Meet the Staff


Dr. Deborah Ross-Swain, CCC-SLP

Clinical Director, Owner

Dr. Deborah Swain is the founder, owner, and director of the Swain Center. She is the former Chief of Speech Pathology at the University of California, Davis Medical Center and held a clinical staff faculty appointment to the school of medicine at the university. She is the past President of the California Association of Speech Pathologists and Audiologists in Private Practice (CALSPAPP). She was appointed to serve on the California Speech-Language and Hearing Association’s Task Force for developing guidelines for Auditory Processing Disorder. Dr. Swain is a former California representative to the Legislative Council for the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. She is the author of six standardized test batteries and six treatment manuals. She has received national media and professional attention for her contributions and expertise in her field. She is married to Richard Swain and is the mother of four children.

    Professional Affiliations

  • CSHA President 2015-2016
  • Legislative Council of the American Speech-Language & Hearing Association (ASHA)
  • California Speech-Language & Hearing Association (CSHA)
  • California Association of Speech Pathologists and Audiologists in Private Practice (CALSPAPP)
  • American Academy of Private Practice Speech Pathologists and Audiologists(AAPPSPA)
  • International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
  • Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD)
    Selected Publications

  • Auditory Processing Abilities Test (APAT)
  • The Ross Information Processing Assessment-2
  • The Ross Information Processing Assessment-Geriatric
  • The Ross Information Processing Assessment-Primary
  • The Bedside Evaluation and Screening Test
  • The Swallowing Ability and Function Test
  • The Comprehensive Auditory Processing Abilities Test
    Books

  • Auditory Processing Disorders
  • Aphasia Rehabilitation: Auditory and Verbal Treatment Hierarchy
  • Aphasia Rehabilitation: A Reading and Writing Task Hierarchy
  • The Cognitive-Linguistic Improvement Program
  • The Voice Advantage/Book and 3 Audio Cassettes
  • The Voice Advantage/Book and 3 Audio Cassettes
  • The Cognitive Linguistic Improvement Program (Clip)
  • The Voice Advantage
  • The Geriatric Treatment Manual

Michelle Chastain, MA, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

“Happiness is walking in the grass in your bare feet.“ Lucy Van Pelt

Professional Affiliations

  • American Speech-Language & Hearing Association (ASHA)
  • California Speech-Language & Hearing Association (CSHA)

Specialties

  • Pediatrics/Early Intervention
  • Childhood Apraxia of Speech
  • Articulation
  • Phonological Disorders
  • Receptive/Expressive Language Disorders
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Social Skills/Social Thinking©
  • Cognitive Disorders
  • Parkinson’s (LSVT®)

Training and Certifications

  • Certificate of Clinical Competence
    -American Speech-Language Hearing Association
  • California Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
  • Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT®)
    –Rehabilitative Therapy for People with Parkinson’s
  • Interactive Metronome®
    –Improves Motor Planning & Sequencing
  • Lindmood Bell-Phoneme Sequencing Program for Reading, Spelling, and Speech
  • Kimochis®
  • Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program designed to give children the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to recognize and manage their emotions

Education

  • A. Speech-Language Pathology – California State University, Fresno ‘97
  • A. Communication Sciences and Disorders – California State University, Fresno ’94

Beyond The Swain Center

Michelle lives in Santa Rosa, California with her son and Paws As Loving Support (PALS) facility dogs, “Austin” Powers and Princess “Nadia.” She has worked at the Swain Center since 2001. Michelle’s passion is working with children on the Autism Spectrum. She enjoys teaching Social Skills/Let’s Adapt! classes. In 2010, Michelle became an active volunteer and puppy raiser for PALS. She wanted to team up with an assistance dog to help her out with her job at the Swain Center. Austin and Michelle graduated on September 11, 2011 as an Assistance Dog Facility Dog Team. Nadia and Michelle graduated on October 20, 2012 as an Assistance Dog Facility Dog Team. Both Austin and Nadia currently work at the Swain Center. The kids enjoy seeing and working with the dogs during their therapy sessions. In her free time, Michelle loves to snuggle up on the couch and watch movies. She enjoys scrapbooking, reading, gardening, canning, pickling, hiking and camping.

Debbie Davison, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

“It is my pleasure to open up the world of communication to children and their families. The joy I receive each and every day in serving those with communication difficulties comes back around in astounding ways!”

          Professional Affiliations

  • Member of American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) since 2003
  • Member of California Speech Language Hearing Association (CSHA) since 2003

Specialties

  • Pediatrics
  • Childhood Apraxia of Speech
  • Articulation
  • Phonological Disorders
  • Social Pragmatic Development
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • Parent Education
  • School-age Language Disorders
  • Voice Therapy
  • Dysfluency Disorders (Stuttering)
    Certifications

  • Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) –American Speech-Language Hearing Association
  • California Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (License # SP13919)
    Education

  • M.S. Communicative Disorders –San Francisco State University 2003
  • B.S. Communicative Disorders –San Francisco State University 2001

Beyond The Swain Center

Debbie enjoys sharing time with her family and friends. She has four grandchildren whom she spends as much time as possible with. Debbie and her husband enjoy camping, hiking, walking, gardening and traveling. She enjoys all of the wonders that beautiful Sonoma County has to offer.

taylor

Taylor Baldry, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

“A career in speech-language pathology challenges you to use your intellect (the talents of your mind), in combination with your humanity (the gifts of your heart), to do meaningful work that feeds your soul.”

—Megan Hodge

    Professional Affiliations

  • American Speech-Language & Hearing Association (ASHA)
  • California Speech-Language & Hearing Association (CSHA)
    Specialties

  • Early Intervention
  • Articulation
  • Phonological Disorders
  • Receptive/Expressive Language Disorders
  • TinyTalkers™
  • TARPSing™
  • Childhood Apraxia of Speech
  • Social Pragmatic Development
    Certifications

  • Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential
  • California Required Professional Experience (RPE) License in Speech Language Pathology
  • American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) – Expected May 2016
    Education

  • M.S. Communicative Disorders – San Francisco State University ‘15
  • B.A. Communicative Disorders – San Francisco State University ‘13
  • A.A. Social and Behavioral Sciences – Santa Barbara City College ‘11

Beyond The Swain Center

Taylor was born and raised in Sonoma County, and grew up with a love for working with children paired with a passion for singing. A recent graduate from San Francisco State University, Taylor completed her final internship at The Swain Center in April 2015, and is thrilled to be back and working full time as a Speech-Language Pathologist! Outside of work, Taylor enjoys spending time with her parents and two younger sisters, obsessing over the San Francisco Giants, and spending time in the sunshine.

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Maria Dilley, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Professional Affiliations

  • American Speech-Language & Hearing Association (ASHA)
  • California Speech-Language & Hearing Association (CSHA)

Specialties

  • Augmentative and Alternative Communication
    • TouchChat, Proloquo2Go®, Dynavox, Tobii©, PECS™
  • Pediatrics/Early Intervention
  • Articulation
  • Phonological Disorders
  • Receptive/Expressive Language Disorders
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Social Skills/Social Thinking©
  • Cognitive Disorders

Training and Certifications

  • California Required Professional Experience (RPE) License in Speech Language Pathology
  • American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) Certificate of Clinical Competence June 2017

Education

  • S. Communication Disorders and Sciences – University of Oregon ‘16
  • A. Communication Disorders and Sciences – University of Oregon ‘14

Beyond The Swain Center

Maria was born and raised in Cloverdale, California and was thrilled when she had the opportunity to move back to Cloverdale after spending 6 years in Oregon. Since she was a young girl, Maria has had a passion for finding a way to give people who can’t speak a voice. She delighted in programming different speech generating devices and enjoyed the challenge of making the device pronounce the words properly. Once she found the field of Speech Language Pathology, she knew Augmentative and Alternative Communication would be her passion because it would allow her to give a voice to people. In her free time, Maria loves to spend time with her family, friends, dogs, dance, be outdoors and read.

 

jennifer-bio

Jennifer Villasenor-Robledo, M.A., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

“What we think, we become.”- Buddha

Professional Affiliations

  • California Speech-Language & Hearing Association (CSHA)

Specialties

  • Early Intervention
  • Bilingual/Spanish Therapy
  • Articulation
  • Phonological Disorders
  • Receptive/Expressive Language Disorders
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • TinyTalkers™

Certifications

  • California Required Professional Experience (RPE) License in Speech Language Pathology
  • American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Certificate- Expected April 2017
  • Preliminary Speech-Language Pathology Services Credential

Education

  • A. Speech-Language Pathology – San Jose State University ‘16
  • S. Speech Language Pathology and Audiology – California State University, Sacramento ’13
  • A. Social and Behavioral Sciences- Santa Rosa Junior College ‘10

Beyond The Swain Center

Jennifer was born and raised in Calistoga, California and was thrilled to be able to move back to Napa Valley after college. Ever since she can remember, she has always enjoyed being around children and knew at an early age that working with kids would be in her future. She enjoys spending time with her family, being active and driving along the coast of California.

Melissa Bearup, M.A., CF-SLP

“When it’s dark enough, you can see the stars.”  – Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist

Professional Affiliations

  • American Speech-Language & Hearing Association (ASHA)
  • California Speech-Language & Hearing Association (CSHA)

Specialties

  • Bilingual (Spanish) Speech-Language Therapy
  • Parkinson’s – Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT)
  • Aphasia
  • Apraxia
  • Dysarthria
  • Cognitive Linguistic Therapy
  • Dysphagia
  • Early Intervention
  • Articulation and Phonological Disorders
  • Expressive and Receptive Language Disorders

Certifications

  • California Required Professional Experience (RPE) License in Speech-Language Pathology
  • American Speech Speech-Language & Hearing Association (ASHA) Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) – Expected August 2018
  • Lee Silverman Voice Therapy (LSVT) Certified Clinician
  • San Diego State University Certificate in Bilingual Speech-Language Pathology

Education

  • A. Speech-Language Pathology – San Diego State University, 2017
  • S. Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education – Utah State University, 2014
  • A. Language Studies (Linguistics, Spanish, French) – University of California, Santa Cruz, 2007

Beyond The Swain Center

Melissa lives in Sonoma County with her family and dog. She has worked at the Swain Center in numerous capacities – as a student observer and volunteer, a Tiny Talkers and Social Skills aide, and finally, as a Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist! Melissa loves working with adults and children and thrives on her diverse caseload. In her free time, she loves to garden, cycle, hike, camp and do pretty much anything outdoors in beautiful West County.

Sarena Bailey, M.A., CF-SLP

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.”  -Benjamin Franklin

Professional Affiliations

  • American Speech-Language & Hearing Association (ASHA)
  • California Speech-Language & Hearing Association (CSHA)

Specialties

  • Early Intervention
  • Articulation Disorders
  • Phonological Disorders
  • Receptive/Expressive Language Disorders
  • TinyTalkers™
  • Childhood Apraxia of Speech
  • Social Pragmatic Development
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • Aphasia

Certifications

  • California Required Professional Experience (RPE) License in Speech Language Pathology
  • American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) – Expected July 2017

Education

  • S. Communicative Disorders – California State University, East Bay, 2016
  • A. Liberal Studies – Sonoma State University, 2013

Beyond The Swain Center

Sarena was born and raised in Sonoma County with a family full of music lovers. Seeking a profession that allowed her to combine her passion for both children and music, she stumbled into the world of Speech Pathology. Throughout school, she took interest in working with young kiddos as well as creating functional, life participation programs for adults. After graduating from California State University, East Bay, she moved back to Santa Rosa and got married to her new husband, TJ. Outside of work, Sarena enjoys kickboxing, watching movies and trying out new recipes.

Elizabeth Carrillo-Pérez, B.S.

SLPA Speech-Language Pathology Assistant

    Professional Affiliations

  • California Speech-Language & Hearing Association (CSHA)
    Specialties

  • Bilingual/Spanish Therapy
  • Early Intervention
  • Childhood Apraxia of Speech
  • Articulation & Phonological Disorders
  • Receptive/Expressive Language Disorders
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Social Skills/Social Thinking©
  • Tiny Talkers Group Therapy
     Certifications

  • California State License Speech Language Pathology Assistant
    -Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensers Boards
  • Kimochis®
    -Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program designed to give children the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to recognize and manage their emotions
    Education

  • Speech-Language Pathology Assistant(SLPA) Program -California State University, Sacramento ’10
  • B.S. Speech Language Pathology and Audiology – California State University, Sacramento ’10
  • A.A. Social and Behavioral Sciences -Santa Rosa Junior College ‘05

Beyond The Swain Center

Elizabeth lives in Rohnert Park, California with her husband Luis. She has worked at the Swain Center since 2013. Elizabeth enjoys working with children, helping them learn and further there abilities across a variety of areas, it is through this work she has learned “life” teachers can come in tiny packages! Helping the Spanish-speaking community has been a lifelong passion which continues here at the center, helping English-Language Learners in the area of speech and language. She also enjoys helping teach social skills and Tiny Talkers classes. In her free time, Elizabeth loves to spend time with her family and friends. She also enjoys dancing, exercising, hiking, camping, and watching movies.

lindsay

Lindsay Swain Lerro

Special Programs and Outreach Coordinator

    Specialties

  • The Tomatis Method
  • Interactive Metronome
  • Learning Disabilities
  • Speaking to support groups and professionals about Tomatis
  • Autism
  • Biomedical interventions for autism
  • Sensory Integration
  • Alternative Therapies
    Certifications

  • Certified Tomatis Practitioner
  • Interactive Metronome Certification
    Education

  • Ph.D. in Educational – U.C. Davis
  • M.A. in Educational Psychology- U.C. Davis
  • B.A. in Communications- San Diego State University

Beyond The Swain Center

Lindsay currently resides in Santa Rosa with her husband Brian, son Rex, dog Bella and cat Jack. When not working or studying, Lindsay enjoys spending time with friends and family, cooking, sports, snowboarding, and traveling.

katie

Katie Stone

Listening Center Director, Clinic Coordinator

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

—Robert Brault

    Specialties

  • The Tomatis Method
  • Interactive Metronome
  • AMPS® Program (Attention, Memory, and Processing Skills)
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Master the Code®
  • Autism
    Certifications

  • Interactive Metronome
  • PACE
  • Master the Code
  • AMPS
  • Lindamood-Bell Visualizing & Verbalizing®
  • Lindamood-Bell On Cloud Nine® Math
    Education

  • B.A. Sociology & Education, University of California, Santa Cruz

Beyond The Swain Center

Katie grew up in Santa Rosa and was very happy to move back to Sonoma County after college. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her wonderful husband and three little boys.

juliabiopic

Julia Robson

Aide

“When it rains, look for rainbows. When its dark, look for stars.” -Unknown

Specialties

  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Social skills/ Social Thinking
  • Early Childhood Development

Education

B.A. Sociology- Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park ‘16

Beyond the Swain Center

Julia lives in Santa Rosa, California and has just recently graduated from Sonoma State University in May 2016.  She currently works as a social skills aide at the Swain Center and hopes to be attending a graduate program for Speech Language Pathology in the near future. She hopes to combine her education and love for working with children to make a difference in the lives of those around her. In her free time she enjoys taking trips to bodega bay and playing with her rambunctious dog, Sake.

Kat Langer

Let’s Adapt! Aide

“I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be.” – Douglas Adams

Specialties

Early Childhood

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Social Thinking© / Let’s Adapt!

Education

B.A. Psychology – Sonoma State University, Graduating May 2018

Beyond The Swain Center

Kat is from San Jose, California and moved to Rohnert Park to pursue a
Bachelor’s in Psychology at Sonoma State University in 2014. Kat has
always loved being around children and found a passion for language
development after spending some time working in preschools. She now
hopes to pursue a career in Speech-Language Pathology. In her free
time, she enjoys visiting her family in San Jose, watching Sharks
games, and reading.

Victoria Ramia

Specialties:

The Tomatis Method

Education:

B.A. in Psychology – Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park ‘17

Beyond the Swain Center

Victoria is from Walnut Creek, California. She moved to Rohnert Park to attend Sonoma State University, where she discovered her love for working with children. As a member of a social organization on campus, Victoria took part in Social Relations with other organizations of Sonoma County. She is working toward attending graduate school in order to pursue a career working with children with sensory and motor delays. In her free time, Victoria enjoys snow skiing, hiking with a view, and spending time with family.

Molly Butler

Specialties:

The Tomatis Method

Education:

B.A. In Early Childhood Studies — Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park Graduating May 2019

Beyond The Swain Center:

Molly is originally from San Bruno California. She moved to Rohnert Park in 2015 to attend Sonoma State University. She is involved in campus organizations, which has allowed her to get involved with the community. She has always enjoyed working with children, especially those with special needs. She started working for The Swain Center in January 2017, in the Listening Room. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to Giant’s games, and adventuring in Sonoma County.

Nicole Sauer

Specialties:

Classroom Aide in the Tiny Talkers program

Education:

B.A. In Social Work and Latin American Studies — University of Wisconsin

Certificate in Chican@/Latin@ Studies — University of Wisconsin

Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA)

Beyond The Swain Center:

Niki has been a Classroom Aide in the Tiny Talkers program since February of 2017.   She has experience teaching adults and children in several countries, including Thailand, Japan and Costa Rica. Originally from Wisconsin, Niki can’t get enough of California’s beautiful weather and nature and goes hiking, wildlife watching and plant browsing every chance she gets. She is also an avid reader and enjoys singing and playing guitar.

tami

Tami Jacobs

Bookkeeper

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

—Jim Elliott

    Specialties

  • Quickbooks

Beyond The Swain Center

Tami’s has spent over 20 years working as both a bookkeeper and an administrative assistant. She enjoys doing her part to make the operation run smoothly and efficiently. Tami has lived in Santa Rosa, California for most of her life. She loves spending time with her husband, two grown children and two granddaughters. She enjoys cooking, traveling, Disneyland and the SF Giants. She has been part of the Swain Center team since 2012.

 

Marie E Estrada

Office Coordinator

“A journey must begin with a single step.“

Beyond The Swain Center

Marie lives in Santa Rosa, California with her husband and teenage son & daughter. She joined the Swain Center in November of 2016. Marie and her family are HUGE SF giants, 49er and Warrior fans, and always enjoy watching the games together. Marie has lived in beautiful Sonoma County for over 30 years. Marie enjoys wine tasting, outdoor activities and spending time with her family and friends.