Our Story

Our story started way back when a little girl named Ziba would play with her dolls. Her play themes always intrigued her parents, as she would always pretend (through symbolic play) that her dolls were hurt and she would take care of them by bandaging their eyes because they were blind, or make a wheelchair out of cardboard boxes because they could not walk. At the young age of 7, Ziba had no idea what a therapist was, so when people would ask her what she wanted to be when she โ€œgrew upโ€ she would say, โ€œA nurse, so I can take care of people who canโ€™t see or walk.โ€

Services

Behavior Intervention

Behavior Intervention Program is based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

Social Skills Therapy

It provides children and teens with special needs social experiences in the center and the community.

The objectives of the DIRยฎ/Floortimeโ„ข Model are to build healthy foundations for social, emotional, and intellectual capacities rather than focusing on skills and isolated behaviors.

Mental Health Services

We are dedicated to supporting and empowering you through a collaborative process that addresses your goals and areas of need. We believe that the primary foundation to addressing these needs is the trust that is built in the therapeutic relationship between you and your therapist.

Music Therapy (MT)

Music therapy is the clinical use of music to facilitate therapeutic interventions that accomplish individual goals. Music therapy embraces the motivating and structural properties of music to create an effective and rich learning environment.

Adaptive Skills

The Holding Hands Adaptive Skills Program addresses the practical everyday skills a child, teen, or adult needs in order to function at home and in the community. Our program targets 5 Adaptive Skills domains: self-care, communication, behavior (non-maladaptive), social skills, and play-leisure.

Adult Social Skills Group

Adult social skills relationship-based program centered on the following 5 principles: Self-Advocacy , Empowerment, Education,  , and Support

Modified Cognitive Behavior Intervention (M-CBI)

Modified Cognitive Behavior Intervention (M-CBI) is a client-centered program designed for TEENS AND ADULTS (AGES 15 THRU 40) .

ABA

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a widely recognized, research-based treatment methodology for understanding and improving human behavior.

Our Staff

Sagine Philippeaux
Sagine Philippeaux
M.S., BCaBA, ABA Program Coordinator Los Angeles South, Clinical Supervisor
Karina Daoulatian
Karina Daoulatian
ABA Program Coordinator, Calabasas
Ziba Nassab
Ziba Nassab
Psy.D, Founder of Holding Hands, Clinical Consultant DIR Certified Clinician
Elicet Gonzalez
Elicet Gonzalez
M.S., AMFT, Social Skills Program Coordinator and Bilingual Parent Trainer
Patrik Boghouzian
Patrik Boghouzian
M.A., AMFT, Social Skills Coordinator, Clinical Supervisor
Simina Eshtenhardi
Simina Eshtenhardi
Ph.D., LMFT # 107463 License Marriage and Family Therapist
Candida Gallegos
Candida Gallegos
B.A, DIR Certified, DIR Program Coordinator
Lusine Akelyan
Lusine Akelyan
M.A., Associate Director for N.P.A A.B.A. Services
Carrie Hammond
Carrie Hammond
LMFT, BCBA, Director Of the ABA Program & Mental Health Services
Lisa H. Overbeck
Lisa H. Overbeck
MT-BC, Advanced DIR Floortime TM Provider Associate Director of Clinical Services
Eric R. Kane
Eric R. Kane
M.Ed. BCBA., ABA Program Coordinator
Samuel Nassab
Samuel Nassab
M.S., BCBA, Associate Director of ABA Program, Director of CPI Training

Recent posts

Holding Hands Family,I want to express my deepest gratitude for your hard work, dedication, and contribution. You are the driving force behind our success, and we truly value your presence on our team.Your unwavering commitment to our clients and their families is truly inspiring. You show up every day, even on the toughest days, and in doing so, you are changing lives and elevating potential. What we do is a true calling, and it takes passion, perseverance, and integrity to make a difference. You embody these qualities and more, and I am in awe of your efforts.Thank you for being an invaluable part of our team and for making a positive impact on the lives of those we serve. Your hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed.Happy Employee Appreciation Day!Sarah Cho, Chief Executive Officer ... See MoreSee Less
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At Holding Hands, we strive to infuse every action with the warmth of our hearts. Recently, we celebrated Valentine's Day by organizing a "Palentines Day" event at our Headquarters and Clinics. It was a beautiful opportunity for our leaders and staff to express gratitude towards one another and indulge in delicious treats. Let's take a look at the wonderful festivities shared by our amazing teams across Holding Hands. ... See MoreSee Less
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Our local Whittier DIR/Floortime Program Coordinator and Social Skills Scheduler are currently providing education in their local community about our DIR/Floortime and Social Skills Programs at Holding Hands. At Holding Hands, we believe in embracing neurodiversity and utilizing a person-centered approach. What is our DIR/Floortime Program?Our Adaptive Skills program using the DIR/Floortime modality offers a framework to understand the functional emotional development and unique profile of each individual using personal relationships to create emotionally meaningful learning interactions. The primary goal of this program is to build healthy foundations for social, emotional, and intellectual capacities, rather than focusing solely on behaviors. What is our Social Skills Program?Our Social Skills Program is designed to help individuals between the ages of 3 and 40 develop the skills they need to thrive. We offer 5 centered-based unique types of social skills groups for different developmental needs and age groups. Our Developmental Social Skills Program is less structured and more developmental and client-centered focused. Our Social Skills Training Programs are curriculum-based, designed for 14 to 16 weeks of lesson plans, and include weekly resources and homework, depending on the social skills group type. Programs can be repeated twice for families and clients that require additional support and practice. Additionally, our programs offer parent training simultaneously. We are committed to helping individuals build healthy foundations for social, emotional, and intellectual capacities. If you would like more information, please visit our website at www.holdinghandsinc.com. ... See MoreSee Less
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Join us at our Calabasas, Los Angeles and Whittier clinics for our Open House Job Fairs. We are hiring for Behavior Technicians, School Behavior Technicians and Developmental Interventionists. Come tour our clinic, meet some members of the Clinical, HR and Operations teams and have an interview. Walk-In's are welcome, however we highly recommend you RSVP. To RSVP, simply email your resume to hire@holdinghandsinc.com and include what open house you will be attending. Competitive pay, full and part-time opportunities, benefits include: sick days, holiday pay, vacation pay, medical/dental insurance, 401-K, CEU unit funding, ongoing training and mentorship.We hope to see you soon! ... See MoreSee Less
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This week at Holding Hands our amazing teams across our ABA, School, Floortime/DIR, Social Skills, M-CBI and Mental Health programs as well as our departments participated in Spirit Week as we all celebrate the upcoming holidays. We kicked off the week with Candy Cane Day to Pajamas to Holiday Hats to Ugly Sweaters and finished off with Holiday socks. Our staff were able to partake in Secret Santa and really enjoy the holiday spirit. We even got a visit from Santa at our Burbank clinic. Here at Holding Hands we lead with our hearts and enjoyed seeing all of our incredible teammates have some fun while doing exceptional work for our clients, families and communities. ... See MoreSee Less
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