At EnCourage Institute for Teaching and Learning, we take a whole-person, interdisciplinary approach to supporting learning, communication, behavior, and social-emotional development across the lifespan.
Across all services—including ABA, educational therapy, developmental and relationship-based therapy, social skills groups, CogMed, and family support through social work services—we prioritize connection, engagement, and meaningful progress in everyday life. Our work is grounded in research and integrates both behavioral and developmental science, including Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs), to support learning that is both evidence-based and deeply human.
Therapy is individualized and developmentally informed. For younger learners, intervention is often play-based, relationship-centered, and embedded within natural interactions. For adolescents and adults, support is functional, goal-oriented, and focused on independence, self-advocacy, and real-world participation.
Our focus extends beyond behavior change. We support growth in:
Progress is guided by ongoing assessment and data-informed decision-making, allowing services to evolve as needs change.
EnCourage Institute for Teaching and Learning was founded in 2007 by Dr. Mary Rozendal, a former classroom teacher and university professor who returned to West Michigan to be closer to family. Drawing on her academic work at the University of Missouri–Columbia and the University at Buffalo, Dr. Rozendal sought to bring research out of the university setting and into meaningful, practical support for learners.
She recognized a growing gap in special education—one where individualized, child-centered interventions were being replaced by standardized approaches that often failed to meet learners’ unique needs. In response, Dr. Rozendal established EnCourage, becoming a pioneer of Educational Therapy in the region.
As the need for autism and developmental services grew, EnCourage expanded to include developmental and play-based therapy, later adding comprehensive ABA services to better serve the community. This early integration of learning and developmental support shaped a core belief that continues to guide us today: intervention should be built around the person, not the diagnosis.
Guided by this principle, EnCourage has grown into a multidisciplinary practice offering educational therapy, speech-language therapy, ABA services,social skills groups, and family support. What has never changed is our commitment to a whole-person approach; one that values relationships, collaboration, and meaningful progress.
