Meet Megan Aclan of Aclan Behavioral Services in Encino

Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Aclan.

Megan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I began my career 10 ½ years ago working with individuals with autism and related developmental disabilities. However, I found that everyone could benefit from behavioral services, not just people with special needs. Under the supervision of my professors and mentors, I was able to receive training and practice implementing the principles of behavior analysis to individuals with without developmental disabilities, as well as, working with businesses on how to improve systems and productivity.

Once I received my Ph.D. from The Chicago School, Los Angeles, I learned that behavioral services for individuals without the diagnosis of autism or related disorders or companies looking to improve their business were limited in the Los Angeles area. I wanted to find a way for various individuals and groups to receive behavioral support. Specifically, I wanted to find an outlet for individuals with mental disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression, and OCD), eating disorders, or addiction to provide behavioral services. I also wanted to provide services to companies in order to identify and implement systems that could benefit the company in terms of productivity, expanding and increasing overall morale of staff. With all of these services that can be provided to a wide variety of individuals, Aclan Behavioral Services was created.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I knew from the start that opening my own practice was not going to be easy. One of the biggest challenges was adapting to working for myself vs. working for a company. For the last decade, I was used to working with clients and projects that were assigned or identified by my employer; however, with the start of my own practice, I had to market myself to build my clientele. I constantly have to remind myself the goal of my practice is to help others work through their own struggles and find ways to achieve their own goals. This reminder motivates me to keep going, that others will benefit from behavioral services. Another source of motivation as being my family and friends. I have been for fortunate that my family and friends have been supportive throughout this process.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Aclan Behavioral Services provides behavioral therapy to individuals and organizations. In today’s society, we are very much on the go and do not find time for ourselves. We also find it difficult to prioritize our focus and usually attend to things in our immediate site. The clients who I see is anyone looking to improve and find balance in his or her life.

From an individual level, I specialize in anxiety, depression, OCD, eating disorders and addiction for individuals between the ages of 10 and up. I provide family and couples counseling based on these specialties in order to provide support across all avenues of one’s daily life.

I also provide services to organizations, specializing in behavior-based safety, developing and implementing systems, and improving productivity. I provide services in assessing areas of need and training staff in order to carry out systems throughout the organization.

Although it may seem that working with mental disorders and companies might be on 2 ends of a practitioner’s spectrum; but if you look closely, they all intertwine. For instance, working with an individual on anxiety may have an effect productivity in an organization. As a result, developing systems within a company to decrease anxiety with work may increase employee morale and decrease employee turnover in a company.

I think that what sets Aclan Behavioral Services apart from others is that it provides services to a large range of individuals and organizations. I am most proud that my practice provides the opportunity for all individuals to receive behavioral services, not just those with developmental disabilities.

What were you like growing up?
As a child, I always knew that I wanted to do something where I was helping people. I would always want to be the class helper or help a classmate carry something for them. At a very young age, I began volunteering at local community events, working with individuals with developmental disabilities, feeding the homeless, and volunteering in hospitals. I really enjoyed interacting with people and seeing that I could do something to make people happy.

As a child, I thought that I wanted to be a dentist. However, when I was in college, I was fascinated by Psychology and wanted to learn more. That said, I shifted major and began learning about this field. It was not until my senior year in college when I learned about the field of Behavior Analysis and from there I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I learned that I could help others with various struggles and help improve his or her own lives.

Contact Info:

• Address: 6345 Balboa Blvd. Suite 163
  Encino, CA 91316
• Website: www.aclanbehavioralservices.com
• Phone: (818) 620-6452
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
mttphotography

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