Our Team
J. Chris McGinnis, PhD, BCBA-D, IBA
Institute Director
The Institute was founded by clinical behavior analyst and psychologist Dr. Chris McGinnis. Dr. McGinnis has helped thousands of families find success through direct consultation and indirectly through training of other helping professionals over his more than 25-year career across school, hospital, university, outpatient clinic, and primary care pediatric settings.
Besides maintaining a full caseload, Dr. McGinnis is an author and applied researcher in the areas of behavioral pediatrics and pediatric sleep health. His book, Introduction to Primary Care Behavioral Pediatrics: A Guide for Behavior Analysts, published by Routledge in 2024, is the first textbook for behavior analysts on the subspecialty. His most recently published study, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Nebraska and Boys Town, appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Children’s Health Care. This study, based on the sequential treatment model developed by Dr. McGinnis and employed in his daily practice, involved two years’ worth of data collection across multiple clinicians and demonstrates how first addressing children’s problem sleep in outpatient behavioral healthcare can powerfully impact their overall functioning and render behavioral treatment of ADHD, anxiety, and other clinical concerns either more effective and efficient or unnecessary.
Dr. McGinnis also currently serves as an ethicist for the profession of behavior analysis with the ABA Ethics Hotline and has served as an early subject matter expert for the Behavior Analysis Certification Board. He has been a Boys Town clinic director, having established their outpatient clinic in West Palm Beach, Florida. Doing so involved the integration of its services within collaborating pediatric practices around Palm Beach County. Dr. McGinnis has also served as a school-based school psychologist, hospital-based early intervention evaluator, and adjunct faculty member of the College of Education of Florida Gulf Coast University.
He is proud to be a founding member of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine and is a career-long member of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis. He is also a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and the Society for Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
For more on his practice, his website is www.mcginnisbehavioral.com.
Cara L. Shapiro, MS, BCBA
Contributor
Cara is a clinical behavior analyst with a masters degree from the University of South Florida behavior analysis program. She is board certified by the BACB and is also credentialed as an International Behavior Analyst. With a background as a gymnastics coach, she has applied behavioral science to improving training and performance with amazing results, and these efforts will soon appear in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. She has served two internships under Dr. McGinnis’s supervision and is focused on the efficient implementation of effective behavioral interventions for children and families. She holds particular interest in helping new moms with their babies’ sleep and is eager to make a difference in the lives of families. Cara is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and Florida Association for Behavior Analysis.
As an associate with McGinnis Behavioral, Cara provides direct services to children and families within homes and via telehealth.