Dr. Jamie Severtson joins Thompson Center

Dr. Jamie Severston, director of Behavior and Education Consultation Services

The faculty and staff of the Thompson Center welcomed a new faculty member to the team in October, 2010. Jamie Severtson, director of Behavior and Education Consultation Services for Intervention Services and clinical assistant professor for the Department of Health Psychology, joined the Thompson Center after serving for two years as the director of the Autism and Family Resource Center with Trinity Services, Inc. in New Lenox, IL. The Center is one of twelve partners in a network of providers for The Autism Program (TAP) of Illinois. At the Center, Severtson supervised all services, including diagnostic, home-based, toileting, problem behavior reduction, skill acquisition, and community training/workshop services.

Prior to working for Trinity, Severtson was a graduate student at Western Michigan University (WMU) where she and Dr. Jessa Love, director of Early Intervention Services for the Thompson Center, were lab mates. During her time at WMU, Severtson also worked for Esch Behavior Consultants (EBC), providing school consultation in Calhoun County, MI, and as a graduate therapist and clinic coordinator for the WMU Center for Autism. In total, Severtson has been working with individuals on the autism spectrum for about 12 years.

Says Severtson of her past experiences, “Over the years, I have been very fortunate to have excellent mentors and colleagues who have shaped all of my professional skill sets.  I think my experience of working in a variety of environments with various caregivers and professionals will be beneficial in my supervision of the Behavior Supports Clinic and School Consultation Services at the TC. Additionally, I thoroughly enjoy teaching and supervising budding behavior analysts, and I think my passion will help me develop fresh material that students can relate to and use to improve their clinical skills.”

In her current position, Severtson is supervising and seeing clients in the Behavior Supports Clinic and School Consultation Services as well as developing the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) course sequence.
 
When she’s not at work, Severtson enjoys making beaded jewelry, reading and training to run a 5K.

“I’m really looking forward to getting to know everyone at the Thompson Center.” says Severtson, “ This seems like a great place to work, and I’m thrilled to be here!”