At Acorn Health, teamwork is a key clinical tenant that is at the core of who we are and what we do. Our employees work hand-in-hand with one another and with other clinicians and educators to provide our learners will a collaborative and enriching learning experience that helps them achieve their fullest potential. Teamwork means that we believe the best outcomes are produced by people who collaborate with enthusiasm. When we keep teamwork top of mind, that means we hire and coach our employees to work together every single day.
Today, we wanted to introduce you to Kelti Owens. You can find Kelti serving families in our Tennessee locations. Let’s get to know Kelti!
What’s your role at Acorn Health?
My role is the Regional Director of Operations, specifically for the Tennessee region where Acorn Health has continued to grow.
What sparked your initial interest in working in ABA?
I was inspired to pursue ABA because I wanted to work in a field that helped people and was evidence-based. It is really important to me to be implementing procedures and strategies that are well researched and that we fully understand to ensure that we will make progress for people.
What new research or ABA therapy technique do you find particularly interesting/promising?
I am very excited about the field’s recent interest in researching and pursuing the area of Trauma Informed Care (TIC). This is especially important because the clients we work with are a vulnerable population which means they are more likely to experience trauma than others. I am so encouraged that we are incorporating so many of the TIC strategies in our practices because it will serve the clients best. Additionally, my personal interests are to complete research on how implementing TIC will improve our ability to retain staff and increase our staff’s overall satisfaction at work.
What’s something you’d want parents to know about ABA therapy?
I would want parents to know that if they fully lean into it and take full advantage of family guidance, they will learn a lot. I believe that it is something to prioritize because ABA is not meant to be a therapy that kids are in forever. We love working with families who want to learn the skills and take them with them to apply at home and other settings, so that they begin true life skills. Our goal is to equip our families with as many strategies as possible before they leave us.
What’s the most common question that parents ask you about ABA therapy?
Many families ask me why they should prioritize ABA over school. Research shows we are most effective with children under 6 receiving as many hours as the family can send them for. We’ve seen that the more time a child can spend in ABA therapy early, the higher likelihood of them having the best possible outcome. We are against the clock of trying to teach as many skills as possible to prepare your client for school. Our ultimate goal is to prepare children to be as successful as possible at school.
How do the learners you work with everyday inspire you?
Our school-age kids inspire me every day. Kids are so eager to learn and impress adults. If they are in the right environment, they can thrive trying to do their best. There is no better feeling than helping our kids understand they are smart, special, and worthy of their highest potential. Once they learn this, they can do anything!
If you’d like to join our team and make a difference in the lives of children with autism, visit https://acornhealthjobs.com/ to view our open roles.