Written By: Erica McIntush, Sydney Bordson, and Grace Olguin
Edited By: Dr.Odessa Luna
Picture this: you received the notification that you passed the exam and are now a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). You are no longer under supervision and are independently responsible for delivering quality, evidence-based services to clients. The overnight shift in responsibility is overwhelming. You feel pressured to know everything. You worry about making mistakes. These are normal emotions.
Despite these initial anxieties, you will need to actively plan how to access information and maintain colleague support to ensure the services you deliver are not only effective but also uphold our ethical code (Behavior Analysis Certification Board [BACB], 2020). To do so, we suggest you engage self-evaluation, collaboration, and use outside resources.
The following sections will outline how to engage in self-evaluation, how to remain connected to the people who share your professional language and help you think through cases, and how to use available resources to support competent, responsible practice as a newly credentialed BCBA.
Self-Evaluation
When transitioning from supervisee to BCBA, one skill that you must learn is self-evaluation, as you are no longer having all your work reviewed by a supervisor. Self-evaluation is the ability to assess your own skills, behavior, and experiences. It requires you to be aware of your areas of strengths and needs for growth. Understanding the areas you will need help or support with is particularly important. There will be times when you are working with an individual, in a situation, or with a presenting concern that is outside of your expertise. Let’s look at the following scenario:
You are a new BCBA in a small town where there are limited applied behavior analysis (ABA) services. A caregiver reaches out about starting ABA services at your clinic, as their child’s primary provider has recommended your ABA center to them. The child, Natalie, has been diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that you have never worked with before. You don’t have experience with this disorder, but you want to help this family. You also know that the only other ABA clinic in town has already turned them away.
As the BCBA, you will need to determine how and if you can help this family. You know that you are required to practice within your scope of competence (BACB, 2020), but you are unsure how to do that while still helping this family with limited resources at their disposal. When faced with a situation like this, it can be easy to feel like you should have all the answers right away. It’s okay if you don’t! It is important to know your limits and to be able to use your resources when you don’t know the answer.
When you are faced with a situation that may be outside of your scope of competence, first, you must take a step back and self-evaluate. A good place to start is by asking yourself some questions:
- What specific skills or experience do you currently have that are relevant to this client’s needs?
- What would you need to learn to ensure this client’s needs are met?
- Who might be in your professional network could help you fill that gap?
- Can you realistically get the information and resources the client requires without compromising the quality of care you are already providing?
- If you cannot serve this client well, what next steps can you offer this family?
These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself during the self-evaluation process.
Collaboration
After you self-evaluate, you should then identify how and when to collaborate with the family and your professional network. For example, if you choose to take on Natalie’s case, you will need to work with the family very closely. The relationship between BCBAs and caregivers will be important for successful and generalized outcomes for Natalie. This interaction with the family should include clear communication and a teamwork approach when creating individualized assessment and intervention (Horbanczuk et al., 2024). In addition, the family might also point you in the direction of relevant resources they have found or used, as well as other valuable team members, who also could inform your programming.
In addition to working with the family, we would encourage you to reach out to your former professors, supervisors, or even classmates to see if they have any experience navigating a situation like this. This colleague might have good insight into how you can determine whether you are fit to provide quality services to her family. For example, maybe your former classmate has had a similar situation occur with them, where they worked with an individual with a rare genetic condition. As a result, you could ask your classmate questions in how they navigated the process of working closely with the family and other medical professions, how they identified relevant peer-reviewed literature, and how they knew when and if they were practicing outside of their skill set.
As a new BCBA, you have a responsibility to remain active in a professional community (BACB, 2020). Ethical work environments are built on strong communities of practice in which you continuously exchange ideas, engage in problem solving, and seek or deliver feedback (LeBlanc & Karsten, 2024). Collaboration becomes especially important when you encounter situations another BCBA has already encountered (e.g. complex programming decisions, ethical dilemmas, or coordination‑of‑care obstacles). Reaching out is not only acceptable but also expected.
Resources
Now that you have exhausted the individuals in your network who could help with Natalie’s case, it’s time to do your own research on her diagnosis. As a BCBA, you must stay up to date on behavior-analytic research. However, there are many other resources out there that you can use. These resources include published literature, informational websites, and conference opportunities. Starting this new chapter in your career is a crucial time for asking questions and continuing to educate yourself. Below are some resources available that could be especially helpful to those who are transitioning into the role of BCBA. By no means is this table exhaustive, however, it can be a starting point to identify relevant tools that you will have at your disposal.
Table 1
Resources for Ethical Responsibilities Post Graduation
| Resource | Information | Link | What challenge arose? |
| ABA Ethics Hotline | To submit a question, comment or concern quickly by professionals, click the “Contact” button at the top to fill out the ethics hotline form. | ABA Ethics Hotline | Providing a place to help with determining scope of competenceReporting an issue with a blurry, ethical situation which you need some outside perspective |
| Peer Reviewed Outlets | These journals contain evidence for best practice methods for assessments, skill acquisition interventions, and behavior reduction protocols. | JABA The Analysis of Verbal Behavior Journal Behavior Analysis in Practice | Crafting a functional analysisInspiring new ways to teach verbal operantsTraining staff members in how to implement differential reinforcement |
| BACB Website | BACB has information on what ABA entails, ethics code handbook, certification requirements for RBTs- BCBAs, newsletters, and more. | The BACB Website The Official Ethics Code Handbook | Providing supervision to Registered Behavior TechniciansStaying up-to date on certification requirements |
| Trauma Informed Care | These resources define trauma informed care and provide a behavioral framing to trauma | Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2014) Rajaraman et al., 2022 | Encountering a client who has had trauma experiencesLearning more in how to create safer environments for your clients |
| Diagnoses | This resource might be worth the investment given not all our clients will present with the same diagnosis. | DSM-5 TR | Noticing a potential client has a diagnosis you have not learned aboutNoticing your client on the autism spectrum disorder has dual diagnosis |
| Conferences | Going to conferences will broaden your perspective and build your professional network. | ABAI Conference Information Complete ABA Conference List Women In Behavior Analysis Conference Black Association of Behavior Analysis (BABA) | Gaining more information about a topic you might not have experience or education inNetworking and meeting with other professionals in the field |
| Coordination of Care Conference | These links provide information that might be useful with clients with multiple service providers. | Using Pediatric Feeding Interventions in OT American Journal of Occupational Therapy What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology | Onboarding a client who has multiple service providersEnsuring your suggestions align with other providers |
Final Thoughts
When the opportunity arises in which you need to use proactive problem-solving skills, remember to engage in a deliberative process of self-evaluating, communicating with the family and your professional circle, and reviewing evidence-based resources. This process, in this order, will likely be on ongoing series of steps in your professional career, and it is especially important for a new professional in behavior analysis. We would love to hear how you have engaged in self-evaluation, collaboration, or used your resources! Leave a comment below sharing your own experiences and how you used these three domains at the beginning of your career.
Authors
Erica is an ABA graduate student at St. Cloud State University. She got her bachelor’s degree in human development and family sciences from Texas Tech University. When Erica is not working on homework, you can find her at a local coffee shop or spending time outside with her dog Winston.
Grace is an ABA graduate student at St. Cloud State University. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in child development from California State University, Chico. Grace enjoys reading, baking sweets, and traveling around the world with her family.
Sydney is an ABA graduate student at St. Cloud State University. She got her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in music from the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University. Sydney enjoys attending live music events, singing, spending time outside, and hanging out with her loved ones.
AI Statement
Claude (Anthropic) was used to support the editorial review process for this post. Specifically, Claude provided line-level grammar and clarity edits. All editorial decisions, including which suggestions to accept or reject, were made by Dr. Luna.
References
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts. https://bacb.com/wp-content/ethics-code-for-behavior-analysts/.
Horbanczuk, S., Fettig, A., & Luna, A. (2024). Building collaborative partnerships between behavior analysts and families. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17(4), 996–1007. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00940-2.
LeBlanc, L. A., & Karsten, A. (2024). Ethics: Proactive and Practical Decision Making for Behavior Analysts. Sloan Publishing.