As one of the co-founders of Direct Therapy Services and one of six original shareholders for both the Direct Therapy Services and Aprendamos Family of Services organizations, Bryan Tierney has played a pivotal role in the Aprendamos journey.
Originally from Massachusetts, Bryan attended Westfield State University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He began his professional journey working as a direct care staff member at a day program in Massachusetts that served adults who were non-verbal and had quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Personally, Bryan’s experience growing up with a brother who was born developmentally challenged helped shape his mindset and ultimately, his work. He said, “It left an indelible impression on my life. I developed a passion for assisting people to communicate and learned enough about augmentative and alternative communication to realize I wanted to pursue more knowledge in that area.”
This acknowledgement resulted in Bryan enrolling in the Communication Disorders Program at New Mexico State University, where he met Danny Palma and Abel Covarrubias. Shortly after graduating in 1999, Danny and Bryan founded Direct Therapy Services. When Abel Covarrubias later joined Direct Therapy Services, he brought with him a desire to expand school-based services for underserved rural students. “While serving those contracts in the schools, Abel had the realization that early intervention services, which were already established in our area, still had an underserved population, particularly in rural areas. Through advocacy and determination, the need was recognized at the state level, and contracts for early intervention were pursued,” he shared.
Twenty years later, Bryan can now look back and see the impact the decision to begin early intervention services made for our community. “Since its inception, Aprendamos’ growth has continued, as well as the spirit to identify and advocate for underserved populations, including autism and family supports,” he said. He also recognizes how, by creating sister companies, families have been able to seamlessly continue receiving care once their children age out of Aprendamos programs. “Aprendamos Family of Services provides for a continuum of care from birth to young adulthood and can continue into adulthood with Direct Therapy Services if clients qualify for services under the Developmental Disabilities Waiver.”
However, the Aprendamos and Direct Therapy Services programs haven’t solely made an impact on the clients and families who have received care. “I have too many moments to detail, but each time I am able to experience a person expressing themselves in a way they have never done before, it fills my soul. Yes, I even tear up when I see the joy of someone using a device to say, ‘I love you’ to their family for the first time,” Bryan said. “I am similarly enriched when passing the passion for the people we serve to others whom we introduce to the profession.”
Looking to the future, Bryan is optimistic about what the Aprendamos and Direct Therapy Services programs can accomplish. “I have hope and confidence that over the next twenty years, although the programs and structures may change, the spirit of identifying underserved communities and advocating for the innovation to serve those populations will continue.”
Thank you, Bryan, for your leadership and commitment to the Direct Therapy Services and Aprendamos Family of Services organizations!
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