Nina Bhatty holds a Master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, where she studied Education with a concentration in Behavioral Intervention in Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis. Her undergraduate degree is in Behavioral Science and she is also a Certified Massage Therapist, Reiki Master-Teacher and is a practicing mindfulness meditator of over 15 years. Her quest for learning has always been focused around human connections, the beautiful mind, consciousness and behavior.
She is formally continuing her studies in Mindfulness-Based Training through the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn from University Massachusetts Medical School and Mindful Schools in Berkeley, CA. The evolution of mindfulness training has swept the globe at an extremely fast pace, with scientific studies from Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley and numerous other global neuroscience and psychology university departments, evidencing the positive outcomes in stress-reduction, greater joy and quality of life, greater awareness of relationship to self, others and life experiences, increased overall mental, emotional and physical well-being and so much more - in kids, teens and adults of all races, genders, religions, cultures, socio-economic and other diverse backgrounds.
For the past nine years, Nina has studied and worked in the field of autism and special needs. The last 2 years have been dedicated to educating and empowering families through Mindfulness-Based Mentoring and Autism & Behavior Consulting. In addition, she served as Co-director for a non-profit organization, Creative Autism Solutions Team -CAST, working with incredibly humble, passionate and dedicated humans beings striving to make great learning differences and connections in the lives of individuals on the Autism Spectrum and other Diverse Abilities. CAST has now merged with The Friend Tree, where Nina also serves as Director of Family Programs & Supports. Formerly, her services were delivered in the private sector and public school system as an Autism and Behavior Specialist. Her ability to not only work with students/clients of all ages on the spectrum, but also her present and compassionate demeanor enables her to advocate for her clients from a heart-centered space, as well as to effectively and professionally guide families and professionals along the autism journey. She finds this work to be extremely essential, challenging, yet rewarding. Knowing that parents, care-givers, professionals, and the community have a trusting, caring and knowledgeable resource to turn to is truly humbling.
Prior to working in the field of autism, Nina worked as an Independent Contractor for the Department of Health Services in Arizona. She counseled emotionally and mentally challenged individuals and offered a wide array of resources and tools to help them manage their behaviors. She also worked as a Mind-Body Therapist offering holistic modalities to individuals with physical, emotional, and mental imbalances in both Arizona and California. Volunteering and fundraising for organizations such as Healing the Children, Parents Anonymous, The Friend Tree: CAST and other Non-Profit Organizations remains an active part of her life.
