Meet Amy K Gearhard of Spectra Centers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy K Gearhard.

Amy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Admittedly, words like ‘can’t and won’t’ peak my interest; I have always liked a challenge. I had no idea what kind of challenge I was signing up for 20+ years ago. In a college psychology class, I quickly became interested in a 1960’s article called ‘Screams, Slaps and Love’, which highlighted the stories of several children with autism. I couldn’t imagine a population of children with “broken minds” or that could be described as “living with the devil” and “frothing at the mouth” – and if there were, I needed to see for myself. I spoke to my professor that day and took a position volunteering in a home with two boys, eager to investigate the horrific article. The slapping was nowhere to be found, there was plenty of screaming, but most importantly – I fell in love with autism and its intricacies from the moment we met. I showed up daily, notebook in hand.

Unfortunately, hired staff were difficult to keep consistently. Within weeks, I was offered a position and found myself incessantly researching how to teach a 6-year-old boy with autism to speak. Furthermore, I was trying to figure out what to teach his 2-year-old brother with autism, whose response to any question I asked was spelling a large word – while counting the syllables on his hand. Five-syllable words were minimal (e.g. refrigerator), but dinosaurs were preferable. He could out talk and outspeak me. During my undergrad years, I maintained a consistent client list, working in homes, schools, and the community – all the while, brewing up a plan of my own to create a treatment model that would fulfill the evident gaps in services for clients and supports for families that I had experienced.

In 2003, I introduced the Interdisciplinary Intervention Model (II Model) and opened my first facility in Colorado, with a couple of staff and a handful of students with autism. One facility quickly grew into two. Locations and programs have taken different shapes over the years as we’ve seen funding and client needs shift; however, the II Model has remained at the center of it all. Nearly a decade ago, I faced a harsh realization that the company was heading for closure and we would need to make significant changes in order to gracefully manage growth while funding an expensive treatment model. There was one problem. I am a therapist by nature, with an education in Clinical Psychology. My desk was filled with bouncy balls and a fantastic slinky collection. I had never taken a business class in my life. My undergrad statistics class was tortuous and numbers activated my gag-reflex. Kids, families, and behavior plans were my passion. I didn’t know how to run a company. What I did know, though, is that that there would be no one as determined as me to ensure the company’s success, regardless of what it took.

With that in mind, I stepped out of my position as our Clinical Director, restructured the company, and stepped back in as our CEO, to face my to-do list. It was like seeing Earth from space. So miniscule, yet fiercely immense. Humbling. From that day forward, progress was slow and the failures were continual. I was fortunate to have a small team of staff that helped maintain service quality, many of which now serve as our leadership team. Continuous coffee, timely answered prayers, and a small group of family and friends have kept my sanity. Unwanted and unexpected change can be a grueling process, requiring patience and trust, but more often than not, the outcome is far greater than anything anyone could have imagined.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
If there isn’t a challenge, we aren’t growing! Bumps and bruises teach us our lessons. Our biggest struggle has been navigating financial obstacles. There have been many inconsistencies with insurance payment in the field of behavioral and mental health. We’ve faced everything from an extended federal government shutdown of Medicaid funding to the long-awaited receipt of insurance checks that arrive for a total of $.47 (or less) a year after their due date. We’re continuing to learn to navigate these bumps and be as prepared as possible for those ahead.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Spectra Centers?
Spectra Centers provides behavioral, educational, and clinical services for individuals with autism and neurodevelopmental disorders – along with support services for their families. Spectra Centers includes three facilities and also provides ongoing consultative work in rural districts and charter schools. Spectra Autism Center provides behavioral and clinical services. Spectra School is a facility school, approved by the Colorado Department of Education, and provides educational services. Spectra Psychological & Counseling Services provides counseling and support services to current families as well as the general public. The uniqueness in Spectra Centers is in our treatment model – the Interdisciplinary Intervention Model (II Model). A broad range of services and expertise can be hard to find, expensive to maintain, and difficult to navigate. We offer a comprehensive solution that brings both relief and benefits to families in an effective manner as we treat the whole individual, recognizing the interconnections and complexities that exist within every person.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
POSSIBLE. I have learned that anything is possible – although ‘possible’ may not have come in the way or time frame that I had planned. This requires a willingness to accept failure as many times as needed and the ability to start again. It requires a willingness to consistently be told that you, or what you are doing, will fail – and having the ability to keep going. And it requires questioning yourself at times, wondering which direction you are walking and why, and maintaining the ability to keep going. Anything is possible.

Contact Info:

• Email: amy.gearhard@spectracenters.org
• Website: www.spectracenters.org
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/spectracenters
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spectracenters
• Phone: 303.665.6800