Branches co-founders

 Amatollah Elsirafy is an occupational therapist who began working at Branches in late 2024. She has always had a passion for working with children, working in childcare since the age of 14. She was first introduced to OT when working as a teacher’s assistant at a residential ASD facility in 2015. Her love for working with neurodivergent individuals motivated her to obtain her undergraduate degree in health sciences with a master’s track to occupational therapy at Russell Sage College. Throughout school she worked with people across the lifespan, from infancy to hospice care, further incorporating what she was learning in her care for others. She continued her education further obtaining a doctorate in OT with a research focus on ABA and OT collaboration when working with children and adults with ASD and intellectual/developmental disabilities. She went on to present her research findings at the New York student occupational therapy association and her research was accepted for publication by ProQuest. She has gained OT experience in skilled and assisted living facilities and hospital nursery and adult care, with a focus on physical and cognitive rehabilitation. She is continuing her education in pelvic floor health and reflex and sensorimotor integration to further promote student engagement and independence in meaningful daily occupations!   

 Gabrielle was hired a an ABA Technician at Branches in September of 2022, was promoted to Lead Teacher for grades 5 - 12 in 2023, promoted again to a Behavior Clinician in 2024, and promoted to BCBA in 2025!

At the age of 15, Gabrielle worked at a summer camp as a 1:1 aide. This is when her passion for working with individuals with special needs began. Over the course of the last 15+ years, she has spent her professional career working with individuals with special needs across ages and settings as a Youth Development Counselor, Teacher’s Assistant, In-home Behavior Specialist, a Behavior Specialist for adults with developmental disabilities, and as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). In 2019, Gabrielle received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at the Florida Institute of Technology for Behavior Analysis Practice with plans to sit for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst exam upon completion.

Kate is a Licensed Speech-Language Pathologist who has been working with Branches since they opened in 2020. She is certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and is currently licensed in Massachusetts, Illinois, California and Oregon. 

For over 20 years, Kate has worked with children of all ages, in Early Intervention, in public and private school settings and via tele-therapy. She has worked with children with diverse challenges, including autism. Kate seeks to enhance every child’s ability to communicate successfully and has been trained in the use of PECs and other assistive technology systems. She believes in the multi-modal teaching of language and will use American Sign Language, pictures and/or music in sessions when appropriate.

Kate received a BS from the University of Michigan and a Master’s degree from the California State University, East Bay (Hayward). Kate spent her Clinical Fellowship Year at the Spectrum Center in Oakland, California where she helped open a preschool for children with autism.