Tampa ABA Therapy Center

My Favorite Therapists

Welcome to

Tampa Center

A comprehensive and collaborative, state of the art, therapy center for children with autism and developmental delays. Specializing in early identification and treatment of delays and disorders for children ages 1 to 18 years.

Join Us Today!

Our highly skilled team of BCBAs, RBTs, behavioral therapists and specialty therapists communicate and work together to increase your child’s success, independence, and functioning in daily life at home, at school and in the community.

We provide applied behavior analysis, speech therapy, feeding therapy and occupational therapy in our one of a kind, state of the art, 8,000 square foot therapy center throughout the day and week, as necessary and authorized for your child. In addition, ABA therapy is available at schools, in home and in the community.

Our story begins with our son Blake…

Our son, Blake, was diagnosed on September 11th, an already devastating day! On that September 11th day, our lives changed forever as we watched the neurologist attempt to interact with Blake and then listened to the doctor’s words, labeling our son from that day on.

We are excited to give you an exclusive tour of our state-of-the-art ABA therapy center in Tampa, Florida that’s specifically designed for the comprehensive development of children with autism.

Addressing ALL of your child’s needs and developmental delays in one location

ABA THERAPY

Applied Behavioral Analysis involves the application of certain techniques that will cause a change in behavior, over…

FEEDING THERAPY
Applied Behavioral Analysis involves the application of certain techniques that will cause a change in behavior, over…

SPEECH THERAPY
Speech therapy and Language therapy is available for all children who require assistance with speech, language…

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Occupational Therapy improves the quality of your child’s participation in daily functioning at home, at school…

Meet our team

C.O.B.I - Chief of Big Ideas

Jay Katari

Managing Partner and Mom

Kimmy Katari

Managing Partner

Jason Buckley

Special Assistant to the Owners

Jennifer Lawrence

Chief of Center Operations

Nikki Kemp

BCBA/Regional Clinical Director

Mallory Lucillo

Director of Marketing

Marek Bubenik

Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Katherine Napier

Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Shayli Gerard

C.O.B.I - Chief of Big Ideas

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.

Managing Partner and Mom

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.

 

Managing Partner

Jason Buckley

Jason Buckley is a married father with four wonderful children, one of whom was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. For years, Jason and his wife searched nationwide for “good ABA” for his son. Finding My Favorite Therapists in Deerfield Beach and seeing firsthand the success of comprehensive autism related services was a game changer. His family relocated to the state of Florida to fully support and provide the best services for Jason’s son. After years engaged in the practice of law, Jason found a passion for helping other families, such as his own, in need of autism services.

Jason proudly joins the MFT family, sharing his understanding, empathy, and knowledge of what it is like to live with autism.

Special Assistant to the Owners

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.

Chief of Center Operations

Nikki Kemp

Nikki Kemp is a multifaceted professional with expansive knowledge and experience stepping into the role of Chief of Center Operations (COCO) in Tampa. Nikki spent many years teaching the joy of music-making to thousands of young students as an award-winning Early Childhood Music Educator. She then became involved in administrative duties in the areas of compliance and daily operations, falling in love with operations management. Nikki then went back to school to earn a Director of Operations credential and has since focused her career on this indispensable role.

As the mother of an autistic child – now adult – Nikki has seen the power of early interventions first hand. She comes into her position at My Favorite Therapists not only with know-how, but with compassion for children and families on the same path that she and her daughter continue to travel together.

In her free-time, Nikki is also an accomplished clarinetist, having begun her professional musician career at the age of 17. To this day, she is a performing classical musician in the Tampa Bay area.

BCBA/Regional Clinical Director

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.

Director of Marketing

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.

Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Katherine Napier

Years ago, I volunteered at a Big Brothers Big Sisters event and was able to work on communication and social skills with kids diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. From that moment, I was drawn to working with children with autism. I had worked as a special education teacher as well as a BCBA, for nearly a decade, with children with autism. I obtained my Masters in Special Education from Florida International University and completed my BCBA coursework through Florida Institute of Technology.

Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Shayli Gerard

SHAYLI has been in the ABA field for 7 years. She graduated with her Masters in Developmental Disabilities from Nova Southeastern University in 2017 and became a BCBA that same year. She absolutely loves getting to help children diagnosed with autism by increasing their independence and communication every day. She has worked directly with children of all ages in centers, schools, homes, and group homes. Shayli previously worked for My Favorite Therapists in Deerfield Beach but had to relocate to Tampa in 2020. She was so excited to hear about MFT opening an autism therapy center in Tampa and jumped at the opportunity to be back on the MFT Dream Team! Outside of work, Shayli enjoys any outdoor activity such as paddle boarding, bike riding, or simply lying on the beach.

Call: 813-934-7632

info@myfavoritetherapists.com

Tampa • Tampa Downtown • Riverview • Brandon • St. Petersburg • Clearwater • Lutz • Wesley Chappel • West Tampa

We look forward to meeting you and creating a uniquely tailored therapy program for your child.

My Favorite Therapists -Tampa Center

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