Practitioners You Can Trust

Westside Behavior Therapy was established in 2015 initially providing home-based services to just a few clients. After recognizing the increasing need for services in our community, we opened the doors to our center-based clinic in 2016. We continue to be committed to the highest standards of care.

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Kelsey Townsend, M. Ed., BCBA, LBA

Executive Director

Kelsey earned a Master of Education specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis from Arizona State University in 2013 following undergraduate work at the University of Oregon. She has been practicing ABA since 2012. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (BCBA®) and a Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA) in the State of Oregon. She is a participating member of Oregon Association for Behavior Analysis (ORABA) where she serves on the Public Policy and Leadership Committees. She is also a participating member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) and the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA). Kelsey has acquired a wide range of experiences with evidenced-based interventions in a variety of settings including center, home, community, and school-based environments. Her primary area of expertise is providing early intervention, ABA-based services to children on the Autism Spectrum. Although the ABA needs of the community are great, she feels it is important to keep her practice private and locally owned in order to provide an extremely child-centered, individualized ABA experience.

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Melissa Pollard, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA

Clinical Team Supervisor

Growing up in Iowa, Melissa attended Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D. where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services. During college, she worked with at-risk adolescent girls, at a residential treatment facility. While working directly with residents on self-management and daily living skills, she discovered a love for helping people and working closely with them to discover their full potential. After graduating and moving to Oregon, she took some time off to start a family. Melissa joined the Westside team in the Fall of 2016. At that time, she chose to focus her career on ABA and further develop her skills by attending Arizona State University’s ABA Graduate Program. She graduated in the Spring of 2018 with a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Samantha Muir, M.Psy., BCBA, LBA

Clinical Team Supervisor

Samantha Muir earned a Master of Psychology at Capella University specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2022 after achieving a Bachelor’s of Science at Portland State University. Sam is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst® as well as a Licensed Behavior Analyst and is passionate about creating behavioral changes that improve the quality of people’s lives. She started working in the field of ABA in 2018 with one client and from there built a career based on passion and enthusiasm for teaching life skills. Sam is familiar with working with a variety of age ranges as well as in-home, clinic, and community-based settings.

Julia Linton, M.A., BCBA, LBA

Clinical Team Supervisor

Julia grew up in Chicago but moved the short distance over to Indiana to study Psychology at Ball State University. After graduating, she found herself in the world of ABA in 2019 and has been passionate about it ever since. She found her place at Westside after moving to Oregon in 2021 and has since applied her knowledge to her roles as a behavior therapist, trainer, and lead behavior therapist. She decided to take her knowledge to the next level and began graduate studies in 2022. In December 2023, Julia graduated from Florida Institute of Technology with an M.A. in Behavior Analysis Practice and shortly after, earned her BCBA certification. She is excited to continue to grow and learn in her new role with Westside!

Hannah Burford, B.A., RBAI

Lead Behavior Therapist

Hannah moved from The Dalles to Portland in 2017 in order to pursue her Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a minor in Child, Youth, and Family Studies at Portland State University. During her studies, Hannah found a love for working with children and families and knew she wanted a career working in the community to help support personal growth and development. After graduating, Hannah discovered ABA and it was immediately a perfect fit! Hannah is currently enrolled in graduate school to obtain her Master's degree in pursuit of a BCBA certification. In her free time, Hannah enjoys spending time with her Fiance and pets, creating art, and playing video games.

Rachel Sandin, B.S., RBAI

Lead Behavior Therapist

Rachel has been working with children in one way or another for the last 10 years, starting as a swim instructor for preschool-age kids. She has also worked as an aide in middle school classrooms before transitioning to providing ABA services full time. Working in ABA has affirmed her passion for working with children as a way to provide support for the growth and development of the clients she serves. In the future, she hopes to return to graduate school to obtain her BCBA certification. In her free time, Rachel is an avid reader and enjoys outdoor adventures with friends.

Sean Bangs, B.A., RBAI

Lead Behavior Therapist

Sean has lived in several different places around the world on account of his father's military career, but Portland has always been home. He completed his undergraduate degree at Pacific University, earning a B.A. in History. Sean volunteered in several capacities helping children with special needs over his school career, including Special Olympics. Upon discovering ABA, Sean knew he had found a field in which he could give back to the community and help people every day. Currently, Sean is pursuing a graduate degree to become a BCBA. Sean enjoys playing video games, reading, and spending time with family in his free time.