Tips for New Trainees in Supervisor Search

My introduction to getting my supervised fieldwork hours to be eligible for the board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) exam was…. not great. I transitioned out of the Army and ended up in an area that, at that time, had shockingly few options for gaining BCBA supervision. I started working at a clinic as a registered behavior technician (RBT) under a supervisor I respected- I felt like this would be the place where I would get my BCBA certification. Until one of my paychecks was late. Then another. I couldn’t justify driving to the clinic without money for gas- and I couldn’t stop seeing clients who needed my services. I was in a terrible position. I did accrue hours under this supervisor, but I did not get a single one documented. And we know in the field- if it isn’t documented it didn’t happen. I lost those hours. Time and time again I hear stories of BCBAs who had similar experiences to me. Starting out in the field we are pretty vulnerable. Nobody tells trainees that they should interview their BCBA supervisors as if their careers depend on it- because it does. Nobody sits down and explains everything you need to know to become a BCBA and walks us through the process of finding an amazing supervisor. Sometimes, we don’t even have access to quality supervisors to work with! So we end up losing hours. Not getting paid. Not getting well-rounded supervision. Sometimes giving up our dreams of becoming a BCBA.

My story has a happy ending- I found two amazing supervisors at one organization. The first was intelligent and compassionate. She truly loves her clients and worked heavily on goal acquisition and programming. The other was a riot, hilarious and friendly- he also worked in a residential setting and left us in awe with his stories of behavior reduction strategies and wild functional behavior assessments on the fly. However, I cringe when I think about what could have happened. What if I didn’t find my supervisors? How long would I have stayed at a place that wasn’t ideal due to geographic isolation? At that time, I was unaware of remote supervision- I’m not even sure if it existed at the time. I couldn’t supplement any of my hours online or find a supervisor utilizing an online marketplace.

Now, as an experienced BCBA and a supervisor myself- I have a voice that I would like to use to help others who might be in a similar situation as I was. Here is what you need to know when you are looking for quality supervision:

INTERVIEW YOUR SUPERVISOR LIKE YOUR CAREER DEPENDS ON IT

Before being a supervisory experience- interview your BCBA!
Are you interested in early intervention? Ask them about the youngest clients they see- and what assessments they prefer to use. Want to get into school consultation? Ask about your supervisor’s relationship with the local schools and if they attend IEP meetings. Are you a tech whiz talking to a BCBA who prefers paper and pencil?
In short, is this BCBA someone you would like to model your career after?
It is ideal to have a one-on-one meeting about what you are looking for in a supervisor- treat it like a job interview for both parties. It’s better to spend some time at the onset of a supervision relationship to get an idea of expectations than to have to have an uncomfortable conversation later on because the supervision isn’t working out. And remember- if the BCBA you are considering working with isn’t open to being interviewed- they probably aren’t the one you want to work with.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A SOLID SUPERVISION CONTRACT

This is so important. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the behavior analyst certification board (BACB) recommendations on supervision contracts. Fortunately, they offer a sample supervision contract here: https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Sample-Supervision-Contract-1.docx. A supervision contract MUST be in place before you accrue any hours- not having one can cause you to lose hours that you’ve earned. This should outline everyone in the supervisory relationship’s responsibilities, expectations, and documentation that will be used. This is also a great time to talk about restricted vs. unrestricted hours and the activities that will be used to earn these hours over the course of your supervised fieldwork. Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask questions about your contract or have a third party check it out before you sign.

DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE BACB HANDBOOK

Sometimes looking at documents for the first time can be really overwhelming. However, the behavior analyst certification board’s BCBA handbook is really something you should familiarize yourself with on your supervision journey. It outlines everything you need to know about getting and keeping your BCBA certification. Use it as a guide to ensure that you can confidently gather and document hours for your supervised fieldwork. It is totally fine to let your supervisor know you have questions- and would like to refer to the BCBA handbook before making a decision about supervision.

LOOK AT REMOTE SUPERVISION OPTIONS

Like I said earlier, when I was going through my supervision experience, I was unaware of remote supervised fieldwork. This could have solved the issue of limited supervisors in my area by allowing me to find a supervisor marketing their supervision from anywhere in the world. Even after finding my two amazing supervisors, supplementing my hours with a remote supervisor would have been a really great way to get more experience. With more supervisors I would have been exposed to more shared experiences with professionals who have been in the field longer than me. Additionally, having remote supervisors could have allowed me to get my supervised fieldwork quicker since I would have been able to gather more ideas and tasks for unrestricted hours.

I hope my thoughts on the things I wished I knew when I started out have been helpful. It would be amazing for the not-so-great experiences I had to help someone else avoid them in the future. Leveraging the BCBA handbook, your interview skills, remote options, and a clear supervision contract can help guide you to amazing supervisors who will support you throughout your journey to becoming a BCBA.

References

Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2023). Board Certified Behavior Analyst® Handbook. bacb.com. https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/BCBAHandbook_231227-a.pdf