Do You Need BCBA Supervision?

The BACB® has created valuable resources for effective supervision. The accurate implementation of these resources is something we strive to deliver in innovating and motivating formats to our supervisees. To begin the supervisee/supervisory relationship off on the right foot, we create individualized performance and competency-based goals based off the current 5th Ed. Task List for each supervisee. 

Embedded into our supervision contract (sample below) is a list of expectations to review and consider before embarking on the supervisee/supervisor relationship. Each supervisee/trainee receives their own personal supervision binder which outlines all expectations, structure, activities and assignments. 

Receiving feedback is a central component of effective learning. Jug and colleagues (2019) summarize feedback as a formative activity designed as descriptive, constructive, and nonjudgemental analysis for improving performance.  A plethora of research articles in our field have concentrated (see Hartley et. al., 2016; Sellers et. al., 2016; Turner et. al., 2016; and Ninci et. al., 2021) recently on this aspect of the supervisory relationship. In order for feedback to be as beneficial as possible, establishing your preference for style of feedback is one of the first discussions we will have! 

Our clinical supervisors are all BCBA's in excellent standing with the BACB® and have a variety of diverse experiences. You will be matched with supervisor(s) who have experiences in similar settings you are currently working in, as well as experiences in additional environments. This will assist in developing your skill set across contexts, situations, behaviors and people. 

Apart of our supervision program is exam preparation since preparation involves an entirely different plan of action! Developing fluency in our terminology, learning how to identify the key phrases of multiple-choice questions, and exercising conditional discriminations to select the correct answer are skills we teach. In addition, SAFMEDs are employed during specific weeks of supervision. SAFMEDS stands for: Say All Fast, a Minute Every Day, Shuffled. 

Essentially, SAFMEDS are flashcards comprising of behavior-analytic vocabulary. We provide the cards and teach you how to utilize them correctly. 

Hartley, B. K., Courtney, W. T., Rosswurm, M., & LaMarca, V. J. (2016). The Apprentice: an Innovative Approach to Meet the Behavior Analysis Certification Board's Supervision Standards. Behavior analysis in practice, 9(4), 329–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0136-x

Ninci, J., Čolić, M., Hogan, A., Taylor, G., Bristol, R., & Burris, J. (2021). Maintaining Effective Supervision Systems for Trainees Pursuing a Behavior Analyst Certification Board Certification During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Behavior analysis in practice, 14(4), 1–11. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-021-00565-9

Sellers, T. P., Valentino, A. L., & LeBlanc, L. A. (2016). Recommended Practices for Individual Supervision of Aspiring Behavior Analysts. Behavior analysis in practice, 9(4), 274–286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0110-7 

Turner, L. B., Fischer, A. J., & Luiselli, J. K. (2016). Towards a Competency-Based, Ethical, and Socially Valid Approach to the Supervision of Applied Behavior Analytic Trainees. Behavior analysis in practice, 9(4), 287–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0121-4

Please feel free to contact us with any questions. We look forward to speaking with you about your supervision goals!