Dr. Hettinger received her Master’s degree in Special Education with a focus on Severe Emotional Disturbances from Florida State University and earned her Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from California Southern University.  After four years as a Special Education teacher in a classroom setting, she chose to pursue further education in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA). She completed her coursework to become a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) at the University of West Florida.

As a BCBA in California, Dr. Hettinger worked as a Behavior Therapist, Case Manager, and Clinical Supervisor working one-on-one with children with autism and with their families in the home, school, and community settings. Dr. Hettinger is trained in ABA using Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Verbal Behavior (VB), Pivotal Response Training (PRT), and Natural Environment Training (NET) methods. She has over 20 years of experience working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anxiety, Depression as well as other learning disabilities. Dr. Hettinger has been part of a private practice since 2022.