Empowered Pathways, LLC

09/22/2025

Empowered Pathways has been nominated as one of the Best Women-Owned Small Businesses on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, right here in Ocean Springs!

We would be so grateful for your vote to help us shine a light on the work we’re doing providing gold-standard ABA therapy and school consultation, centered on dignity, safety, and positive outcomes for our Gulf Coast community. You can vote daily!

✨ Here’s how to vote:
1️⃣ Click the link below
2️⃣ Select Ocean Springs from the dropdown menu in the top right
3️⃣ Vote for Empowered Pathways

https://www.gcwmultimedia.com/womensmallbusiness2025/

We’re proud of the growth and progress we’ve already made! Our team of 3 local Board Certified Behavior Analysts and a team of highly qualified RBTs are leading the way to continued positive outcomes for the clinical clients and local school districts we serve.

Your support means the world to us. Thank you for helping us continue building brighter futures along the Gulf Coast!

Vote for your top picks on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in each city for Best Women-Owned Small Businesses 2025!

09/16/2025

🎃🧡 2nd Annual Sensory-Friendly Halloween at Empowered Pathways! 🧡🎃

You’re invited to a safe, welcoming, and fun-filled indoor Halloween experience at Empowered Pathways in Ocean Springs!

🗓️ Date: Friday, October 25th
🕙 Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 Location: Empowered Pathways, 1215 Bienville Blvd, Ocean Springs, MS
💙 Open to the community – no clinic enrollment required!

👻 What to Expect:

Indoor Trick-or-Treating: Children will walk door to door inside our clinic in a low-stimulation, supportive environment.

Free Blue Trick-or-Treat Buckets for the first to arrive!

Take-Home Communication Cards for kids with communication needs.

Craft Station with Halloween-themed art activities!

This event is designed especially for families who are looking for a safe indoor alternative to traditional Halloween activities. Whether you're practicing for the big day or just want to enjoy the fun your way, we can’t wait to see your little everyone for a fun trick-or-treating experience!

✅ Costumes encouraged but not required
✅ Siblings welcome!
✅ Staff trained in supporting diverse needs

09/10/2025

Community Events hosted by Embrace Abilities. Registration closes Wednesday at 6pm!

🎳🌊 Another fun weekend is on the way!

Got a teen or young adult (12-21) with different abilities? Our Legend Makers are hitting the lanes at Cypress Lanes for Bowl & Bond and pizza! 🍕

Little Legends (ages 3-11), get ready for Goggles & Giggles Splash Bash at George Martin City Park Splash Pad—plus pizza and a free pair of sensory-friendly Frogglez goggles!

Registration closes at 6pm on Wednesday, so we can order food. Sign up is required for bowling and goggles.

Don’t miss out—register here: https://embraceabilitiesms.membershiptoolkit.com/open_forms

If you know a family who’d love this, please share or tag them below so they don’t miss out.

08/28/2025

Our Clinical Director, Nicki Kopp, was featured on WLOX-TV tonight sharing the importance of creating inclusive events for individuals of all abilities across the Gulf Coast.

At Empowered Pathways, we believe every child, teen, and family deserves a place to connect, celebrate, and thrive. We’re honored to partner with amazing organizations like Embrace Abilities to make that vision a reality.

A big you to Embrace Abilities and WLOX-TV for helping promote inclusion and celebrate community across the Coast!

A Coast nonprofit is pairing therapy dogs with children for a morning of joy and inclusive fun.

08/27/2025

Our Clinical Director, Nicki, and Behavior Analyst in Training supervisee, Ana, truly enjoyed supporting Embrace Abilities and training Bad Moms That Dance yesterday evening for the upcoming Pawsitive Connections event.

🎉 We’re so grateful to Bad Moms That Dance for stepping up to volunteer at our event this Saturday. Thanks to their support, the parents on our team who usually work behind the scenes will actually get the chance to enjoy the event with their own families.

Their crew took time to join Empowered Pathways’ virtual training yesterday evening, covering safety, accessibility, and how to support families. Thank you, Empowered Pathways, LLC, for hosting a training that made everyone feel prepared.

This kind of community support is what makes Embrace Abilities possible, and it means everything to us. Please help us thank Bad Moms That Dance and Empowered Pathways in the comments!

08/26/2025

💍 Will You Say “YES” to Empowered Pathways? 🎉

Just like Travis finally popping the question to Taylor, we’re popping the question to YOU:

Will you be our next amazing Registered Behavior Technician (RBT)?

At Empowered Pathways ABA in Ocean Springs, MS, we’re looking for compassionate, dedicated, and fun-loving RBTs to join our dream team. 🌟

✨ What You’ll Say “YES” To:

🌟 Bringing behavior plans to life

📊 Collecting and recording data like a pro

🏡 Providing therapy in clinic, home, school, and community settings

📋 Teaming up on behavior assessments

💖 What We’re Looking For in Our Perfect Match:

🎓 High school diploma or equivalent (required)

📜 RBT certification

🧡 Experience with kids with autism (preferred)

❤️ Compassion + 😌 patience (the ultimate power couple)

💬 Strong communication skills

⏰ Reliability and punctuality

🎁 What You’ll Get When You Say “YES”:

💰 Competitive salary

🌟 On-site local leadership & BCBA support

📚 Ongoing professional development

🤗 A supportive and fun work environment

🕒 Flexible schedule for work-life balance

👩‍🏫 Supervision by experienced LOCAL BCBAs

So… what do you say? Will you be my RBT? 💍

📧 Send your resume and cover letter to hello@empoweredpathways.com
with the subject line: “RBT Application – [Your Name]”

08/20/2025

There are a lot of FREE events this month on the coast with Embrace Abilities!

🌟 Busy month ahead for Embrace Abilities! We’ve got a full calendar of events lined up—and we couldn’t do any of it without our incredible board and volunteers. Huge shout out to every single one of you who gives your time, energy, and heart to make these moments possible for our families. Check out what’s coming up and let’s make it a month to remember! 💙

08/17/2025

08/15/2025

🧡 Our Clinic Era is Just Getting Started 🧡

We’ve spent our first year building strong foundations in our Ocean Springs ABA clinic, and now we’re unlocking our next level potential!

To our clients, families, community partners, and team members, THANK YOU for making our first year unforgettable! Here’s to even more progress, play, and empowerment as we step into our next era.

07/28/2025

We're Hiring: Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) – Ocean Springs, MS
Empowered Pathways | Where Passion Meets Purpose

Are you ready to change lives and feel valued while doing it? Empowered Pathways is expanding, and we’re looking for a dynamic, compassionate BCBA to join our growing team on the beautiful Gulf Coast in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

💡 Who We Are:
Empowered Pathways is a client-centered ABA therapy provider committed to helping children and families thrive. Our clinic is collaborative, supportive, and FUN, with a focus on functional, meaningful outcomes. We’re not just another ABA provider—we’re building something special.

✨ Why Join Us?

Competitive Pay based on experience and responsibilities

Flexible schedule with full or part time consideration

Small case load. We value quality over quantity!

Quarterly performance bonuses

Supportive team culture that values your input

Access to ongoing CEUs, resources, and peer support

Opportunity to provide school, home, clinic, and community-based services

Creative flexibility to shape programming around what matters most—clients' lives

Locally BCBA owned and operated clinic

🎯 What You'll Do:

Conduct functional assessments and write individualized treatment plans

Oversee RBTs and provide hands-on supervision and feedback

Collaborate with families, schools, and other professionals

Monitor progress and adjust goals to support meaningful outcomes

Be part of a mission-focused team that celebrates every success—big or small

🧠 What We’re Looking For:

Current BCBA Certification and Mississippi Licensure (or eligibility)

Passion for functional, compassionate ABA

Strong leadership, communication, and collaboration skills

Experience with children and adolescents (bonus if you're AAC/PECS-savvy!)

School consultative experience preferred but not required

In Person position

🌴 Location Perks:
We’re located in Ocean Springs, a charming coastal town with a vibrant arts scene, beautiful beaches, and a tight-knit community. It's the perfect place to live, work, and grow.

Ready to Empower Change?
Send your resume to Nicki Kopp at hello@empoweredpathways.com or visit www.empoweredpathways.com to learn more.

Let’s build something meaningful together!

07/24/2025

Let’s all work together to connect families in our community to valuable resources and providers!

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐔𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲!

Families often ask us about therapy options, clinics, advocacy, and more. We’re excited to create a one-stop directory to make it easier for families to find the services they need—all in one place.

If your organization or business offers support, services, or resources for children, teens, or young adults with different abilities, we’d love to include you!

• 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞.
• 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞—𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲.

𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫:
• Therapy clinics (OT, PT, speech, ABA)
• Advocacy services
• Educational resources/tutors
• Recreation or social programs
• Family support services
• And more—if you offer something for this community that isn’t listed, please submit your info! We’re happy to add new categories as needed.

Interested in being listed? Please fill out the Google Form (link in comments).

Thank you for helping us make resources more accessible for local families!

07/24/2025

As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), one of my goals is to prepare children for success in the community and classroom. That begins with teaching the foundational, functional skills children need to participate, communicate, and thrive.

At Empowered Pathways, our BCBAs use modern, assent-based, client-led ABA practices—approaches that prioritize meaningful progress, dignity, and joy in every session.

That means no cookie-cutter programs—just individualized, research-backed strategies rooted in each child’s unique strengths and needs.

So, what does school readiness look like through the lens of ABA therapy?

🔹 Functional Communication – Whether verbal, AAC, PECS®, or sign, we help children learn to request, respond, protest, and engage socially in ways that work for them.

🔹 Social and Group Learning Skills – Many learners with autism struggle with attending to others, sharing space, or tolerating peers. We build these skills through play-based, naturalistic interactions that support classroom readiness.

🔹 Emotional and Behavioral Regulation – We teach coping strategies, replacement behaviors, and flexibility to reduce the negative impacts of restricted or repetitive behavior patterns in new environments.

🔹 Daily Living Skills – Toileting, handwashing, dressing, and other self-care skills are addressed when linked to behavior patterns or skill deficits that impact independence (e.g., escape-maintained behaviors, sensory aversions, or skill-based delays).

🔹 Pre-Academic Learning Routines – Instead of academic drills, we focus on instructional readiness: sitting for short periods, responding to teaching cues, joint attention, imitation, matching, and discrimination—foundational learning behaviors critical to school success.

🌟 By embedding these goals in meaningful, play-based contexts, children are motivated to engage—and when they say “yes” to learning, real growth begins.

If you're wondering what school readiness could look like for your child through ABA therapy, we’d love to connect.

📧 hello@empoweredpathways.com