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Month: March 2026

Research and Continuing Education Vivana Gonzalez, M.A., BCBA, LBA-NY

At MBC, we are committed to the professional growth of all our staff. For graduate student trainees pursuing their BCBA certification, we offer a robust range of opportunities, including mentorship from experienced clinicians, direct hands-on experience in classroom and clinical settings, and active involvement in research or applied projects. Trainees can expect personalized guidance throughout their fieldwork hours, participation in team meetings, and regular supervision to support their learning and skill development. In addition to trainee support, we offer continuing education for our licensed professional staff, ensuring everyone has access to a variety of learning opportunities throughout the year. These experiences enhance clinical knowledge across disciplines and help team members understand other areas of practice, building stronger collaborative relationships and fostering successful transdisciplinary collaboration.

MBC partners with local universities’ ABA programs to enhance the fieldwork experience of students in the community. As students progress through their education, MBC supports them in completing application projects, such as capstones and theses. Additionally, MBC champions staff research and dissemination interests, with members of our leadership team heavily involved in ABA research and academia. Dissemination projects and applied research initiatives bring students and staff together to translate evidence-based practices into meaningful, real-world applications. By collaborating with practicum and capstone students, staff engage in reflective practice, strengthen their clinical reasoning, and explore new approaches grounded in current research. Graduate trainees contribute fresh perspectives from the latest literature, while experienced clinicians offer the contextual knowledge needed to adapt these ideas effectively within classroom environments. 

In many cases, student projects directly contribute to practical outcomes in our classrooms. Capstone and thesis projects may require students to develop data collection systems, evaluate instructional strategies, or examine ways to improve programming and interventions for our students. Staff can immediately apply these projects’ tools, procedures, and insights to their daily work, refining interventions and improving the overall quality of instruction and student support. Mentoring students also creates meaningful professional development for our staff. By supervising trainees, clinicians refine their leadership, teaching, and feedback skills while helping develop the next generation of behavior analysts. Many staff members find this mentorship both professionally rewarding and energizing, which strengthens staff engagement, morale, and long-term commitment to the organization.

Most importantly, these initiatives directly benefit our clients. By integrating student-led research, staff expertise, and current evidence-based practices, MBC continually evaluates and enhances the strategies used to support students. This collaborative model encourages innovation, promotes thoughtful problem-solving, and ensures that interventions remain responsive to each learner’s evolving needs. Through these partnerships and ongoing learning opportunities, MBC positions itself as a leader in the field. By bridging clinical practice, research, and training, we foster an environment where professionals grow, test new ideas, and ultimately deliver the highest-quality support to students.

A Day in the Life of Our Scheduler: Meet Kelly

Behind every successful day for our students is a thoughtfully built schedule — one that balances clinical excellence, consistency, and each child’s individual needs. At the center of that process is our scheduling team, led by Kelly.

Kelly isn’t just a scheduler. She, along with her teammate, Amy, are both Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBAs). This clinical background makes an enormous difference in how schedules are created, adjusted, and maintained every single day.

More Than Scheduling — Clinical Decision Making

Because Kelly and her teammate are BCBAs, scheduling is never simply about filling time slots. Every decision is rooted in clinical understanding.

They understand behavior plans, learning readiness, skill acquisition, and the importance of consistency for students with autism and developmental differences. This allows them to build schedules that actively support progress — not interrupt it.

Each student has a primary team of ABA therapists who work most frequently with them. This consistency allows therapists to become deeply familiar with the student’s learning style, behavioral supports, and highly individualized programming.

At the same time, Kelly ensures that every student also has additional trained therapists who can step in when primary staff are absent. This approach serves two important purposes:

  • It significantly reduces cancellations for families.
  • It allows students to generalize skills across different therapists — an essential step in helping skills transfer into real-world environments.

Collaboration Across Teams

A large part of Kelly’s day involves collaboration with Case Managers, clinicians, and related service providers.

For example, one of our students is currently working toward greater independence within his community. His goals include navigating the subway, ordering meals at restaurants, and expanding the variety of foods he eats.

To support these goals, Kelly partnered with the student’s Case Manager to extend sessions during lunchtime hours. This scheduling adjustment allows enough time for community-based instruction — traveling, practicing social communication, and applying life skills in natural settings rather than rushing through therapy blocks.

It’s a small logistical change with a big clinical impact.

Scheduling Around How Students Learn Best

Another key responsibility of the scheduling team is recognizing that learning readiness changes throughout the day.

Some students are most focused in the morning, while others thrive later in the afternoon. Because Kelly and her teammate are BCBAs, they understand how motivation, regulation, and energy levels influence learning.

They carefully coordinate ABA sessions alongside related services — such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy — to align with times when each individual student is most available for learning and engagement.

This thoughtful planning helps students experience success more consistently and reduces frustration or fatigue.

The Invisible Work That Makes Everything Possible

Much of Kelly’s work happens behind the scenes — adjusting schedules, solving unexpected staffing challenges, communicating with teams, and ensuring continuity for students and families.

When a therapist calls out, when goals shift, or when a student needs more support in a specific area, Kelly is already problem-solving. Her clinical expertise allows her to make quick decisions that protect therapeutic momentum while maintaining stability for students.

Why It Matters

Families often see the therapy sessions, progress reports, and milestones — but the structure that makes those successes possible begins with intentional scheduling.

Having BCBAs in the scheduling role means that every schedule is built with purpose, compassion, and clinical insight. It ensures fewer cancellations, stronger therapeutic relationships, and meaningful opportunities for students to practice skills across people, settings, and environments.

At the end of the day, Kelly’s work is about more than managing calendars.

It’s about creating the conditions where students can learn, grow, and thrive.