MEET ANDREA CHERNIN - M.ED, ET

Educational Therapist / Founder & Executive Director

Welcome! My name is Andrea Chernin, and I am a Professional  Educational Therapist and the Clinical Director of Illuminate Educational Therapy Group - a private practice located in both Santa Monica and in Calabasas, California.

I grew up in Calabasas, California and graduated from Calabasas High School. I attended college at UCLA (Go Bruins!) and majored in Psychology with a minor in Public Policy. During college, I was an English Composition, English as a Second Language, and Psychology tutor for my peers at the Academic Advancement Program for historically underrepresented students. I enjoyed the rewarding experience of working one-on-one with students so much that I began my own tutoring private practice. 

It was at that point in my life in which I realized that my true passion lies within the realm of education. Thus, I went on to earn my Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential and my Masters degree in Cross-Cultural Education, enabling me to teach 4th grade at Round Meadow Elementary School (the elementary school that I actually went to!) While teaching, I had several students in my class who seemed to learn differently than the other students. I was intrigued by their self-taught compensatory strategies, yet I felt somewhat frustrated that I did not always have the proper metaphorical “tools” to help these learners. Therefore, even though I was extended an offer to continue teaching within the Las Virgenes Unified School District during the following year, I instead decided to further my education by immersing myself in a subset of special education in a field called Educational Therapy. 

I finally felt as though I found my ideal niche as I worked toward earning my Post-Masters Certificate in Educational Therapy. In conjunction with my graduation from California State Northridge’s Educational Therapy Certificate Program, I became Bridges Academy’s first Educational Therapy Intern as I worked alongside a well-known educational therapist in the field named Marcy Dann. This invaluable experience combined with my education-rich background primed me to step into a private practice as an Educational Therapist in 2007. 

Since then, I have been an active Professional Member of the Association of Educational Therapists and have enjoyed continuing to develop professionally alongside my incredible colleagues. In 2018, our practice has expanded to a second location in Calabasas! I can honestly say that I love what I do, and I look forward to many, many years in the field.

MEET ANEL - MA, ET

Educational Therapist

Hi, my name is Anel, and from an early age, I knew that I wanted to work to improve the lives of children. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development from CSUN, I was then afforded the opportunity to become a home visitor for underserved children and promote school readiness within families in a one-on-one instructional setting. As a team leader, the overhead goal was success of the whole child. In my work with these children, I understood that each mind is completely unique, that their families are multifaceted, and that every child learns in a different manner. To continue to adequately support children and their families I earned my Master of Arts in Special Education with a focus in Educational Therapy at CSUN. During the program, I completed two Educational Therapy internships under the supervision of Marcy Dann, a revered Educational Therapist in the field. Additionally, I became an Associate Member of the Association of Educational Therapists to stay connected with colleagues and to always be continuing my education. I am trained in and capable of implementing several math, writing, and reading remediation programs, including Lindamood-Bell’s Visualizing and Verbalizing, the Orton-Gillingham Reading Approach, the Barton Reading and Spelling System, and Step-up to Writing. And as a trained Executive Functioning coach, I enjoy supporting students as they develop skills in areas such as planning, organization, and time management. 

I believe wholeheartedly that every child is capable of reaching success when given the opportunity to understand him or herself as a learner. I feel so fortunate to be able to engage in my work with kids each day, helping them realize their potentials by strengthening their stretches, helping them build a growth mindset, teaching them about self-advocacy, and utilizing a breadth of strategies and tools that will help them be the best version of themselves as autonomous learners.

MEET ANDREA CHERNIN - M.ED, ET

Educational Therapist / Founder & Executive Director

Welcome! My name is Andrea Chernin, and I am a Professional  Educational Therapist and the Clinical Director of Illuminate Educational Therapy Group - a private practice located in both Santa Monica and in Calabasas, California.

I grew up in Calabasas, California and graduated from Calabasas High School. I attended college at UCLA (Go Bruins!) and majored in Psychology with a minor in Public Policy. During college, I was an English Composition, English as a Second Language, and Psychology tutor for my peers at the Academic Advancement Program for historically underrepresented students. I enjoyed the rewarding experience of working one-on-one with students so much that I began my own tutoring private practice. 

It was at that point in my life in which I realized that my true passion lies within the realm of education. Thus, I went on to earn my Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential and my Masters degree in Cross-Cultural Education, enabling me to teach 4th grade at Round Meadow Elementary School (the elementary school that I actually went to!) While teaching, I had several students in my class who seemed to learn differently than the other students. I was intrigued by their self-taught compensatory strategies, yet I felt somewhat frustrated that I did not always have the proper metaphorical “tools” to help these learners. Therefore, even though I was extended an offer to continue teaching within the Las Virgenes Unified School District during the following year, I instead decided to further my education by immersing myself in a subset of special education in a field called Educational Therapy. 

I finally felt as though I found my ideal niche as I worked toward earning my Post-Masters Certificate in Educational Therapy. In conjunction with my graduation from California State Northridge’s Educational Therapy Certificate Program, I became Bridges Academy’s first Educational Therapy Intern as I worked alongside a well-known educational therapist in the field named Marcy Dann. This invaluable experience combined with my education-rich background primed me to step into a private practice as an Educational Therapist in 2007. 

Since then, I have been an active Professional Member of the Association of Educational Therapists and have enjoyed continuing to develop professionally alongside my incredible colleagues. In 2018, our practice has expanded to a second location in Calabasas! I can honestly say that I love what I do, and I look forward to many, many years in the field.