A school psychology and intervention practice dedicated to children, adolescents and their families.
At Milestones in the Making, we conduct evaluation, consultation, and intervention services with individuals from birth through early adulthood. We strive to provide our clients and their families with the best available services.
What is a school psychologist?
School psychologists are highly trained in both psychology and education. The training of a school psychologist emphasizes preparation in child development, mental health, learning styles and processes, behavior, school organization, motivation, and effective teaching. School psychologists help children and youth succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.
What is the evaluation process?
A psycho-educational evaluation can be a vital tool in understanding and addressing the learning and mental health needs of individual students. It can positively affect the student’s schooling and family life. The evaluation entails a set of procedures, often including tests, to obtain information about a student’s learning, behavior, or mental health. This information is helpful for determining whether a student has a disability, developing teaching or behavior plans, identifying significant mental health concerns, and determining eligibility for gifted programs.
Our Staff
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST
Yulia Tamayo, Ed. S, NCSP
Yulia is a Florida licensed, nationally certified school psychologist who has been practicing since 2012. She achieved her graduate degree from the University of Florida (Go Gators!). Yulia is a native Spanish speaker and is passionate about helping children who are English Language Learners (ELL) and their families. Before joining the Milestones team, Yulia worked as a school psychologist in the Alachua County Public Schools, gaining a solid understanding of education regulations and their implications for day-to-day school procedures, which makes her a strong child advocate. An active member of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), Yulia strives to stay current with new research in the field. She collaborates in the education of new school psychologists by serving as practicum supervisor of graduate students. Yulia also serves as an early interventionist with the North Central Florida Early Steps program.
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST
Lisa Schiavoni, MS, Ed.S
Lisa is a licensed school psychologist and early interventionist who has been practicing for over 40 years. She received a Master’s degree from Ohio State University and an Education Specialist degree from the University of Florida. Lisa specializes in comprehensive evaluations of children with learning disorders, attention and executive dysfunction disorders, emotional and behavioral disorders; consultation and advocacy with schools, agencies and families; home-based family centered early intervention services to children with developmental disabilities and complex medical conditions.
EDUCATIONAL DIAGNOSTICIAN
Kathleen Davis, M.Ed.
Kathleen is an educational diagnostician who specializes in identifying and remediating academic learning differences. She has been in the field of special education for over 30 years, both as a classroom teacher and learning consultant. Kathleen received a Master’s degree from the University of Florida and has completed all but her dissertation and thesis for a Ph.D in Special Education and an Ed.S. in School Psychology, also from the University of Florida. She is passionate about helping children and families identify the causes of learning, attention and behavioral difficulties and then working together to solve these often-complex problems. From her years working in schools, she understands the legal requirements and day-to-day realities of the education system and the classroom. In addition to identifying academic learning differences, Kathleen works directly with students to remediate areas of difficulty using evidence-based strategies.
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST
Akiko Goen, Ph.D. NCSP
Dr. Goen is a Licensed, nationally certified school psychologist who has been practicing in Alachua County Public Schools since 2017. She obtained her doctoral degree in school psychology from the University of Florida in 2017. Dr. Goen has presented at both state and national school psychology conferences on numerous topics, including family engagement, social communication development in children, and post-secondary psychoeducational evaluations. She specializes in conducting psychoeducational evaluations for students with learning and related difficulties from kindergarten through high school and beyond. She also provides counseling to students with social-emotional challenges such as anxiety, utilizing cognitive-behavioral therapy and solution-focused brief therapy. Due to her training background in school psychology, Dr. Goen has a good understanding of how schools operate and the factors that can hinder learning in school. Further, Dr. Goen approaches each client and his/her family using family-centered practices (which was the focus of her dissertation) so that the evaluation results are meaningful and empowering to the client and the family.
Psychologist
Sally Rushing, Ph.D. NCSP
Sally is a licensed psychologist who joins the Milestones team after 9 years with Hillsborough County Public Schools. She earned her doctorate in School Psychology with a specialization in Early Childhood Studies from UF (Go Gators!!) in 2012. As a school psychologist in the public school system, Sally has practiced primarily in Title I schools, with additional placements in the virtual education program and on the prekindergarten assessment team. These varied school experiences have provided her with practical knowledge as to how schools function and with a strong foundation in best practices with respect to Response to Intervention (RtI)/Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), evaluations for 504 and Exceptional Student Education (ESE) eligibility and placement, and school-based behavior intervention. Sally recently earned the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health (FAIMH) Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-focused Practice Promoting Infant Mental Health® as an Infant Family Associate. She is a member of multiple professional organizations and is committed to keeping abreast of the most current research in the field. As a Milestones team member, Sally specializes in comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations for students of all ages experiencing learning and related difficulties and developmental evaluations of infants, toddlers, and young children.
OFFICE MANAGER
Tammy Dampier, BSHCA
Tammy is our office manager and a valued member of our team. Tammy has a Bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration. She is currently a member of the AAPC and is working on her certification in medical coding. Tammy handles day-to-day business operations, including scheduling, billing, and accounting.