Who we are
The team at Horizons Behaviour Consulting is made up of a small diverse group of professionals. It was founded in 2018 by Matt Derkach with the hopes of helping clients and their parents learn in their natural environment. Matt wanted to open an agency that provided in-home services that was professional, ethical, and had a family-focused approach.
Today Horizons Behaviour Consulting continues to integrate the latest ABA research and technology to offer the best options to our clients. Led by a talented team of clinicians, Horizons Behaviour Consulting utilizes evidence-based practices to develop practical and family-focused approaches to ensure the best possible results.
Mission
Clinical Team
Our clinical team consists of a Clinical Supervisor, a Senior Therapist, and Instructor Therapists
Clinical Supervisor
The role of the Clinical Supervisor is to assess, develop, and recommend individualized evidence-based behaviour strategies to help your child. In addition, the Clinical Supervisor is responsible for supervising the Senior and Instructor Therapists as they implement the behaviour intervention and attend your child’s therapy sessions as needed.
Senior Therapist
The role of the Senior Therapist is to work in collaboration with the Clinical Supervisor and the Instructor Therapists. This may include directly attending your child’s therapy sessions, providing supervision and training to the Instructor Therapists, and monitoring your child’s progress.
Instructor Therapist
The role of the Instructor Therapist is to provide direct therapy with your child and to assist the Clinical Supervisor and Senior Therapist in activities related to your child’s assessment and the development of the behaviour intervention plan. In addition, the Instructor Therapist provides behaviour training to the parents and assists the clinical supervisor in monitoring the different behaviour programs.
Matt Derkach – Clinical Supervisor
Matt Derkach is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) who has been working in the field of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) for over 8 years. Matt’s interest in the field of ABA began when he first started working as a Direct Support Professional with children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. His love for ABA quickly grew and he decided to further education in the field of ABA and he obtained a Masters in Applied Disability Studies (MADS) at Brock University.
Matt is passionate about working in the special needs community and has extensive experience working with children and adults with severe behaviour problems, which includes having worked in centre and in home settings at CHEO’s Development and Rehabilitation Department and the Autism Program.
Kelly Nightingale – Senior Therapist
Kelly has worked in the field since 2012. She holds a BA in Psychology and Linguistics, a graduate certificate in Autism and Behavioural Sciences and a Masters of Professional Education in Applied Behaviour Analysis. She was certified by the BACB as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) in 2019. She is also currently working on a graduate certificate in Addictions and Mental Health and would like to go back for her PhD in ABA or another Masters in School Psychology soon.
Kelly has experience working with all ages and abilities. She has worked primarily in early intervention but has also worked with teens and adults in residential group homes and as in-school support.
When not working, Kelly can be found spending time with her husband, Alex, and daughter, Danielle or coaching cheerleading and gymnastics which she has done for over 15 years now.
Zeinab Hedroj – Instructor Therapist
Zeinab is an Instructor Therapist who has been working in the field of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) for almost 3 years. Zeinab’s interest in the field of ABA started while studying Cognitive Science. Throughout the year, she worked on a research paper on individuals with ASD. This also coincided with a growing interest and curiosity in ABA, ironically, the antithesis of what she had been studying.
Zeinab received a diploma in Autism and Behavioural Science from Algonquin College and is now studying for her Masters in Applied Behavioural Analysis from Montana State University Billings (MSUB). Zeinab is enthusiastic about working with clients and parents in home and is working towards a certification as a Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA).
Zak Armengol – Instructor Therapist
Zak has been working with children with ASD for over 4 years and is a Registered Behaviour Technician (RBT). He continues to be passionate about the field of Applied Behaviour Analysis from seeing the positive impact it has for his clients and their families. He is currently pursuing his Board-Certified Assistant Behaviour Analyst (BCaBA) certificate through the University of New Brunswick.
Emily Anderson – Instructor Therapist
Emily is passionate about helping others reach their full-potential through personal empowerment. She has practical experience as a crisis responder, Social Psychology teaching assistant, and peer support worker.
Emily is a magna cum laude graduate, with a Bachelor of Science (honours) in Psychology, from Saint Mary’s University. Her honours project involved developing computer software to better understand attentional capacity and the human experience.
Emily’s appreciation of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) stems from her fascination with the behavourism era—most notably the work of B. F. Skinner. She is now transforming theory into practice, as she actively works towards becoming a Registered Behaviour Technician (RBT), and eventually plans to complete a Master’s degree in Social Work.
Marae is passionate about helping others through client focused therapy. She developed a passion for working with children while completing her Psychology Degree at the University of Calgary. Marae obtains a wide range of experience working with children in both clinical and private settings. Her love for ABA therapy flourished while working in center for children with Autism. Marae’s areas of interest include functional communication training, parent coaching, and natural environment teaching. She is dedicated to helping families foster skills through creative and focused strategies.