About Us

 Contact Information

 Employee Access

About Us

Pacific Child and Family Associates, APC began operating in 1988. At that time, we were called the “Verdugo Hills Psychotherapy Center,” a name we changed in 2002 to “Pacific Child and Family” to reflect the wide geographic area we now serve.

In 1988 we provided all of our services in our offices and on school sites in Glendale, California. We first expanded to Orange County, and then opened offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. We opened our Redwood Coast office in Eureka in 2005, and our Fresno office in 2006.

Our programs for children with autism and related disorders are comprehensive, and designed specifically to meet each child’s needs. More specific information about our services can be found on the Programs page of this website.

Our Principals and Staff:
Ira Heilveil, Ph.D. has worked with children with autism and related disorders for more than 20 years. He received his master's degree in psychology from Murray State University in Kentucky in 1977 and his doctorate in psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in 1980. Dr. Heilveil is the author of When Families Feud: Understanding and Resolving Family Conflict (Perigee/Berkley) and Video in Mental Health Practice as well as many professional articles and presentations. He is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine.

Cara Entz, M.A., MFT began her career in autism at UCLA as an undergraduate through studies with Dr. Ivar Lovaas. After her graduation with a BA in Psychology, she co-led his Autism Project for one year prior to entering graduate school. As a therapist, her experience has included individual, family and group therapy in the areas of depression, oppositional defiant disorder, severe emotional disturbance, child abuse, and adjustment disorder.

Ms. Entz was instrumental in the development of the first Deaf Foster Care Program in the United States, as well as the creation and implementation of an Intensive Treatment Foster Care program to provide transition into family settings for more severely affected children. She joined Pacific Child and Family Associates as a consultant in 1998, and became Clinical Director in 2002. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and a board certified behavior analyst.

Our Behavior Therapists:
Pacific Child and Family Associates' staff members undergo rigorous training, both prior to seeing children and on the job. Each staff member receives individual supervision while working with children; besides the introductory training, overlap sessions and supervision, staff receive ongoing continuing education and attend team meetings.

Staff members with over two years of experience, and who stand out as exceptional therapists, are promoted to the position of senior therapist. Senior therapists receive additional training, and the position carries additional responsibilities.

Our Supervisors:
Each family is assigned a supervisor, who designs, coordinates, and modifies treatment programs regularly. Our supervisors typically possess a master’s degree in a relevant field as well as experience as senior therapists. They are selected less for their credentials than for their experience and success as senior therapists. All of our supervisors have demonstrated their success in their field, either by coming up through the ranks within our own organization, or by attaining their expertise elsewhere.

When they are hired from outside of the organization, supervisors undergo a trial period in which their skills are evaluated in order to determine the extent to which their skills match the philosophy of the organization, and are up to the level we require of our supervisors. Our supervisors all receive monthly in-service training on a variety of topics relevant to developmental disabilities, and are given a conference allowance for attending outside workshops and trainings.

While we strive to obtain consistency among our supervisors, we also encourage their use of their own creative solutions to problems. Our supervisors all report to the Clinical Director, and meet with each other regularly to consult on difficult problems.