About Karmelyn (Kaye) Lee - Founder of OBHS
About
Background and Approach
Background & Approach
Hi, I’m Karmelyn (Kaye) T. Lee, founder of Optimal Behavioral Health Solutions. I’m a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Licensed Behavior Analyst, a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern working toward licensure as a mental health counselor, and a non-attorney special education advocate. In my counseling work, I draw on Play Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, and Sand Tray Therapy, practicing under licensed supervision, to meet children where they are and let them lead the way. I also hold a graduate certificate in Secondary Special Education and Transition, am awaiting conferral of my national certification in transition services, and am a doctoral student in psychology focused on understanding and supporting neurodivergent people. That same commitment to transition and lifelong independence is what led me to write my book, Transition That Holds Up. Click the link below to learn more or grab your copy.
Community Involvement & Professional Affiliations
Advocacy doesn't stop at my office door. I serve as a training instructor for COPAA, the national Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, teaching their Special Education Advocacy Training at both beginner and advanced levels and helping train the next generation of advocates nationwide. Closer to home, I serve on the Hillsborough County Superintendent's Special Education Advisory Council and contribute to the Best Practices for Inclusive Education (BPIE) committee, which helps schools strengthen how they include and support students with disabilities.
This work keeps me close to the realities families face and to how decisions are actually made, so when I sit beside you at an IEP meeting, I bring not just clinical expertise, but a working knowledge of the system from the inside, and the same training I provide to advocates nationwide.
My Philosophy
In practice, that means I follow your child's lead and treat their “no” as information, not defiance. It means an IEP meeting where I come prepared with the data and the law, and a session built around your child's actual interests. Being accepted, understood, and loved isn't a slogan here; it's how I show up in every assessment, every plan, and every conversation with your family.
