Kind Behavioral Health

Today, my heart is overflowing with pride and immense gratitude! My amazing son, Aiden, born with DiGeorge syndrome and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 4, has reached a beautiful milestone. Ever since he started ABA therapy at age 6, we've seen incredible growth, and his journey has been a testament to his resilience and hard work. After moving to NC, and enrolling him at Kind Behavioral Health in Raleigh, North Carolina, we've witnessed his progress accelerate even further. The dedication and support he receives there are truly remarkable. Today, I received a video that made me tear up: Aiden, confidently holding a pencil, writing his own name! Seeing that simple yet profound act, a culmination of countless hours of therapy and his own determination, filled me with an overwhelmed of emotion. I am so incredibly proud of my determined boy and deeply thankful for everyone who has been part of his journey. Thank you, Julie, Jahnna and Jenna.

This is a long but necessary review. If you are considering placing your child in Kind Behavioral Health (formerly The Carolina Center), I encourage you to read this carefully—it may save you from the experience we had. Our family was essentially forced out of Kind’s care after they decided to reduce our child’s ABA therapy by 10 hours per week. Their justification was “progress,” but progress is not proficiency. Our child had made gains, but they were far from mastering their treatment goals. Despite this, Kind refused to consult our child’s speech or occupational therapists, both of whom strongly disagreed with cutting services. The data Kind used to support their decision was sporadic, inconsistent, and limited only to the clinic environment. Progress observed only in the clinic does not translate to real-world success, which makes this decision reckless. When we raised these concerns with the BCBA (Grace) and clinic director (Jessica), they would not reconsider and eventually suggested we find another center. The timing was concerning—it happened after we had repeatedly advocated for professionalism from RBTs (showing up on time, proper absence coverage, and clear policies). Instead of working with us, Kind seemed more focused on minimizing “inconveniences” than on supporting our child. To illustrate: Nap Policy – Our two-year-old, transitioning from daycare, initially received a short nap, which was eventually eliminated because naps aren’t “billable.” Other centers allow naps because they understand a sleep-deprived child cannot meaningfully participate in therapy. Kind chose profit over the child’s well-being. Sick Policy – The diarrhea rule changed from two episodes to one without notice. We had to pick up our child after a single occurrence, even when their physician had prescribed probiotics that caused it. Temperature Checks – Inconsistent readings were the norm, and the policy shifted to “one reading only,” regardless of accuracy. We eventually had to take our child’s temperature ourselves to ensure consistency. These may sound like small details, but together they reveal a bigger issue: chain-based ABA centers like Kind often prioritize efficiency and profitability over children’s individual needs. Finding #1: Kind is more focused on its bottom line than your child’s development. If your advocacy makes them look bad or less profitable, your child’s services may be cut. Finding #2: Chain-based centers recruit young, inexperienced staff with sign-on bonuses, but lack the personalized care that smaller, locally owned clinics often provide. Parents, you deserve transparency, consistency, and a center that partners with you for your child’s growth—not one that makes arbitrary changes and pressures families out for advocating. That being said, I must thank the exceptional staff who truly made a difference. Mrs. Nikki, your warmth and presence provided comfort to our child every single day—we are forever grateful. To RBTs Brenda, Caroline, Laura, and Quinlan, thank you for pouring into our child’s future with kindness and dedication. You were the best part of this otherwise disappointing experience. Final thought: If you’re searching for ABA services, I strongly recommend seeking out a local provider who values your child as a person, not as a billable unit. I really hope that this review doesn't mysteriously disappear or get deleted as it was before.

RUN!!! Do not let your child go to this center. Kind is looking out for themselves only and will careless about your child and their needs. There are much better centers in Wilmington that are geared more towards the child's needs and not the needs of the center. In fact, we even found a wonderful center that allows naps. If your child is young like ours and receives full time care, Kind will not allow naps because they're not billable hours. The center she is at now understands that they will not have good sessions if our child is exhausted, so they allow naps!!! They know the hours are not billable but they care more about the child than the center. RUN don't walk from this place and all their policies that keep changing for the benefit of Kind and NOT the child.

Kind BH has changed my son’s life. I can’t say enough good things about the staff and the program. You won’t be disappointed!

I could not be more impressed with this entire staff. They have helped to reshape our lives into something I never thought was possible. A lot of trust goes into leaving my non-verbal child with other people for many hours- and they have full trust. My kid is happy to go to every session and has shown extremely positive improvements in behaviors. They found the perfect RBTs to work specifically with my child (Andrea and Haddy) and our BCBA (Melissa) is very dedicated and passionate about these kids. Everyone is very communicative, and most importantly I truly feel that they care about helping my child live his most wonderful life.

My family and I have had a top tier experience since our daughter has started. She has grown so much and everyone there have been awesome. She looks forward to going every day!

Wonderful place and staff

Our little one just started ABA therapy with them a few weeks now. We love them. They have been so great and informative. We have already started noticing changes in him..I high recommend this facility..

Beautiful clinic! Great clinicians! Location is great and services are highly needed in the area!