Meet Annie

BCBA certification #:1-21-57182

Annie Chen, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA

Annie Chen is a third-culture, Chinese American, and the daughter of an immigrant. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and certified trauma breath coach dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations through trauma-informed practices. With a decade of experience in the therapeutic field, she offers training, workshops, and individual support, integrating applied behavioral science, breathwork, and Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) – a compassion-focused approach. Annie specializes in understanding the root causes of everyday challenges, particularly for neurodivergent individuals. Her unique experience includes applying ABA within the foster care system, piloting inclusive preschool programs, crisis prevention, and serving diverse multicultural populations. From training groups of 50+ educators to leading remote parent training sessions (as far as Tanzania!), Annie's expertise extends to mental health panels, conflict resolution for couples, and group breathwork workshops. She is passionate about fostering self-awareness and creating both positive and permanent change for those who seek her services.

Annie is passionate about creating a world where healthy coping skills and relationship-building are commonplace, not rarities. Recognizing that healthy children need healthy adults, she dedicates her work to empowering individuals and organizations through a holistic approach. Her (ongoing) healing journey has provided invaluable insight into the transformative power of these strategies, fueling her commitment to helping others understand the root causes of their everyday struggles and build a future that comes with freedom and clarity.

Specialties: 

  • A decade of experience working with neurodivergent individuals

  • Certified Trauma Breath Coach

  • Certified Trauma and resilience trainer in education (CTRT-E)

  • ACE provider for CEU’s

  • Trauma aware & trauma-informed

  • Inclusion Trainer for school systems

  • Integrative & Holistic

  • Brainz Magazine executive article contributor

  • Member of Asian Connections Hub

During Annie’s spare time she enjoys spending time outdoors, being active, exploring unique places, learning, connecting with others, and experimenting with new dessert creations. She is a big animal lover, earth lover, art lover, and delights in natural herbs and tea. Annie also has two cats who she loves to apply ABA to and teach them new tricks.

Read Annie’s story below to learn more.

It started out with the founder, Annie wanting to know the “why” behind all her family behaviors. Then she discovered applied behavior analysis (ABA), a scientific discipline that uses data, data analysis and the foundational study of behavior principles. Within one year of seeing the effective progress and independence that children were making using ABA, she decided to pursue her masters degree. This journey was a long a difficult one in the healthcare field. However, she persevered knowing for a fact that ABA was effective because ABA had naturally started changing her life, relationships, and habits for the better. Deep down, she hoped to continue to gain clarity on why she struggled so much and what was wrong with her. Turns out, she was looking at it all wrong. In fact, studying behavior analysis made her realize it wasn’t her at all. It was the natural conditioning of all behaviors.

What is the biggest lesson she has learned from ABA? What works for one individual is not going to necessarily work with another individual. Take skincare for example. A lotion that is meant to reduce oily skin is not going to help with dry skin, and a thick cream that is meant for dry skin may not apply well to oily skin. Advice, opinions, and suggestions from family and friends are the same way. Without a proper assessment, these strategies could do you more harm than good in your relationships, parenting, and personal life. ABA focuses on the individual’s context and history to determine what tools and proactive strategies will save you time, money and stress in your every day life. The most powerful change comes from within- knowledge, clarity, and heart.

Her Story

“Part of the problem with the word 'disabilities' is that it immediately suggests an inability to see or hear or walk or do other things that many of us take for granted. But what of people who can't feel? Or manage their feelings in constructive ways? What of people who aren't able to form close and strong relationships? And people who cannot find fulfillment in their lives, or those who have lost hope, who live in disappointment and bitterness and find in life no joy, no love? These, it seems to me, are the real disabilities.”

― Fred Rogers, The World According to Mister Rogers