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In behavior analysis, women have played and still play a significant role. Veronica Napier is a prominent female leader who makes a difference every day and is always on the lookout to support others. Her entrepreneurial venture as the CEO and founder of Stepping Stones Behavioral Solutions has had significant accomplishments in its 7-year journey. It is featured among the “Elite League of Successful Leaders 2023” as a recent addition to the list. The achievements and appreciation go far beyond this, and the lady is unstoppable!
The Inspiring and Innovative Journey—At a Glance
The story of a young woman who aspired to help the underprivileged while rewarding others with similar ideals and excellent income!
Veronica’s journey into ABA therapy was inspired by her passion for psychology. The aspiring business lady initially entered this sector to pursue a career as a clinical psychologist. She was seeking other possibilities because she didn’t want to receive her master’s degree and had no prior experience in psychology. She was told about applied behavior analysis (ABA) by one of her friends. Veronica thought it was fascinating and started working with a 12-year-old child who was rather hostile in an autism center. Additionally, he did not speak.
Veronica became aware of the impact she was having on this boy’s life as she worked with him because he started to try different meals and pick up new words. She also began to understand that he was able to develop more talents by playing with her and finding common ground with him. Veronica was compelled to shift her attention from clinical psychology to applied behavior analysis as a result, having worked at numerous Indiana facilities. She made the choice to handle just one client for her own practice. Soon, she had two clients, and word of her use of play-based treatment while adhering to the ABA core principles seemed to spread like wildfire. Within a year, she had 10 customers, and with a strong team by her side, that number quickly increased to 9 autism facilities, over 200 clients, and 250 workers.
Stepping Stones Behavioral Solutions
Children on the autism spectrum can get play-based ABA therapy from Stepping Stones, which treats each client as an individual from head to toe. They collaborate with the child in many contexts, including the clinic, the school, and the home, using a range of materials, equipment, and therapeutic methods.
Additionally, SSBS established a private school last year with a specialization in students who learn differently. They also intend to concentrate on developing their program for graduates of an adult applied behavior analysis facility that will provide both job training and instruction in functional living skills. They are genuinely helping people with special needs of all ages and providing assistance not just to the patient but also to their parents, the school, and anybody else who works with them.
Sync with the Latest Tech Advancements
Stepping Stones offers virtual appointments and virtual supervision as a way of employing technology to improve and elevate the quality of ABA. This enables behavior analysts to manage a caseload of clients and provide more support for other team members.
The three main trends are: growing in areas where there is a demand; collaborating with academic institutions and other fields like speech and occupational therapy; and using some AI technology to streamline administrative tasks.
Diversity and Inclusion in Stepping Stones
An African American woman started SSBS, which takes pride in its diversity and understanding of other cultures. Empowering people through equal and fair promotion. One important principle they uphold on a daily basis is respect for the cultures of their clients and team members.
Battling the Challenges
Inflation and income reduction from payors Veronica and her team work to be creative with grants and donations, offering multiple services for increased collaboration with the community to support the mission.
Insights on the Gender Pay Gap
At SSBS, there is no gender wage gap because of the open pay scale. However, it has been clearly demonstrated throughout history that men are often paid more than women. Several of the female team members actually support their families financially. Therefore, SSBS, as a corporation, is undoubtedly delighted to contribute to that shift in society.
SSBS’s Key Focus: A Healthy Work Culture
“I think it’s crucial to strike a good balance between work and life. Normally, we encourage everyone on our team to finish their job between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. A large portion of our higher management receives help from us.
That way, you have a team of innovators and executors. This has made our work model very successful because team members have more time with their leaders to discuss new ideas and innovations”, the leading lady apprised.
Road Ahead: In the Next Five Years
Within the next five years, Stepping Stones Behavioral Solutions is expected to grow into additional states, focusing on those with a larger underserved population. Because business is business and individuals prefer to pursue the dollars, investors and private equity firms tend to focus on the states with the higher reimbursement rates. But Stepping Stones was established to help the underprivileged. There cannot be enough resources for autism in one location. But Veronica prefers to focus on the places where there aren’t many, so they may be really useful to the local populations.
