Where Are They Now? Upstate Caring Partners’ Epic Shift to Happy, Relaxed, and Engaged

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In the wake of the 2020 pandemic, Upstate Caring Partners, a prominent nonprofit agency in Upstate NY serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in both day and residential services, embarked on an ambitious journey to revolutionize its culture and service model. The goal was to foster a Happy, Relaxed, and Engaged environment for both the people they support and their employees. Building on the Clinical Department’s prior success with Dr. Greg Hanley’s Practical Functional Assessment (PFA) and Skills-Based Treatment (SBT), the agency transitioned from a caretaking model to a comprehensive, value-driven, and evidence-based treatment and teaching approach.

Central to this new model are Dr. Greg Hanley’s Universal Protocol, PFA/SBT, and the Essential for Living curriculum developed by Dr. Patrick McGreevy and Troy Fry. The core principle driving this initiative is the creation of a more compassionate culture that prioritizes dignity, safety, and rapport.

Since 2017, Upstate Caring Partners has continued to make significant shifts despite numerous challenges. In this “Where Are They Now?” style update, this presentation will take you on a epic ride through the good, the bad, and the ugly. You’ll get the inside scoop on the barriers faced, the innovative treatments put into practice, and the methods used to measure outcomes. We’ll share the juicy details of the lessons learned and give you a sneak peek into the future direction of the agency’s efforts. Join us for this behind-the-scenes look at how Upstate Caring Partners is making shift happen, step-by-step!

Presenter Bios

Dr. Mara Vanderzell is a licensed clinical psychologist and licensed behavior analyst in New York State who currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Behavior Analysis at Upstate Caring Partners in central New York and is a lead consultant with FTF Behavioral Consulting in Worcester, MA. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook under the supervision of Edward G. Carr, PhD, BCBA-D. Her doctoral dissertation focused on context-based, practical intervention strategies for challenging behavior displayed by individuals with developmental disabilities in home and community settings. Dr. Vanderzell completed her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at The May Institute, Inc. in Massachusetts. She has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for over 20 years with more than 10 of those years being a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She continues to publish research and present her findings at state, national, and international conferences. Her research interests include severe problem behavior, practical functional assessment and skill-based treatment, and systems support.

Jon Horn, M.A., LBA, BCBA, is the Vice President of Behavior Analysis at Upstate Caring Partners (UCP) in Central New York. With over 19 years of experience, Jon has worked with children and adults across community, school, and residential settings, holding both administrative and clinical roles. In 2017, he joined UCP’s Tradewinds Education Center, to support a pivotal transition to a behavior-analytic model of education. Following the model’s success, Jon transitioned to UCP’s Adult Division in 2020 to broaden the use of safe, respectful, and evidence-based ABA in both day and residential services. This mission continues and now includes UCP’s Children’s Residential Programs. Jon and his team are dedicated to pioneering compassionate ABA that yields effective, sustainable outcomes in the environments that matter most.

Dr. Erik Jacobson (Dr. J) is the Chief Clinical Officer at Upstate Caring Partners. In that role, he oversees a professionally diverse Clinical Department of 50+ staff. He is a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist. He received his doctorate in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina. Over the past 20+ years, Erik has provided a range of assessment, diagnostic, and treatment services to children, adolescents, and adults with varying degrees of developmental and co-occuring psychiatric disabilities through outpatient, residential, and school settings. Over the past several years, Erik has overseen the behavior analytic transformation of Upstate Cerebral Palsy’s Clinical Department. This transformation has included innovative training, assessment and treatment practices, research, and employment of the most Board Certified Behavior Analysts in Central New York.