My name is Joline Messina and the founder and co-owner of Blooming Abilities. I became a BCBA in 2008 after getting my undergrad at Florida State University and masters at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. At SUIC I worked with families with open cases with the state through their department of children and families. I taught parenting routines with the goal of preservation or reunification of these family systems. After graduate school I did some consulting as a BCBA, but then had the opportunity to work at the Special School District of St. Louis. There I was able to work as a member of multidisciplinary school teams to help improve behavior and learning for students with IEPs. My family later relocated to Washington state where I worked as a consultant on the west side of the state until we moved to the east side where I was able to set up Blooming Abilities.
Since then I connected with many wonderful disability activists who helped me do the incredible work of recognizing my ableism. In continuing with that self learning, I recognized other areas of social oppression under the umbrella of colonialism. I am grateful for the opportunity to become a passionate advocate for social justice issues and the ability work at dismantling these issues, especially ableism within the field of applied behavior analysis.
I am also neurodivergent and have learned how to work with my brain instead of fighting against myself to fit in with neurotypical standards that I can never quite meet. I am a parent learning to work through my own cPTSD in order to be the parent I want to be for my neurodiverse children. I also love being a plant mom and am a 3x foster fail mom of a dog and three cats.
My name is Nayeli Fredericks and I’m one of the owners and operators here at Blooming Abilities. Prior to becoming a BCBA, I worked with a variety of families and companies in the disability community. I was a therapist for an autistic child in Portland working under the Son-Rise program during college, eventually worked in an alternative school in Portland as a one-on-one skills trainer, and then as an IBI therapist working with families in the Coeur d’Alene, ID area. I became a BCBA in 2016 after I completed my degree in M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on ABA from Arizona State University. I worked for an ABA agency here in Spokane for about 5 years where I conducted client intakes, created behavior treatment plans, supervised behavior technicians, provided direct therapy to clients, and led family trainings. I had my son in 2018 and returned to work for a while before I decided to take a break and focus on parenthood. During this time, I learned more about the neurodiversity movement, struggles faced by the disability community, and how to become a better service provider and ally. I eventually met Joline in 2019 and joined her at Blooming Abilities as a fellow BCBA and have greatly enjoyed my work thus far.
As a BCBA, my biggest goal is helping families learn more about their neurodivergent child and how they can best support them into adulthood and beyond. I understand that the world is not created equally and strive to create that path with the families I work with to ensure that their children reach success in any shape or form with as much respect as possible. Besides implementing behavior analytical principles, I also integrate other methodologies such as mindfulness, trauma informed care, and collaborative problem solving to assist families in reaching their personal goals.
I enjoy all things plant related, pushing my limits with running, enjoying family time, and cuddling with the loudest cat ever, Gordon.
