July 27, 2021

Employee Profile: Elizabeth Gudiel

My name is Elizabeth Gudiel, and I am the Clinical Director in our Salt Lake City region. My journey into ABA is very unique to say the least…I was just about to start school at Cal State LA when my son, Julian, was diagnosed with autism. His diagnosis changed our lives dramatically; I had originally wanted to become a Special Education teacher but had to place my education on hold in order to take care of my son. My son had a lot of flexibility issues and tantrum behaviors, he had sensitivity to noise and hated large crowds; this led to me withdraw from friends and family. After reaching out to my local regional center and establishing some supports for our family, I decided to go back to school. I studied Interdisciplinary Studies for my undergrad and graduated from National University 2011 with my BA.

I knew I wanted to help kids just like my son, and I was passionate about making a difference. I wanted kids like Julian to have a fair chance in life, and I wanted my son to have an independent life as well. So, I began working as a behavior interventionist in 2010. Soon after, I was promoted to trainer and completed my BA. I began to implement everything I had learned at work with my son and began to see the progress. Without even knowing what I was doing, I began to desensitize him from large crowds, increase tolerance to haircuts without being restrained and even potty trained him. ABA really made a difference in our lives, so I decided I needed to learn a bit more. I enrolled into a graduate program through National University while working full time as a trainer. I was promoted to a behavior consultant shortly after and then a program manager.

I graduated from National University with a Master’s in teaching with specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2012 and became a BCBA in 2014. I have worked with a couple of other ABA companies serving in various roles, both clinical and administrative. I came to Behavior Frontiers in January of 2018 as an Associate Clinical Director, and I worked in our San Gabriel Valley office for over three years. I also worked as an Adjunct Professor at Mt. San Antonio college teaching adaptive skills to adults with disabilities for a year and a half. In spring of 2021, my family and I decided to move out of state in search of a slower pace of life and I was given the opportunity to open our newest office in Salt Lake City.

Having two teens on the spectrum has taught me so much about ASD. My goal is to help my teens become independent and navigate the challenges in life. I also want to give other parents courage and hope to do the same for their kids.

Elizabeth Gudiel, M.A., BCBA
Clinical Director, Salt Lake City, UT

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