APCA Skill Building Workshop – LifeMAP Roundtable Discussion, 1/30/26, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM ET

Description

Join us for a dynamic roundtable discussion including hot topics, tips, strategies, and mistakes to avoid when coaching Autistic and similarly neurodivergent individuals.

Speakers

Nataliya S. Poto, M.A., is the Director of LifeMAP Coaching Programs and Autism Professional Coaching Association at AANE. She began as an intern at AANE back in 2008 and her first project was to develop and evaluate LifeMAP. Over the last 16 years, under Mrs. Poto’s leadership, the LifeMAP programs have served more than 3,500 clients. In addition to overseeing LifeMAP and APCA, Mrs. Poto is also a coach, successfully assisting clients with their goals in the areas of higher education, career development, employment, personal growth, relationship-building, independent living, and more. She and her team also conceptualized LifeMAP’s unique coaching approaches into the Intensive Coach Training curriculum (IACT), a certification program offered annually at AANE. Prior to joining AANE, Mrs.Poto taught Psychology at UMASS Lowell and conducted applied research evaluating employment and music intervention programs for youth with autism profiles. She is the co-author of several research articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Her research has been presented at national and international conferences. A native of Ukraine, Mrs. Poto for the last 20 years has been residing in Northern MA with her family. Mrs. Poto enjoys traveling, skiing, gardening, and spending time with her family.

Jean Sandler, MSW, is the Clinical Supervisor for the LifeMAP program at AANE and also has worked as a LifeMAP Coach for over eleven years. Jean has worked with a variety of clients, including supporting transition-age students as they navigate higher education, employment, or building independent living skills. Jean also supports other LifeMAP coaches by providing clinical consultation for clients with more complex profiles. Since finishing her MSW from Boston University’s School of Social Work in 1997, a major focus of her work has been with Autistic individuals.

Rachel Ward-Sullivan, MS, is Coach Support & Utilization Specialist at AANE and has been a LifeMAP coach since 2017. Rachel takes an affirming, strengths-based approach and loves troubleshooting executive functioning challenges with clients. She focuses on building a supportive relationship with clients through empathy, encouragement, and enthusiastic cheerleading.

Jessica Cohen, JD, is the Associate Director of LifeMAP at the Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (AANE), as well as a LifeMAP coach. Jessica obtained her B.S.B.A. from Boston University School of Management and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. Jessica’s professional background includes representing and advising clients in legal matters related to employment discrimination, special education, and civil rights. As a coach, Jessica enjoys working with a variety of clients on goals related to executive functioning, social confidence, self-determination, and self-advocacy. Outside of AANE, Jessica continues to advise families on special education related matters and regularly presents community workshops for the Federation for Children with Special Needs.

Audience

This event is open to Autism Professional Coaching Association (APCA) members only. To learn about becoming an APCA member, please visit the webpage, schedule a call, or fill out a contact form.

Registration

Advanced registration is required. Email [email protected] to register.  After you have registered, a confirmation email is sent with a link to attend the program. Registrants who do not receive the confirmation email should check their email spam folder.