About Us
Our Mission
Our mission at DART is to motivate, empower and support children, teens, and their families by using the latest evidenced-based behavioral interventions. We teach the necessary skills needed to live a productive and happy life. As the client’s reach new milestones, clinical team adjust goals to further increase necessary skills and that is how we will grow together.
“When you support the parent, you support the child.”
~Thomas McKean
Daniel Rivas, BCBA
Founder
Daniel A. Rivas Terc is a bilingual Florida native, fluent in English and Spanish. In 2014, he graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s degree in Recreational & Sports Management. He has a decade worth of experience in the healthcare industry, starting his career working as physical therapist aid and recreational therapist aid in two prominent South Florida hospitals. Motivated by making a positive impact in people’s lives, he became a Certified Therapeutic Recreational Specialist (CTRS) in 2016. However, he felt there was something missing and found his calling working with children at the Cadenza Center Psychotherapy & the Arts in 2018. With a renewed passion, he started as an entry level Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) where he received hands-on experience working with diverse youth towards increasing social skills and behaviors through varied intensities (i.e., self-injurious behaviors, physical aggression, property destruction, etc.). Working as an RBT in a variety of settings including schools, clinics, community and in-home, strengthened Daniel’s adaptability in the field.
Daniel completed his master’s program in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State University. Upon passing the board exam in 2020, he achieved his goal of becoming a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Equipped with the latest evidence-based interventions for children aged 2-18 years old, Daniel served as a BCBA at Cadenza Center for several years. During this time, he focused on building the foundation for his life-long dream of launching his own practice, DARTherapy (known as DART).
Currently, Daniel is in the Applied Behavioral Analysis PhD program at The Chicago Professional School of Psychology where he focuses on how to further develop and deliver high quality family-included therapy. Daniel understands the importance of family in achieving successful outcomes for children. His thesis centers on the effects of differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors on escaped-maintained behaviors. During his free time, Daniel enjoys spending time with his family and friends, hanging out with his cat, Zelda, enjoying nature and animals, and staying active through basketball, his favorite sport.