SSPS Co-Founder

Dr. Jennifer Epstein, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and health service provider with more than 25 years of experience working with children and families. She received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Wright State University, completed an internship at CMHI Fort Logan, and completed a two year postdoctoral fellowship in Developmental Disabilities and Clinical Psychology at the University of Colorado, Denver.

In addition to traditional psychology, Dr. Epstein specializes in treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders including delays in development, autism spectrum disorders and genetic disorders such as fragile x syndrome. She is a Certified Early Start Denver Model Trainer, Certified ESDM therapist, and Certified ESDM Parent Coach. The ESDM is a comprehensive, evidence-based model of intervention for infants and toddlers affected by autism, which uses highly rewarding activities implemented within typical daily routines to foster skill development across a range of developmental areas including social engagement, nonverbal and verbal communication skills, imitation, cognitive, play, fine and gross motor skills and self-help skills.

She also has additional training in ABA, PECS, and TEACCH techniques. She enjoys working with families and builds interventions to address specific areas of concern. She also trains teams locally and nationally in the Early Start Denver Model.

Prior to moving to Massachusetts, Dr. Epstein was the Lead Psychologist at the Child Development Unit at Children’s Hospital, Denver, where she worked from 1996 to 2010, providing assessment and therapy services for a diverse range of clinical concerns.

SSPS Co-Founder

Dr. Larry Epstein, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and health service provider with more than 25 years of experience in clinical and school settings. He received his Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Denver and completed his internship at The Children’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado.

For the past 30 years, Dr. Epstein has worked with families, educators, and mental health professionals supporting children with a variety of social, emotional, and behavioral struggles. For 17 years, Dr. Epstein worked for the Cherry Creek School District in Denver, Colorado, during which time he helped develop the district’s intensive treatment program for students with significant behavioral challenges. He also spent several years as a classroom teacher, teaching social-emotional skills to students in a general education setting before becoming a district behavior coordinator, helping schools implement school-wide behavior programming, including Bully-Proofing Your School, Positive Behavior Supports, and Collaborative Problem Solving.

Most recently, Dr. Epstein was a Clinical Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School as well as the Director of Training and Implementation for Think:Kids at Massachusetts General Hospital, overseeing the implementation of Collaborative Problem Solving in schools, hospitals, residential treatment programs, and juvenile justice programs.

Dr. Epstein is the co-owner of South Shore Psychological Services, where he continues to support families, schools, and treatment programs in their work with challenging youth. He also helped found the non-profit organization Creating Caring Communities, where he served as Board President.

Dr. Epstein is the originator of the Calm, Compassionate Parenting™ and Calm, Compassionate Teaching™ approaches.

Director of Clinical Services

Samuel Hauslaib is a licensed board certified behavior analyst at SSPS. He provides support for clinical development as well as behavior analytic and early intervention services to children and families in the South Shore regions.

Mr. Hauslaib obtained his master’s degree from the Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis program at the University of Saint Joseph. Mr. Hauslaib has 7 years of experience working young children and families with autism spectrum disorders within clinical and home settings. He has experience in designing and supervising early intensive behavioral intervention clinical programs for children between the ages of 18-months and 6 years old.

Previously, Mr, Hauslaib worked with some of the most vulnerable populations including young children in the Birth to Three system and children and families in DCF mandated programs. He is experienced in developing client focused behavior intervention and transitioning programing for young children and families targeting school readiness skills , community integration, and daily living preparedness.

Mr. Hauslaib has served an adjunct professor at Endicott College, and is a professional member of various professional and behavior analytic organizations. He has presented symposiums and workshops nationally and regionally on topics including emotional regulation strategies, early childhood safety skills, and the relationship among work satisfaction, daily stress, and decision making.