meet our team!
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Clinical Director, Founder
Jaime Santana is an experienced provider in the field of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), delivering effective services to his clients. With an undergraduate degree in Psychology from York University and a Masters in Applied Disability Studies with a focus on ABA from Brock University, Jaime understands the importance of ensuring that programming is tailored to the needs and existing skill set of his clients. Jaime has focused his career on working with youth and adults, since he understands the importance of providing quality services to this underserviced, and often forgotten about, population. Jaime’s work has also focused on teaching functional academics, community skills, social skills, vocational skills, and daily living skills that help promote and establish independence and productivity in his clients, while ensuring that this is all based on the preferences and goals of the client. Jaime is also a firm believer in precision measurement and effective teaching, which is why he uses precision teaching and the standard celeration chart to deliver and track the progress of services. He wants to ensure his clients, supervisees, and other clinicians benefit from these as well. Jaime believes in and advocates strongly for compassionate care, and delivering services that are values driven. Due to this, Jaime has developed his skill with Acceptance and Commitment Training interventions that would help his clients overcome the impacts of anxiety. Over the years, Jaime has also dedicated his time to advocate for a needs-based, evidence-based Ontario Autism Program, to ensure that children and youth receive the services they need to thrive in their communities, and take control of their lives, ensuring success and independence, whatever that may mean and look like for the individual. Jaime is the past President for the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis (ONTABA), the largest ABA professional association in Canada. Through his role as president, Jaime has met directly with provincial ministries to advocate for change. Furthermore, Jaime was part of multiple working groups that supported the development of documents and guidelines for the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario leading up to the regulation of behaviour analysts in Ontario. Through advocacy, volunteering, and dedication to the field of ABA, Jaime has had the opportunity to learn, develop, and refine his skills under the supervision and mentorship of some of the brightest ABA minds in Ontario, and he hopes to continue his path of learning, development and growth, all in the hopes that this will lead to more successful interventions for his clients and their families. In 2021 Jaime’s efforts were recognized by ONTABA, and he was one of 3 recipients for the President’s Award for Service Excellence.
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Clinical Supervisor
Lisa Zariwny is an experienced provider in the field of Behaviour Analysis whose passion is driven to delivering services that are trauma informed and ethical. Lisa graduated with an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Laurentian University and immediately started working at a clinic for children with Autism. Within this center Lisa developed a drive to always provide compassionate, ethical and effective therapy to individuals of all ages. To better support the individuals she worked with, Lisa went back to school to complete her Masters of Applied Disability Studies with a focus on Applied Behaviour Analysis at Brock University. Quickly, Lisa began to focus on teaching meaningful skills that will aid the clients she worked with to develop the skills they will need to live a happy, productive and meaningful life. Lisa has completed additional trainings to support both toilet training and feeding difficulties. Over time, Lisa's focus has shifted to include and incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Training. Supporting individuals through their emotional journey has taken a high priority within Lisa's daily practice, leading to continued education in ACT and regular integration of strategies learned with the clients she works with. Lisa is also a member of the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis (ONTABA), and Applied Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). Remaining current and staying up-to-date with new, trauma-informed, and effective practices will always push Lisa to be the best Behaviour Analyst she can be.
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Director of Operations
Rosemary has an Honours Bachelor Degree in Child and Youth Studies and a Masters in Applied Disability Studies with a focus on ABA degree from Brock University. Shortly after completing her education, she went on to receive her BCBA certification with the Behaviour Analysis Certification Board and is now a Registered Behaviour Analyst in Ontario. Rosemary has worked with children and adults ages 3 to 30 with developmental disabilities for the last decade in several capacities. She has worked in program implementation and design, overseen staff training, delivered workshops for families, and has contributed to centre operations as needed. She supported the development and training of staff and programs in Thunder Bay in order to help bring high-quality ABA capacity to underserved populations in Northern Ontario. She brings a wealth of experience and training in Acceptance and Commitment Training, Skills Based Treatment, and Relational Frame Theory amongst other things. She is excited to support Santana Behavioural Services in their goal of optimizing independence for youth and adults in her role as the Director of Operations.
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Supervised Behaviour Therapist
Sofia has a postgraduate certificate in Autism and Behavioural Science from George Brown College and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Philippines. She has primarily worked with children and teenagers, aged 3-16, with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and other developmental disabilities. Currently, as a supervised behaviour therapist at Santana Behavioural Services, she works with teenagers and adults, supporting the development of communication, daily living skills, and self-regulation skills to decrease challenging behaviour. Her goal is to help individuals grow towards independence and increase self-advocacy.
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Supervised Behaviour Therapist
Milena has been in the field of behaviour analysis for almost 4 years. Milena holds an undergraduate degree in Behavioural Science from Humber College and a Master degree in Applied Disability Studies with a focus in ABA from Brock University. Milena has experience working with children and youth ages 3-14 with developmental disabilities and/or other mental health disorder, and implementing programming, collecting and analyzing data, supporting the conduction of assessments and creating program materials. Milena is focused on becoming a clinical supervisor. For her, the colour purple is her whole brand.
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Supervised Behaviour Therapist
COMING SOON!
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Supervised Behaviour Therapist
COMING SOON!
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Clinical Supervisor
Catherine Jessel is a Licensed and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst, and Registered Behaviour Analyst in Ontario. Catherine completed her M.S. in Behavior Analysis at University of North Texas with an experimental thesis. During her time at UNT, she worked at Denton State Supported Living Center under the supervision of Dr. Rick Smith, conducting functional analyses, implementing medical and dental desensitization, designing individualized support plans, and training direct care staff. After UNT, Catherine worked as a behavior analyst in New York City and Long Island, providing behavioral consultation for public school districts and supervising in-home and community-based services. Before moving to Ontario, she served as assistant clinical director at Long Island ABA and taught masters level ABA courses as an adjunct lecturer at Queens College. Catherine is currently a Lead Consultant with FTF Behavioral Consulting, where she provides primarily distance-based training and support to professionals who wish to improve outcomes for the children and adults they serve. Beyond clinical services, Catherine has published research on the practical functional assessment and co-authored a textbook chapter on the topic. Catherine looks forward to joining the community of behaviour analysts and supporting the mission of compassionate care in Ontario
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Administrative Assistant
Sindy has extensive experience in office management, and has been working in this capacity within the medical field for many years. She loves the opportunity to interact with others that this position offers, and thanks to her organisational excellence, she is ready to coordinate all daily activities at the Center, whether they be for the clients or the team. She believes in teamwork, and understands that when people work together, and give their best to their community, good things happen. Sindy is committed to provide the best support possible to everyone within the Santana Behavioural Services family and looks forward to meeting the families, and their loved ones, that come through the centre doors.
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Supervised Behaviour Therapist
Kimberly completed her Bachelor of Arts in Social Psychology and Mental Health. Recently she earned a Master of Applied Disability Studies with a focus in Applied Behaviour Analysis from Brock University. She is currently delivering services as a supervised behaviour therapist and is working towards developing her skills in order to become a clinical supervisor.
In her free time, Kimberly enjoys exploring the outdoors and spending quality time with her toddler. Her career began supporting adults with developmental disabilities and complex behavioural needs, then expanding her work to support children, youth, and adults across home, school, community, and centre-based settings. She is passionate about providing compassionate, evidence-based services that help individuals develop meaningful skills and improve quality of life.
Kimberly values collaboration with families, caregivers, and professionals, striving to create supportive environments where individuals feel empowered to achieve their full potential.
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Supervised Behaviour Therapist
Jad has an Honours Diploma in the Behavioural Science Technician program from George Brown Polytechnic. He joined the team after completing his placements with Santana Behavioural Services. He believes that change can happen when time is taken to understand the person instead of rushing for results. Jad is committed to ensure a safe and educational environment for his clients, providing the best possible support, and ensuring that clients leave the centre with more skills than than they had when they came in. Jad believes that teamwork and communication brings the best out of people.
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Supervised Behaviour Therapist
COMING SOON!
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Supervised Behaviour Therapist
COMING SOON!
Mission
To deliver high quality, effective and ethical services.
Values
Acceptance | Independence | Community | Development