We're still in the early stages of setting up all my son's services, but so far it's been organized…read moreand pretty timely. Cortica definitely has more of a "big chain" feel compared to the small, family-style clinics we were used to... things like multiple phone lines and staff menus before you get to the right person. But that's kind of expected with a nationwide company, and options in Marin for ABA and OT that take insurance are limited, if any others? The process has been clear: we started with a Nurse Practitioner, then an ABA assessor, and then the ABA supervisor who continues to meet with us regularly. They've taken into account data from our previous clinic down south, which we appreciated. Everyone has been super knowledgeable and kind. It's true there's a wait for RBTs due to staffing shortages, but once you're in, you still get regular parent training sessions with the ABA supervisor, which helps keep things moving while you wait. We're hoping to get an RBT soon. And Dr. V, the neurologist on site, is amazing. She's been fantastic with my son. Super communicative, supportive, and easy to talk to. She's very organized and her medical assistant has provided so much info for us which is great. It can all feel overwhelming, but I think the systems (online portals, phone mazes when calling, just the corporate infrastructure) is what kind of kills it for some folks...as it can start to get frustrating to have to do so much to get to the right 'person' for answers. However, I think some of that will fade away...as the rhythm of a schedule for therapies, follow-ups, etc. gets in the groove.

Knowledgeable and caring staff; MD, music therapy, OT and ABA under one roof. I highly recommendread more

Adrianna told a kid "go in your room and cry about it" I have to take a medication crucial to my…read morehealth daily and for the week I was there I didn't get it once, they moved me rooms and roommates 6 times and said it was "for my safety" and didn't tell me anything, I told them I was triggered and they didn't care until my mom told them if they do move again me she'll pick me up even if it's 3 am, they over medicated me and said it was a "lapse in judgment" and they punished everyone after allowing to kids to go into each other's rooms and have sex instead of punishing the four kids,

Do not go through this program, they do not tell you a month later your stuck with a $4000 bill…read more Total waste of six weeks, they are actually hurting you when they are suppose to help

I personally had a good experience back in 2023 and 2024 and met some amazing people. Nurse Amanda…read morewas amazing and she was always there for me. I loved how we got to watch movies and have "icees" every night. Group therapy was fun and I loved our social worker. Evie Rose is your seeing this it's vanessa and I miss you sooo much

This place has given me far more extra trauma than how I went into it…read more I was taken here a few years back and only now realized that I could write a review on Yelp. This place has permanently scarred me due to a staff member calling me the r slur and telling me that "You should have died and saved us some time" along with "The world would be better off with you gone". I was forced to sleep on the floor due to them not having enough rooms where I was covered by a thin blanket and had no pillow. I was treated this way while having Double Depressive Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Insomnia, Borderline Personality Disorder, Dysphoria, Disordered Eating, and Autism. I believe I was only 12 or 13 when this occurred. Don't go here. I don't say that out of spite, I say that because I don't want more lives ruined. Please, don't go here

My son is now a different person thanks to Lina!…read more Before we met Lina: We found out my younger son, Yi, had speech & fine motor delay when he was 15 months old. Early intervention started when he was 18 months old, followed by OT, ST and PT. Then he got the ASD diagnosis at 2-year old and ABA started two months later. However, with all the helps from all the therapists, no one was able to help Yi establish eye contact or help him learn to point. I got perhaps half a second eye contact with Yi in an entire month. Even when we had it, I was not sure because it was so brief - I thought it could be just me imagining things. Yi had many tantrums a day, very intense. He's in pain, we were in pain, every single day. When we met Lina: Day 1: within half an hour, Lina helped Yi establish SOLID eye contact with me!! I almost cried! He saw me! Day 2: Yi started to point, thanks to Lina! Before meeting Lina, I felt so overwhelmed and didn't know what I should focus on. Lina helped me prioritize and establish a plan for the next steps. - Thanks for Lina's push, I started the GCCF diet right after the training. Yi used to vomit when he had tantrum and cried a lot, which happened on a daily basis. A week after cutting out milk, Yi's vomiting stopped. - I signed up and took Hanen program "More Than Words" parents training, thanks to Lina's recommendation. It was another really helpful program that helped us a lot. Soon after meeting Lina, Yi's eye contact dramatically increased (we adopted the same method from Lina and taught all other therapists to do the same). He learned to point to communicate his needs. His vomiting stopped. With all these changes, Yi's tantrum greatly reduced. Yi has transformed from a suffering child living in his own iron bubble to a cheerful little boy who opens up to the outside world. I can't say enough thank you to Lina! She took time to understand my son, and gave us individualized trainings based on Yi's unique needs. You can tell this is not just a job for her. It's something that she cares deeply and passionate about and she's highly competent. We lived in the South Bay and I work full time. I'm so glad I made the decision to take time off from work and brought Yi with me to see Lina. It was the best decision I made and time really well spent.

We have been seeing Lina for a few years and she has been both an instrumental "boots on the…read moreground" and "eye in the sky" when it comes to our autistic son. I cannot think of any higher praise that I could provide other than she is the model of what I think an excellent consultant is; knowledgeable, experienced, practical, compassionate, passionate, and responsive. Her services are truly valuable, both for my son, and our family as a whole. Having someone in your corner with the above skillset is hard to find in any profession, let alone the autistic one, and I recommend you not lose her number.

My family has been with Sherry Spencer for 4 years. When our son, Liam was first diagnosed with…read moreAutism, Sherry was one of the first people we talked to about his diagnosis and getting him services outside of the district. She has been with our family ever since and has really fought for Liam at every turn. When we first started with her Liam's behavior was starting to go extremely downhill to the point where he was hitting and biting, he even gave me a black eye. Today he's in 2nd grade, is one of the sweetest kids I have ever met and is incredibly happy. I think some of Sherry's greatest strengths are: -parent training -putting a tailored program together that meets the need of your child -working with insurances to best meet the needs of the family -finding other services and programs that would be beneficial to the family

Sherry Spencer started working with our family when my son was 3 years old. I believe the most…read moreimportant thing that she taught me, as we began this journey with Rowan, was not to put limits on his potential. Sherry always had high expectations for Rowan, pushing the boundaries of what he could do to encourage him reach for the next logical step. She kept a strong focus on Rowan's intellectual and emotional growth, developing programs that supported both.Sherry was always friendly and supportive to all she interacted with, whether it was family members or therapists in training. In addition, she trained school aids, and assisted to teachers with program development. She blended different types of therapy, with approaches and techniques that utilized the best of all. Her creative thinking has stimulated ongoing positive expectations for Rowan.

Great company to work for, they provided top tier training & required technicians to get certified…read morethrough the state prior to working with clients. The office is well maintained, staff is friendly, one of my best working experiences thus far. I'd recommend any parent/child here for ABA. The clinic is clean & offers tons of opportunity for kids to play, socialize, and learn

I cannot say enough about FirstSteps for kids inc in Walnut Creek. They literally changed our…read morelives with our angel. Our son needed help learning, and from day one my wife & I were greeted(By Katie & Sam) with a smile and supported by them(entire Team) in such a way that I tear up sometimes just thinking about it. I feel so fortunate and lucky that we have had the honor of benefiting from their services, it really is a blessing. Everything about this team is extraordinary; they are courteous, they are well organized, informative, knowledgeable, courteous, genuine, professional and caring. Our son has learned so much working with the Team (Amanda, Ashleigh, Estefani, Sam, Samantha, Katie, Jaime, Courtney, Ariana, Solemon, Lisa, Diane, jennifer and Alyssa, from my wife and I, THANK YOU!!!

My child had Linda as a BCBA for over a year. She was great to work with. She collaborated with my…read morefamily proactively to help us, and was kind and engaging with my kiddo. She listened to my concerns and was always willing to adapt her strategies, and those of the therapists working with her, to what would work best for my kid. This was based on my feedback and knowledge of my child- she was always open to hearing my point of view.

Ambitions Behavioral Health has some great BCBAs and is overall a great company. One of the BCBAs…read moreis Linda and she has been by far one of the most supportive, and caring BCBAs I have been with. She advocates for not only her clients families, but her therapists as well. She's consistent, and She takes her time explaining each goal to parents so they understand what her therapists are working on. She checks in on her families to make sure things are running smoothly and if they ever need anything. I have had great experience working with Linda! If you ever need a fantastic, caring BCBA Linda is the one to go too!