In this episode, Ley Linder, CEO of Crescent Behavioral Health, shares his inspiring journey from gerontologist to entrepreneur. Growing up surrounded by individuals with intellectual disabilities, Lee’s personal experiences fueled his dedication to advocating for marginalized groups and transforming healthcare. He emphasizes empathy and human connection in caregiving, highlighting the importance of understanding the deeper functions that drive behavior. Ley also shares a poignant story about the power of touch in caregiving and reflects on the unexpected challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship in expanding his impact on the behavioral health field.
From a young age, Ley developed a personal passion and deep curiosity around behavior. When he was a boy, his parents would bring home intellectually disabled and special needs patients who had nowhere else to go. Ley lived with, ate with and interacted with some of society’s most vulnerable members. It was around the dinner table and in his parent’s practice that his curiosity was converted into a passion that has seen him sit with and serve thousands of patients with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- He’s a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and an approved provider of Intensive Behavior Intervention services.
- He has a Master of Arts in Gerontology and a Master of Education, with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis
- He specializes in behavioral gerontology and the behavioral presentations of neurocognitive disorders, in addition to working with criminal offenders with intellectual disabilities.
- He’s spent over 30 years sitting with and serving people with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities
- He’s the founder and CEO of Crescent Behavioral Health Services
- He’s an award-winning writer and a regularly cited contributor to national publications such as HELEN The Journal of Human Exceptionality, The National Down Syndrome Society’s “Aging and Down Syndrome Guidebook” and others.
He’s on a mission to transform the quality of people’s lives through the unspoken language of behavior. We have the power to radically improve the quality of our healthcare, our relationships with others and how we fundamentally do what we do as humans.
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Episode Chapters:
(0:00:10) – Entrepreneurial Journey of Behavioral Analyst
(0:03:28) – Life’s Mission
(0:10:28) – Touching Hearts
(0:24:07) – Analyzing Complex Behavior Functions
(0:36:13) – Navigating Complex Behavioral Dynamics
(0:48:14) – Expanding Impact Through Clinical Expertise