Who We Are

Tiffany Michels BCBA, LBA-VA, IBA, Supervisor/Founder & Executive Director

Tiffany Michels is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Licensed Behavior Analyst in Virginia and International Behavior Analyst. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Helianthus Positive Behavior Supports LLC. She founded the company in March of 2020 after learning that ABA resources were lacking in her local area of North Carolina. Tiffany graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Old Dominion University and a Master of Education in Special Education with a Graduate Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis at George Mason University.

She started in the field after working for an organization who specialized in working with children with a diagnosis of Emotionally Disturbed, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectually Disabled, Operationally Defiant Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder, as a Special Education teacher assistant in an inclusion classroom. It was there she had discovered the world of Behavior Modification and Management. She became intrigued and began her journey into the ABA field. She has worked in the ABA field specifically for over 9 years providing direct services, supervision and case management services, parent training and assessment services to young children and adolescents whom have varying diagnoses and their families. Tiffany was a Behavior Technician prior to receiving her certifications. She received her BCaBA certification in 2015 and her BCBA certification in 2016.

After moving to North Carolina in 2018 she decided it was time to expand ABA services for families in North Carolina. Tiffany strives to better her community, serving others in need, and lending a helping hand. She takes pride in her work and loves to grow and progress in the field. When she has time, she loves researching, attending conferences and webinars and finding advancements to better her practice. Outside of work, Tiffany enjoys living on a farm, spending time with her family and is a HUGE animal lover.

Dr. Bethany Patterson BCBA-D, LBA-VA, IBA, Supervisor/Director of Clinical Operations

Bethany Patterson is a BCBA-D, LBA-VA, IBA, and the Director of Clinical Operations at Helianthus Positive Behavior Supports LLC. She has 20 years of experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis working with children 18 months old to adults 45 years of age. She has worked with all different diagnosis from Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, TBIs, Bi-Polar, Fragile X, Seizure disorders, Schizophrenia, and trauma cases to name a few. She has worked as a BCBA in numerous locations from school districts, in-home, day schools, CDCs, residential locations, and in the community.

Bethany has a Master of Science in Education and a Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Technology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Bethany is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral and Licensed as a Behavior Analyst in the State of Virginia. She specializes in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, and trauma and stress related disorders.

Bethany is also a member and affiliated with the following organizations Kappa Delta Phi Society of Education, Association of Behavioral Analysis International, Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis, North Carolina for Behavior Analysts, International Behavior Analysis Organization, Association of Professional Behavior Analysts, Association for Educational Communication Technology, and American Psychological Association. Bethany has served on the board of Family Readiness Group for the USS Helena in Norfolk, VA, the board of Hawaii Association for Behavior Analysis, and former leader for the Do Better Movement.

Outside of HPBS Bethany is a mother of 2, military spouse, owner of two German Shepherds, and published author of a Children's Book Daddy's Submarine. With her family she loves to off road, hike, kayak, and play board games.

Amy Wick, BCBA, LBA-VA, Supervisor/Virginia Regional Coordinator

Amy Wick is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Licensed Behavior Analyst in Virginia and the Virginia Regional Coordinator for Helianthus Positive Behavior Supports LLC. Amy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Randoph-Macon College and a Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University.

She has been a Behavior Analyst since 2010 and during that time has worked with children and adults ranging in age from 1 to 22. Amy started in the field after an undergrad internship landed her at an ABA clinic in Richmond. There she immediately fell in love with ABA when she saw how much it impacted the children’s and parent’s lives. Amy is passionate about collaborating with parents and other providers (SLPs, OTs, PTs, teachers, dentists, and more) to have a team approach to creating meaningful behavior change.

Amy is a mother of 2 and in her free time, she enjoys running, shopping, traveling, and going on outings with her family.

Ashley Kobs BCBA, LBA-VA/Supervisor

Ashley Kobs is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst in Virginia. She started with Helianthus in June of 2021. Ashley graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Community Health from the University of Wisconsin- Lacrosse. She has been in the behavioral health field working with the Autistic community since 2015, where she started as a Registered Behavior Technician. Discovering her love for this community, she persued a masters in Behavior Analysis at Ball State University and has been a Behavior Analyst since 2019.

Ashley is a wife and mother to 2 beautiful kids, she has a Husky and two cats. She is originally from Wisconsin and enjoys being outside (even in the cold) and spending time with her family.

Julianna Heber BCBA, LBA-VA/Supervisor

Julianna is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst in Virginia. She started with Helianthus in January of 2022. Julianna graduated with a bachelor of science in Psychology from Old Dominion University in 2015. She entered the field of ABA shortly after graduating with her undergraduate degree. She began working at a small in-home ABA company in Charleston SC which led her to love the field and continue her education and experience to grow further and serve more families. In 2018 she gained her BCaBA certification and in 2020 she graduated with her masters in Applied Behavior Analysis and gained her BCBA certification. Julianna is passionate about a collaborative team approach and teaching others about the field of ABA to help empower caregivers to use these tools within their families confidently.