Attaining certification to help children with autism

Iulia Gulakova

Special Needs Behavioral Counselor

 

Iulia Gulakova is a refugee from Ukraine who came to the United States in 2016 with her husband and eight-year-old son. In 2017 she was granted asylum and was accepted by the Touro College School of Health Sciences’ advanced Certificate Program in Behavior Analysis.

She enrolled in Accompany Capital’s IDA program for refugees and used the $4,000 she had saved along with the IDA Match Grant to pay for her tuition. She graduated in 2019 with a Masters in Applied Behavioral Analysis, passed the Board exam, and now works at A Friendly Face, an autism treatment center in Brooklyn, where she supervises staff working with children with autism spectrum disorder.

Because of her critical specialty, she was able to continue to work during the pandemic, both remotely and in person. She enjoys being able to help children with special needs, particularly the many Ukrainian families and children in Brooklyn who need a bilingual specialist.