Palm Beach ABA Therapy Center

Jay Katari

Jay Katari is married to Kimmy Katari and is the father of four wonderful boys. Jay was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.  He moved to Florida in 1991 to finish his senior year of high school at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. After high school, he went on to Florida State University where he majored in Business Administration and Marketing.

Jay is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for building amazing companies with amazing company cultures. He is very excited to serve My Favorite Therapists’ clients and their families and do all that he can to help to make their lives better. Jay is very passionate about giving back to the community, sitting on the Board of Directors of Autism Speaks of Broward County, the Board of Directors of FAU’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, the Love Boca Homeless Charity, and the Board of Directors of The Boca Raton Police Foundation.

My Favorite Therapists is a very special place for Jay, having created a place where his passion for success translates to the clients getting the very best therapies available, all in one incredible place.

Kimmy Katari

Kimberly Katari, best known as “Kimmy” to those who know her, is the quintessential working woman turned parental advocate. She was a practicing commercial litigation attorney, licensed in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida. She met and married her husband 21 years ago and gave birth to 4 boys. While pregnant with her middle twin boys, Kimmy’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Kimmy made the difficult but determined decision to leave the practice of law to focus her attention on her ailing mother and baby boys. Kimmy’s mother survived the breast cancer, but was diagnosed with ovarian cancer approximately two years later, when Kimmy was pregnant with her youngest son.

Having the twins provided a much different perspective as far as keeping track of her babies’ progression. Blake’s brother soon surpassed him on the pediatrician’s checklists of milestones. Kimmy and her husband brought Blake for early evaluation and were told that Blake simply had low muscle tone and was speech delayed. About a year later, however, Blake’s therapist suggested that they bring him to see a neurologist because it seemed as if Blake’s was “spacing out” often. That was the beginning of a whole new life for the Katari family…Blake was diagnosed on the autism spectrum with PDD-NOS.

Kimmy has been passionate about finding and doing all that she can for her son, Blake, since that diagnosis. Not one to give up, give in, or accept defeat, she became the voice, advocate, cheerleader, pincushion, and counselor for Blake. She watched, she listened, she learned, she read, she argued – all for her son. She cried often, yet maintained a strong, stable image and persona for the betterment of the rest of her family and those that she loved so deeply.

Kimmy quickly discovered that there is an entirely separate world out there for children with special needs and their families. In that world, values are different, priorities are different, relationships are different, and people are different. In that world, being different is good. It is special. Small things could be astronomical in that special world.

Over the next decade, Kimmy delved into the life of being a mom of a son with autism as well as a wife, daughter, and mom of three “typical” boys. She incorporated into their lives the gluten free casein free diet, doctors’ visits, RDI therapy, ABA therapy, OT therapy, equine therapy, speech therapy, social skills classes, Tomatis listening therapy, floortime therapy, and acupuncture because there was no telling what would be best for Blake.

She spent countless hours with therapists, teachers, paraprofessionals, school administrators, and doctors and even more on the phone with insurance companies in order to try to obtain the best services possible to help her son. It seemed as if time was passing by and yet Blake was at a standstill with the choices of local therapists and therapy clinics. Kimmy and her husband agreed to take a gamble and seek services outside of the state of Florida. She traveled alone with Blake and homeschooled him for months, leaving her supportive family behind, a very difficult and emotional time for the entire family.

Kimmy returned to Florida with the revelation that there needed to be better options for families like hers in Florida. Parents needed and deserved to focus their time and efforts on their special children and not drive around town from one appointment to another. It was rarely possible to describe and update each therapist on what another one had accomplished or noticed with Blake. Those therapists should be able to converse and share notes with one another. Kimmy strongly felt that children with special needs deserved to be in a caring, well-equipped environment conducive to optimizing the child’s capabilities and not in a small cluttered room. Most importantly, she wanted qualified, talented therapists who were not robotic or routine. She did not believe in leaving Blake with a “glorified babysitter”. She complained repeatedly to her husband, a self-made entrepreneur, and he encouraged her to “do something about it”. With his extensive business knowledge, acumen, and guidance, My Favorite Therapists began to emerge.

Jennifer Lawrence

Jen majored in Education, is the mother of two amazing daughters, a master multi-tasker, a 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and an obsessive perfectionist. Jen loves going to work each and every day to see the amazing progress of all of the clients at My Favorite Therapists.  She plays a vital part in the daily operations of the therapy center.

Mallory Lucillo

Mallory LucilloMembers is a Nationally Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She received her Masters of Science in Cognitive Behavioral Disabilities with a concentration in Emotional Behavioral Disorders from Nova Southeastern University and her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Sociology and Interdisciplinary Studies from Florida Gulf Coast University.

Mallory has been working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis for over a decade. She has experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities ranging in ages from eighteen months to twenty-one years old. She has worked in the environments of clinic, school, home, and community focusing on improvement in the quality of life for every client.

Mallory has extensive background in increasing language and functional communication, reducing problem behaviors, acquisition of self-help skills, parent training, training of other clinicians, social skills, acquisition of new skills and generalizing them to be used in the real world, and vocational skills.  Her passion is to continually grow and learn as a clinician to make the biggest positive impact on the lives of others.

Mallory also leads the team at My Favorite Therapists in obtaining insurance authorizations for services as well as running the supervision programs for up and coming BcaBAs and BCBAs.

When you don’t see Mallory working, she is usually spending time with her family and friends exploring new adventures or working out in the gym. Mallory is a Crossfit nut with a passion for physical fitness. She has competed throughout the state of Florida in many state and local Crossfit competitions.

Marek Bubenik

Marek is driven by his passion for traveling, creativity and marketing. Since being a kid, he always knew that he wanted to travel and work abroad. While studying in Czech Republic, Spain, Austria and Ireland he completed a BA in Economics and Management, Film Production and a Masters degree in International Diplomacy.

By studying Internationaly, he was able to land an amazing job at Google. At Google he helped the biggest advertising agencies in the industry grow, by providing support and education around the newest trends in digital marketing. On his team he was responsible for the teams KPI´s in his CSAT role. He trained both colleagues and Google vendors to improve communication skills in order to provide the best customer support.

He is a founder of a creative co-working space called BOOX (located in Monterrey MX), which serves as a hub for talented creators who produce content, organize cultural events and creative workshops.

As a Director of Marketing he is on a mission to help My Favorite Therapists grow exponentially, so many kids with autism can succeed, and live happy independent life.

Jenifer Lo

Jenifer has tremendous experience with children, with families and with leading teams of dedicated employees. She worked in the field of education for 20 years with a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Florida Atlantic University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of West Florida. She worked at the elementary school level both as a teacher and as a school administrator. Her understanding and love for children with autism began early in her career through inclusion services provided in her own classroom and later as an administrator in an autism cluster site. These experiences reinforced Jenifer’s beliefs that all children thrive with nurturing and personalized care, support, and instruction.
Outside of work, Jenifer enjoys spending time with her husband and two amazing children as well as baking, reading, catching up on her favorite shows, and walking her rescue dog, Molly.

Christopher Yurczak

Christopher Yurczak is a Florida native who has always had a passion for helping others reach their fullest potential. He credits his patience and understanding of others to his lifelong experiences of being a middle child. Christopher obtained a Bachelors degree in Criminal Justice as well as a Masters degree in criminology through Florida Atlantic University. What then started out as a summer job helping children and families with autism unexpectedly turned into a rewarding career in the field of ABA. At My Favorite Therapists, Christopher always strives to share his passionate care with others, whether in his capacity as a 1:1 therapist, trainer, onboarding specialist or MFT team member. In his spare time, Christopher enjoys fishing the many lakes and canals that Florida has to offer, exploring nature trails with his wife and playing outside with his son.

Alissa Doyle

Alissa Doyle, BCBA, received her B.A in Psychology and English from Caldwell University. She then attended Ball State University where she earned her M.A in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Alissa fell in love with working in the field of autism in 2014 and since then has worked across school, home, and clinical settings. In August 2019, Alissa relocated to Florida where she
continued working in the field while completing her graduate work. She has extensive experience working with clients who have severe problem behavior and implementing behavior reduction protocols.  Alissa is dedicated, passionate, and eager to help her clients in an impactful way.

Besides her love for her work, Alissa loves traveling, Disney World, and spending time on the beach!

Ally Dube

Ally Dube is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst who demonstrates effective clinical outcomes by utilizing creative treatment approaches to reduce challenging behaviors while teaching adaptive replacement behaviors. Ally has over two decades of experience in Applied Behavior Analysis, both as a practitioner and as an autism parent. Ally has served a variety of individuals diagnosed with autism, developmental delays, and mental health conditions. Ally’s experience includes working in school, home, and center-based settings with children, teens, and adults.

After practicing in the field for many years, Ally co-founded Compass Innovative Behavior Strategies with her husband Dan. Compass was a multidisciplinary behavioral health provider for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities, with a mission to remove barriers to treatment for families that struggled with access to services. Compass was the first ABA provider in New Hampshire to accept Medicaid insurance funding. Compass provided services in New Hampshire and grew into one of the largest ABA service providers in the state. Compass was recognized several times in the local media, including as the #1 Fastest-Growing Family-Owned Business in 2018 (#3 in 2019) and the #1 Company to Watch in 2019 from Business NH Magazine. In addition, Ally has served in the capacity of adjunct faculty at Antioch University New England teaching Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) coursework for graduate students pursuing board certification as a BCBA. Further, Ally had the privilege of serving as the President of NHABA, the NH State ABA Association, from 2020-2022.

After completing a successful merger of Compass with Patterns Behavioral Services, Ally and her husband decided to relocate to sunny Florida to begin a new life chapter. Ally is particularly passionate about mentoring graduate ABA students to teach them the “real world” skills of being a behavior analyst and working with families to teach functional life skills. Ally also enjoys advocacy and providing leadership training for legal issues with autism insurance funding and reform. Ally is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in ABA, with a research focus on improving the quality of ABA care. In her spare time, Ally enjoys spending time with animals, nature, music, superhero movies, hiking, serving her faith-based community, and spending time with their four grown children and their 3 cats.

Jodi Felitti

I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) specializing in ABA services for adolescent and early childhood development. My experience includes implementation of evidenced-based ABA technologies for the past 16 years as a parent with a son on the spectrum, through my clinical experience as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), and lastly as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I received my bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Dowling College, and a Master of Science degree in Applied Behavior Analysis at Regis College.

My ABA journey began following a lengthy career in project management/customer service management leadership roles, consisting of areas such as critical thinking, problem-solving skills, time management and team management, working with many stakeholders. My vision starts with a heart-minded team with values consisting of safety, empowerment, integrity, and quality in services by providing evidenced-based practices. The mission is to expand my knowledge bringing meaningful behavior change in all settings to the families I work with. My clinical experiences consist of working in various settings including in-home therapy, center-based services, telehealth, and school-based environments. Areas of specialization include early childhood development, verbal behavior, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, staff and parent training, trauma informed care and organizational behavior therapy (OBM) for school-based services. My work has been dedicated to working with children both neurotypical and neurodiverse who struggle with their environment by developing individualized interventions, collaborating with all staff, speech, and occupational professionals in multiple settings for generalization and lasting change.

My personal interests include spending quality time with my family, outdoor activities, knitting, crochet, and crafts. I enjoy giving back to my community by volunteering for organizations such as Autism Speaks, American Cancer Society, and local school districts.

Catherine Oliver

Catherine received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC in May, 2004. She received her Master’s degree from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC in May, 2007. 
Catherine’s clinical experiences include: providing services from infancy to age 80 plus and evaluating and treating individuals with a variety of disorders including; feeding and swallowing disorders, articulation, language disorders, voice disorders, fluency disorders, traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorders, hearing impairment, central auditory processing disorders, sensory issues, aphasia, attention deficit disorders, and down syndrome. 
Catherine is licensed by the board of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida and has her certificate of competence from American Speech-Language- Hearing Association. She is looking forward to working with you and your family.