Debi Kipps-Vaughan and Julie Strunk

When Julie Strunk, JMU nursing professor, saw that area families with autism needed extra support, she called Debi Kipps-Vaughan, a licensed clinical counselor and associate professor of graduate psychology at JMU. Together Strunk and Kipps-Vaughan organized a monthly support group for families caring for individuals with autism, specifically adolescents. While many services are available for children with autism, the reality is they grow up. “Teenagers with autism have a unique set of needs,” Kipps-Vaughan says. The support group provides an important opportunity for families to meet, learn and help each other.

"Problem solvers"