Chrissy Johansen

Chrissy Johansen began her teaching career at a public school in the South Bronx, NY. After returning home to Rhode Island, she continued her work as a special educator at Bradley School before joining Newport Public Schools as a special education behavior teacher. In 2016, Chrissy transitioned to educational consulting, coaching, and training at The Autism Project. She now works as an independent contractor with Rise & Shine LLC, working with children and adults of all ages. Additionally, Chrissy serves as part-time faculty at the University of Rhode Island, teaching special education and reading courses.

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Passionate about helping children who don’t “fit in the box” academically or behaviorally, Chrissy loves coaching educators—something she wishes she had during her time as a classroom teacher. The highlight of her work is leaving a classroom where teachers feel empowered and confident in applying new skills to better meet their students' needs.

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Chrissy holds a B.S. in Special and Elementary Education, a M.Ed. in Reading, and graduate certificates in Dyslexia (URI) and Trauma (RIC). She is a certified instructor with Conscious Discipline® and a certified teacher in the Community Resiliency Model® from the Trauma Resource Institute. She has also completed TEACCH Level 1 training.

 

Some of Chrissy’s additional training includes:

• Lexia LETRS®

• Open Circle®

• PECS®

• Reading with TLC™

• Responsive Classroom®

• Restorative Practice®

• Visualizing and Verbalizing® by Nanci Bell