Our Team
Arlene Dworkin Kaye - MS, CCC/SLP, BCBA, LBA
Clinical Director
Arlene Dworkin Kaye is Clinical Director of Children’s Behavioral Services (CBS) at Benhaven, Inc. A Board Certified and Licensed Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Speech and Language Pathologist she created and has administrated the program since 2017. Prior to joining Benhaven, Arlene was employed by a private agency, public school districts statewide, and CREC’s River Street Program for Young Children with Autism. In addition, Arlene was instrumental in crafting the first Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) course sequence to be approved inside of a Communications Disorders Program through Elms College. She also taught required BACB core courses as an instructor at Elms. She currently serves as a director on the board of CTABA, the Connecticut state behavior analytic organization.
Arlene received her Master’s Degree in Communications Disorders from SCSU in 1978 and her certification as a BCBA in 2007 after completing her coursework through the University of Massachusetts (Lowell). She has been a presenter at a variety of conferences including CT-ABA, ABAI, BABAT, ASHA & CSHA, and has been an invited speaker at school events in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
An editor of Behavior Analysis for A Lasting Change, First Edition and author of Getting To Know ME: A Primer About Autism Spectrum Disorders, Arlene has demonstrated skills as both a practitioner and writer. With over 40 years of experience providing services to children with developmental disabilities, Arlene wakes up each day, excited to see positive growth in the children, families, and staff that are part of the Benhaven CBS family!
Lynn Burnette - MS, BCBA, LBA
Supervising BCBA
Lynn Burnette is a board certified behavior analyst who has over 20 years of experience providing services with children with developmental disabilities in home settings. Lynn began in birth to three where she learned the foundations of ABA and how to successfully work within a transdisciplinary team. Within those years as an early interventionist, Lynn felt the need to grow within the field. She returned to school and received her bachelors degree in communication disorders at Southern Connecticut State University. Her passion has always been working with people with autism spectrum disorder which led her to complete her masters at The University of Saint Joseph where she received a masters degree in applied behavior analysis. Lynn combines her backgrounds in early childhood education, communication disorders and behavioral intervention in a way that brings a “wholistic” approach to her supervision and development of treatment plans. Her eagerness to learn and grow in the field is endless, as is her adoration for the children and families she has the pleasure of working with.
Janel Fitzgerald - MS, BCBA, LBA
Supervising BCBA
Janel Fitzgerald is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst at Benhaven Children’s Behavioral Services. She graduated Fordham University with a bachelors in psychology and dance before working as a behavior Technician for Benhaven. Shortly after this, Janel knew she wanted to get certified as a Behavior Analyst so she could impact more students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. She continued onto graduate studies with Capella University where she obtained her Masters in Psychology with a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Janel strongly believes ABA can help influence meaningful behavior change and teach adaptive skills to help improve the lives of those diagnosed and effected by autism spectrum disorder. Outside of her work in ANA, Janel teaches dance and enjoys spending time with her friends, her family and her dog Riley.
Jaime Jensen - MS, BCBA, LBA
Supervising BCBA
Jamie Jensen is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst who has worked in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis for 10 years. Jaime began her journey as an undergraduate intern at a private school for children and adolescents with Autism when knew she found her passion. After completing her graduate certification at the University of North Texas and becoming a Board-Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst, Jaime knew she wanted to become more involved in the field. She then received her master’s degree in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis at Ball State University. Since becoming a BCBA, Jaime has worked across school, community and home settings with ages ranging from 3-21. Jaime feels there is such great reward and value in building strong and trusting relationships with families to carry out most effective interventions. She enjoys living an active plant based lifestyle, spending quality time with her family and dogs, and traveling to warm places.
Cathie Mollengarden - M.ED, BCBA, LBA
Supervising BCBA
Cathie Mollengarden is a board certified behavior analyst and special education teacher with over 25 years of experience working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. As a teacher in a public school, she took great pride and delight in helping to improve the quality of life of her students and their families. She spent several years as a behavior analyst in the same school district prior to coming to work at Benhaven. Cathie believes family involvement is critical to the success of her clients and works to develop positive relationships.
Lauren Mollengarden - MS, BCBA, LBA
Supervising BCBA
Lauren Mollengarden is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst at Benhaven’s Children’s Behavioral Services who has worked with children on the autism spectrum for 15 years. Lauren fell in love with the field of Applied Behavior Analysis while working as a paraprofessional in the public-school setting. She became a Registered Behavior Technician and learned the foundations of ABA. Lauren decided to pursue a master’s degree and earn BCBA credentials to help more clients achieve their goals. She provides support for children and their families in home, community, and school settings. Lauren firmly believes that teamwork through working collaboratively with families is the best way to develop the most effective treatment plan and meet their child’s individualized needs.
Collette Serrano - M.ED, BCBA LBA
Supervising BCBA
Colette Serrano is a board-certified behavior analyst and a special education teacher who has been working in this field for over 12 years. Her passion has been working with people with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities, and helping families learn how to better manage behavioral challenges. Throughout her career, she has worked with young children and adults, across central and southern Connecticut. She was inspired to enter this field because of her sister who has autism, and truly loves working with the families and siblings of her clients. Colette likes to meet individuals and families where they are at, and build on their skills and self-confidence through positive interactions and fun. She is currently employed as a high school special education teacher in a public high school, as well as a BCBA at Benhaven Behavior Services.
Ashley Stuart - MS, BCBA, LBA
Supervising BCBA
Ashley Stuart is a board-certified behavior analyst at Benhaven Children's Behavioral Services who has worked with children on the spectrum for about 8 years. After attending Lasell University with a major in psychology, Ashley began her journey as a registered behavior technician at Benhaven when she knew she found her passion. From there, Ashley decided to pursue her master's degree in applied behavior analysis from Western Connecticut State University and finally obtained her BCBA in February 2021. She believes that building strong relationships with the children and families that she serves is the key to implementing effective intervention. It is a number one priority of hers to make services fun, engaging and enriching for everyone. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys going to the beach, traveling to new places, and spending time at home with a good book and her three cats- Milo, Mika and Evie!
Kimberly Turiano - MS, BCBA, LBA
Supervising BCBA
Kimberly Turiano is a board-certified behavior analyst and a special education teacher. She has been working in the field for more than 12 years. Kim attended Southern Connecticut State University for her undergraduate degrees, majoring in both elementary education and library science. After working as a 1:1 special education tutor in a public school district, she decided to pursue her master’s degree in special education, with a concentration in Autism Spectrum Disorder, from SCSU. After teaching in an adjusted curriculum, self-contained classroom for more than nine years, she decided to pursue a sixth-year certificate in Applied Behavioral Analysis and received her BCBA in May 2021. She believes that forming positive relationships with children and their families is the key for building upon their skills, self-confidence and implementing successful intervention services. In her spare time, Kim enjoys learning new hobbies, cooking, reading, and spending time with her dog, Finnegan. Kim is currently employed as a special education teacher in a public elementary school, as well as a BCBA at Benhaven Children's Behavioral Services.
Benhaven Registered Behavior Technicians
Among Benhaven Children’s Behavioral Services most valued resources are our dedicated and skilled behavior technicians. All technicians are provided with training to become Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT) certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and are provided ongoing supervision by BCBA’s. Each behavior technician is individually trained to work with YOUR child and family. We take great pride in the knowledge that each individual hired makes a commitment to provide dedicated service and abide by the ethics code put forth by the BACB.