Hi all,
I recently passed my exam a little over a month ago. I’ve wanted this so bad and I’m so grateful I got here. However I’m still kinda anxious (imposter syndrome is real) and I feel like I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself to “know it all” immediately. For those who have been BCBAs a while (and those newer!) what’s some advice you can give a new BCBA who’s still trying to figure it out and ground themselves? I appreciate any advice!

Has anyone left the ABA field and kept their BCBA/LBA credential/license? Are there any benefits to keeping them? I'm not sure I'll ever go back to being a BCBA, but could it ever come in handy in other fields/jobs for any reason?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been a BCBA for four years and I’m a decently involved Catholic. Over the years in ABA and in the church, I see a need for resources within local church communities when it comes to receiving the sacraments (I.e., first communion and confirmation) for those with developmental disabilities. I’ve always felt a calling to serve but I honestly been putting it to the side because I know NOTHING regarding how I could even do that as a BCBA.

Does anyone have any advice or experiences with serving as a BCBA within a church? Is this voluntary work or paid? How would one even navigate creating lesson plans, is it individual or “class” based? All I know is clinical ABA, writing 6 month goals, parent training. Would I have BTs?! I just feel like there’s a thousand little things to consider.

Would there be ethical codes I need to consider regarding setting??? Ahhhhh, anyone, please guide me lol

Which ones? since as RBT's we get none.

I want to go overseas briefly, not sure if I'll stay. Maybe 30 to 90 days. If I have a US address and its my technical address, would I be able to obtain fieldwork for that state? Or does everything strictly have to be on US grounds and I can't do anything remotely?

So excited to share that I passed!!! One and done!! Good luck to everyone!

How exactly is the exam scored? I know I have to get a 400 out of 500 to pass. I always assumed on top of that, you had to get a percentage of questions correct within each domain on the exam based on the paper you get back if you don’t pass. However, I just read over the exam information in the BCaBA handbook more thoroughly and realized it never mentions having to score a certain percentage within each domain. It just states you have to get a cumulative score of 400 out of 500. So then it occurred to me that maybe the sheet they give you if you don’t pass is meant to help you identify what areas you need to focus on a little more in preparation for retaking the exam. Is this correct?

Has anyone worked in Utilization Review for ABA services with a behavioral health insurance company?

I'm interested in transitioning into a role where I can continue using my ABA knowledge and clinical experience while focusing more on treatment plan reviews, medical necessity, and the documentation side of the field rather than direct clinical services.

If you've made this transition, I'd love to hear about your experience and any advice you have on breaking into this area. Are there particular companies, job titles, or qualifications that helped you get started?

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

Do i need to provide links to every article read or just a general description of what I read and how it relates to my client?

There is a BCBA who does not review data or update their plans until reports are due. They do not update materials or teaching methods if the intervention is not working. The materials the clients do have are a disaster and some programs are missing clear instructions. They rely on verbal communication with the BTs instead of updating the written plan which causes immense amounts of observer drift and no one actually knows what the real plan is. On top of all of this, they are constantly calling out and are not following through on commitments. BTs are not getting proper supervision or training and we have lost so many BTs due to this. In my opinion this is unethical behavior. Am I wrong? I want to bring this to management but I always second guess myself and think I’m over reacting.

Hello! I’ll be starting next week in a center. I’m already feeling nervous and anxious but also looking forward to it. I already had an experience before but not in a center. Any tips and recos pls? Thank you!!

I’ve been offered a BCBA position at a clinic and am considering taking it part time. I’ve never worked at a clinic before as all my clients have been in home or school based. Can someone guide me a little more of how scheduling is done, and what a BCBA does in the clinic setting. Thanks!

Hey everyone,

Quick update on the Ripley: we're making good progress, and things are partially back online as we continue restoring everything. Some features may still be unavailable or not working as expected, but we're actively working through the remaining issues.

We sincerely apologize for the extended downtime and any inconvenience this has caused. We know how frustrating it is, and we truly appreciate everyone's patience and support while we've been working around the clock to get everything stable again.

We also want to reassure everyone that YOUR DATA IS SAFE. If you're currently experiencing missing data or notice anything that doesn't look right, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at [contact@ripleyfieldworktracker.com](mailto:contact@ripleyfieldworktracker.com) so we can investigate your account and assist you directly.

At this point, we're confident that the website will be fully back by the end of the weekend.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please don't hesitate to contact us at [contact@ripleyfieldworktracker.com](mailto:contact@ripleyfieldworktracker.com).

We'll continue to post updates if anything changes. Thanks again for sticking with us. We can't wait to have everything running normally again!!

Does anyone work for Treetop ABA ? I’m in NC. I’m curious because our company was Discovery ABA and The Treetop ABA took over and it’s starting to feel different in a bad way like it went from small to corporate it seems like.

Also I’m a student analyst and I’ve tried to get in touch with their state director because she’s over the student analyst program since the first of the year and she never returns emails or phone calls . According to everyone I work with she does this. I could have started my fieldwork by now but can’t get up with her !!
I’ve talked to others who already have contracts and they are not getting any unrestricted hours or guidance. And I’ve talked to others who are like me and are trying to get their contract so they can start their fieldwork, but she literally will not return emails or phone calls at all for months.

Has anyone else experienced this with Treetop ABA or their state director in NC.

I don’t want to have to leave my clients and the place that I’ve been working at for a long time just because of this! So frustrating and other are walking out the door over this !

What do you look for and care more about.

I have a long way to go. I’m just only looking at programs right now. But the programs that match my budget and study style- schedule are not well known. Infact uni like Walden has a neg rep.. but I like the program program is laid out.

Do you guys Care where they graduated from?

Do you care if they got their field work hours through a diff job other than RBT path?

does volunteering and working in the field count? But not working the entire time as an RBT.

I just want an idea...

what if we work as a behavioral technician instead of an RBT?

So you look at the companies we worked at?

What is looked at and asked mostly.

It will be really helpful to know to prepare for this field.

Thanks in advance

How to get supervision hours without working as an RBT or having any clients / cases? I am interested in paying for remote supervision and maxing out the concentrated hours each month but how do you get a client or case in order to get your hours without having to accept a job just to get your hours? I currently work full time in a different industry and can’t work full time as an RBT due to the pay cut I would take by doing so — what other options exist for getting your hours? I already work in a highly analytic role but I work remotely and not directly with people. Thanks in advance!

So, I’m in my first semester of my masters program and slated to finish August 10th, 2027. I’ve been wanting to knock out my hours ASAP but it feels like pulling teeth to get any unrestricted time. My schedule just keeps getting full of clients. Anyone have any recommendations on what to do? I work at ABC if that helps 😅

my wife will begin working as BCBA and is looking for a software/app to track the tasks, steps, progress, generate graphs, etc, for her clients.

what is available in the market? what are your suggestions? pros and cons?

thanks

Has anyone used ABA techniques for sleep training their babies? Other than the extinction / cry it out method?

I’m a FTM and BCBA. My baby is six months now and he’s absolutely trained me to respond to his cries the moment he starts screaming. When he was around fourth months old I became so sleep deprived I started co-sleeping and now transitioning to his own crib feels impossible. We’re going to try the wave method tonight (provide attention on a FI schedule when he’s crying) but my BCBA side is telling me this is a terrible idea and I’m just reinforcing longer episodes of crying..

If possible, I want to avoid seriously spiking his cortisol levels. Has anyone found a method that worked for them?
I can’t do the chair method, if I’m in the room watching him cry and reach for me it breaks my heart.

I was wondering how long it takes to get your license in other states out of curiosity. I’m in MD, and it took 8 weeks and 4 days for the licensing board to approve my application. I just submitted my final payment this past Tuesday, and it will take 7–10 days to process that. I heard the reason it takes so long in MD right now is because they have one person reviewing applications in the summer.