Elyssa mckee, m.ed., bcba
Behaviour Analyst and Clinical Director
Elyssa holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education with a Focus on Autism and Developmental Disorders. She is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA) and in her 22nd year of experience practicing applied behaviour analysis (ABA) and working with children and adolescents who have a diagnosis of autism and/or severe challenging behaviours.
Elyssa is experienced in developing ABA programs based on Skinner’s analysis of verbal behaviour, conducting functional assessments to decrease challenging behaviours and increase desirable behaviours, and integrating and transitioning children into mainstream schools. She believes every child has the right to access community programs including education in an inclusive setting. She has worked collaboratively with schools in both Canada and Australia supporting her learners to become integrated into an inclusionary setting. Elyssa firmly believes in working closely with family members, teachers in both pre-school and school settings, and other key stakeholders is key to developing strong programs that produce generalized results which are maintained across environmental settings.
In 2011 Elyssa relocated to Melbourne, Australia where she founded Happy Oak Behavioural Consulting Pty Ltd- an early intervention centre for children with autism providing both home-based and centre based ABA programs. After having her own daughter Elyssa and her husband decided it was time to move back to Vancouver. She is happy to be back where her career started over 18 years ago and excited to introduce Happy Oak Canada.
Elyssa is a member of the British Columbia Association for Behaviour Analysis, the Association for Behaviour Analysts International, the New Zealand Association for Behaviour Analysts, and the Association for Behaviour Analysis Australia. She has presented at the NZ-ABA conference in 2012; the Positive Practice Symposium in 2013 at the Centre for Excellence in Behaviour Support in Brisbane, QLD; and the ABA Today Conference in 2013 and 2015 in Melbourne, VIC.
Kwan Yi (Queenie) Cheung, M.Ed, BCBA, RASP-A
Board Certified Behaviour Analyst
Queenie has held a Master's Degree (M.Ed) in Special Education (with a focus on autism and developmental disabilities) at the University of British Columbia since 2024. She is an independent Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) registered under the Registry of Autism Service Providers (RASP-A) list. She has been providing applied behavior analysis (ABA) services to autistic children with various challenging behaviors since 2019.
Queenie is experienced in developing ABA programs based on Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior. She is also experienced in conducting functional and baseline assessment to understand how to best support learners on her team. She is experienced in creating tailored program plans that enhance her clients’ current strengths and providing them with new ways to voice their needs or challenges. She also collaborated with other specialists at school settings and with parents to develop sustainable and practical solutions on how they could better support her learner in different settings. Queenie always strives to provide high quality training for other service providers on her team (i.e., Behavior Interventionists, educational assistants at school...etc) to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of her learner's sessions. She is also highly organized and receptive to making adjustments to programs when necessary.
Queenie is passionate about making learning fun and interesting for her learners. She enjoys making education entertaining and natural so her learners can improve while having a lot of fun in her sessions. In her spare time, Queenie also has hobbies such as dancing and creating art. She loves sharing that high and fun-loving energy with her learners and team.
Amy Hayashi, BFA, (BCaBA)
(currently unavailable)
Consultant
Board Certified Associate Behaviour Analyst
Amy obtained her Board Certified assistant Behaviour Analyst (BCaBA) certification in Melbourne, Australia in 2019. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in theatre and performing arts from SFU, and has always been eager to share her creative knowledge with kids and teenagers. She has worked as a BI/Program Supervisor with kids with ASD in Australia and Canada in homes, schools, preschools, and centres for the last 6 years, from ages 2 to 15. Amy is most passionate about merging her knowledge of ABA and drama to help kids with autism practice social skills, vary their tone of voice and expression, and to move away from repetitive, habitual play to explore their own individuality and creativity.
Amy is thrilled to see the small changes day to day within the children that are so significant and accumulate to create big changes for them over their lives. Her future goal is to create Happy Oak centre-based group drama classes and programs that can help kids obtain social skills that they can maintain and use practically in their day-to-day lives.
ruby poon, BCaba
Board Certified Assistant Behaviour Analyst (BCaBA)
Ruby is a Board Certified Assistant Behaviour Analyst (BCaBA) since 2021. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and working toward BCBA certification. Ruby is passionate about nurturing children’s growth by creating engaging, personalized, and evidence-based learning experiences. She is also a Certified Advanced LEGO®-Based Therapy Facilitator, bringing creativity and fun into her therapeutic work.
Sarah Tanveer, BA (Psych)
(currently unavailable)
Program Manager
Sarah is a Senior BI/Program Manager with Happy Oak Behavioral Consulting. She has been working with children on the autism spectrum since 2012 both in the private sector and with the Burnaby school district. She graduated with a Bachelors in psychology with a minor in English from Western University, and has an advanced certification in Disability and Applied Behavior Analysis from Douglas College.
Sarah has been trained in Precision Teaching, Natural Environment Teaching, Direct Instruction programs, and Discrete trial training in the past, and now implements Verbal Behavior programs. As an Educational Assistant with the Burnaby School District, she worked specifically with children of different ages that were on the spectrum and has gained a wide variety of experience working with different behavioral and academic challenges. These experiences have allowed her to connect with the children she works with on their level, and she values nurturing their individual differences to help them navigate the world. Her passion lies in helping children specifically on the spectrum to gain the skills needed to achieve success for socially and academically meaningful outcomes in their lives. Sarah is currently working under the supervision of Elyssa Mckee (BCBA) towards her certification as a BCaBA.
Stephany Valeros, M.PEd Candidate
Program Manager
Having personal experience going to therapies at a young age taught Stephany that learning should be fun and exciting for all learners. As she got older, it inspired her to work with those with special needs. In 2018, she began working as a private BI and gained the skills and experience to support individuals across a variety of settings over the next several years. She currently works with children with ASD/DD between the ages of 2 and 16 years old. She also received training in using various ABA teaching methods, including Precision Teaching, Natural Environment Teaching, Direct Instruction, Discrete Trial Training, and now, Verbal Behaviour.
Stephany holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis – Autism from Capilano University (2021). She will soon obtain her Master’s in Professional Education with Western University in October 2026 and plans to sit for the BCBA certification exam in 2027/2028. She is passionate with working with others and helping them achieve their goals, big or small. In addition, she aims to help those gain the skills they need to live meaningful lives and participate in the community. Outside of work hours, Stephany enjoys spending time with loved ones and exploring new food and drink spots in Metro Vancouver.
Sydney Stromberg, BI
Behaviour Interventionist and Program Manager
Sydney has been working in the field of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) since 2018, supporting children aged 2 to 11 across a variety of settings, including the Happy Oak Centre, home-based programs, daycares, and preschools. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis – Autism from Capilano University in 2023 and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Behavioral Analysis Professional Practice, with the goal of becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).
Amrita singh, senior bi
Senior Behaviour Interventionist
After seeing the positive impact that ABA had on her brother’s life, especially in helping him build communication and leisure skills, Amrita was motivated to join the field and give back to the community. She loves supporting children and families, helping them make meaningful progress, and celebrating the small wins along the way.
Shaina rajwani, BI
Behaviour Interventionist
As a 2023 Recipient of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award, Shaina has dedicated her life to improving the lives of people with disabilities, and hopes to foster the awareness required to build a society that supports them in achieving their aspirations. Her willingness to make a positive change stems from her lived experience with a disability. Growing up receiving therapy such as OT/PT, she knows first hand the struggles and triumphs that come with early therapeutic intervention.
She believes that representation of lived experience is important in therapy based and medical settings, as it allows the children and their families to feel less alone in their experiences. As a Volunteer at B.C. Children’s Hospital, and a ORTHO Start Research Assistant in the Hippy Lab, she strives to make this environment a more welcoming space by facilitating therapeutic play, tailored to the child’s interests. What she enjoys most about working with children is the opportunity to expand creativity and imagination through the lens of young minds.
As a BI, Shaina strives to support every child achieve their definition of success regardless of what challenges they face. She believes that challenges do not define who one is, but rather one defines who they are through their challenges. She values the opportunity to learn from children just as much as she enjoys teaching them new skills!
Shaina is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s of Science in Behavioural Neuroscience at Simon Fraser University. In the future she hopes to pursue a career in research, designing innovative treatments for individuals living with neurological conditions. She aims to discover treatments that follow a “person before patient” perspective, allowing for a more human centred approach.
Jacky Hou, BI
Behaviour Interventionist
Jacky is a BI with Happy Oak Behaviour Consulting. He has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Victoria and has obtained his Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) certificate. Jacky has worked with children and adults with ASD in home, school and centre settings. He plans on pursuing a master's degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) in the future. Jacky is passionate about seeing his learners thrive in a supportive environment that celebrates their strengths and differences. In his free time, you can find him hiking and enjoying the outdoors!
elizabeth araki (lizzie), BI
Behaivour Interventionist
After growing up in Hope, BC and attending UVic, Lizzie has had several different career paths. From working with horses as a stable hand and groom, to the medical field as an ophthalmic technician, her goal was always to end up working in education. She worked for several years in Victoria, BC at a therapy centre supporting BCBAs, BCaBAs, Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists before relocating to Vancouver at the end of 2025. She brings humor, compassion and fun to her role as a Behaviour Interventionist.
Outside of work, Lizzie enjoys local live music and art, spending time with animals, mystery novels and classic Hollywood films, especially ones starring Jimmy Stewart!