OUR MISSION

We are dedicated to improving the lives of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and behavioral disorders in the Cape Fear and surrounding regions by:

• providing quality, empirically supported psychological treatment services based in applied behavior analysis

• developing and refining effective treatments through clinical research​

• disseminating effective treatment technologies through consultation, training, and publications

• ​offering quality training experiences for undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate trainees

OUR TEAM

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Melanie Bachmeyer-Lee, PhD, LP, BCBA-D

President & Founder

Clinical Director

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Dr. Bachmeyer is a licensed psychologist and board certified behavior analyst at the doctoral level. She earned a master's degree in educational psychology with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis from Georgia State University and a doctoral degree in school psychology from the University of Iowa.  She completed a predoctoral internship in the pediatric feeding disorders and behavioral pediatrics clinics at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship in the Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She was faculty in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington for 9 years. Her research has been published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Behavioral Interventions, and Clinical Pediatrics. Dr. Bachmeyer is a past president of the North Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis and recipient of the Fred Keller Excellence in Behavior Analysis Award from the North Carolina Association for Behavior Analysis.

Caitlin Kirkwood, PhD, LPA, BCBA-D

Associate Director, Pediatric Feeding Disorder Program

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Dr. Kirkwood is a licensed psychological associate and board certified behavior analyst at the doctoral level. She earned a Master’s of Arts degree in clinical psychology with a concentration in applied behavior analysis from the University of North Carolina Wilmington under the supervision of Dr. Melanie Bachmeyer. She earned a doctoral degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Nebraska under the supervision of Dr. Cathleen Piazza. During her doctoral training, she worked in the intensive day treatment and outpatient programs of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute and University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Intestinal Rehabilitation Program. She completed a predoctoral internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health. She has conducted research on the assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding disorders and caregiver training. Dr. Kirkwood has authored publications in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, book chapters, and training manuals.

Natalie Shuler, PhD, BCBA-D

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Associate Director, Behavior Management Program

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Dr. Shuler is a board-certified behavior analyst at the doctoral level. She earned a Master’s of Science degree in psychology under the supervision of Dr. Regina Carroll. She earned a doctoral degree in Psychology with a focus in Behavior Analysis under the supervision of Dr. Claire St. Peter. During her graduate training, she worked as a behavior consultant for a local school district. In this role, she completed assessments and developed interventions to manage challenging behavior of individual students, as well as provided training for teachers on preventing and managing challenging behavior.  She has conducted research evaluating variations of procedures used to manage challenging behavior, train staff members, and teach caregivers to implement behavioral procedures. Dr. Shuler has authored publications in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavior Analysis in Practice.

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Michael Mathews, MA, BCBA

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Associate Director, Early Learner Program

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Michael is a board certified behavior analyst. He earned a Master's of Arts degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington under the supervision of Dr. Mark Galizio. Michael has experience providing applied behavior analytic services to children in clinic, home, and school settings. He worked as a behavior interventionist in G.U.I.D.E.S. Alternative Elementary Program in West Virginia. He worked as a behavior analyst at West Virginia University's Center for Excellence in Disabilities and West Virginia University Medical Children's Neurodevelopmental Center. He also worked as a behavior analyst providing direct in-home services to children in the Birth to Three Program in and providing consultation to school systems in West Virginia. 

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Connor Sheehan, MA, LPA, BCBA

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Program Coordinator, Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program

Connor is a licensed psychological associate and board certified behavior analyst. She earned a Master’s of Arts degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis from the University of North Carolina Wilmington under the supervision of Dr. Carol Pilgrim. She completed undergraduate internships providing clinical services to individuals with developmental disabilities exhibiting severe problem behavior at the New England Center for Children in Massachusetts and the Neurobehavioral Outpatient Unit at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. She completed a graduate internship at the Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health. 

Tiffany Kronenwetter, MA, LPA, BCBA

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Program Coordinator, Behavior Management Program & School Consultation Program

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Tiffany is a licensed psychological associate and a board certified behavior analyst. She earned a Master's of Arts degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis from the University of North Carolina Wilmington under the supervision of Dr. Christine Hughes. She completed a graduate internship at the Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health. She worked as a behavior analyst for the Brunswick County Charter Schools. 

Courtney Taylor, MA, BCBA

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Program Coordinator, Early Learner Program

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Courtney is a board certified behavior analyst. She earned a Master's of Arts degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis in applied behavior analysis from the University of North Carolina Wilmington under the supervision of Dr. Carol Pilgrim. She completed a graduate internship at the Murdoch Developmental Center in Butner, North Carolina. 

Tara Eichert, RD, CNSC, LDN

Pediatric Registered Dietitian

Tara earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and completed directed independent studies in sports nutrition and therapeutic nutrition. Tara completed the didactic program in dietetics along with a dietetic internship at Winthrop University. Tara relocated to Wilmington to work as a registered dietitian where she quickly found a niche for pediatric nutrition and became certified as a nutrition support clinician. Tara has provided care to patients with a variety of medical conditions and maintains membership with the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. She enjoys working with other providers in a multidisciplinary approach to achieving successful outcomes for our patients.

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Nicole Pinkey

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Office Manager

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Nikki has 20 years of administrative support experience in the medical field. She is diligent and compassionate in her work supporting our clients, their families, and our service providers. Her kind spirit is appreciated by our clients and their caregivers alike.