but profound realization: even the most robust system cannot help a family move forward without a clear, accurate diagnosis. She had spent years opening doors, building programs, and expanding access, yet the very first step remained out of reach for many. Wanting to close that gap, she pursued her doctorate in psychology so she could return to the intimate, foundational work of assessment and therapy, bringing her behavioral expertise into a broader clinical lens.

Across all services, Dr. Hettinger is known for her calm, steady presence and her ability to create a space where people feel understood, respected, and supported as they move toward meaningful change — turning insight into action in ways that genuinely last.