If you’re looking for a fulfilling career that makes a significant impact on the lives of students and patients, becoming a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) could be just the right path for you. A board-certified behavior analyst is a provider trained to study behavior patterns across developmental disorders and helps advocate for clients and improve a variety of behavioral health-related issues.
This role offers both a challenging and rewarding career full of opportunities to truly connect with and positively impact others. The demand for BCBAs has steadily increased over the last few years, increasing by over 65% in the last decade. This specialty provides a unique ability to form lasting connections and see long-term improvement over time.
Read on to find out more about how to become a board-certified behavior analyst, the benefits of that career choice, job availability in that specialty, and more.
Why Become a Behavior Analyst?
Becoming a board-certified behavior analyst is a uniquely specialized opportunity to bring behavioral health care and therapeutic solutions together. You will conduct tailored behavioral assessments and offer targeted solutions all while collaborating closely with individuals, care teams, and families. A BCBA relies on evidence-based practices and researched interventions to offer effective solutions that improve lives.
Work Settings
This specialty is needed across a variety of work settings, with regularly increasing demand. Private practices, healthcare facilities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, as well as schools and educational institutions, are all showing an increased need for board-certified behavior analyst jobs. Some BCBAs also work in in-home settings.
Patient Populations
In general, board-certified behavior analysts focus on patients from vulnerable populations who need behavioral support and tools to improve behavioral-related issues. They typically work among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They can also be involved with treatment plans across other developmental disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), or developmental delays.
Geographic Areas
With a shortage of qualified professionals in this field, opportunities for behavior analysts can be found nationwide in a wide range of settings. California accounts for 18% of the need for BCBA jobs, with Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, and Georgia also showing high demand. Though these areas show the most need for BCBAs, there are opportunities for behavior analysis in every state.
General Responsibilities
The routine responsibilities of a board-certified behavior analyst will vary depending on the work setting and patient population, but most of those positions will include:
- Conducting functional behavior assessments (FBAs) to identify behavioral variables that can be addressed in treatment
- Assessing skills and identifying the strengths and needs of individuals
- Supervising and training applied behavior analysts (ABAs)
- Designing treatment plans, including skill acquisition goals and behavior intervention
- Coordinating with parents and caregivers to implement a patient’s individualized goals
- Collaborating with care team professionals for cohesive treatment and progress (typically teachers, psychiatrists, doctors, speech therapists, and more)
- Writing documentation, notes, and treatment plans
BCBA Career Benefits
There are significant professional, financial, and personal benefits of working as a behavior analyst. This is a behavioral health career in high demand with ample opportunity for personal fulfillment and professional advancement.
Salary and Benefits
The average salary of a board-certified behavior analyst ranges from $74,000 to $95,000 per year, depending on location, experience, and type of facility. BCBAs make an average of $43 per hour, and the specialty’s wide variety of setting options offers many different benefit opportunities.
Career Advancement
There is also an increasing recognition of the effectiveness of ABA therapy for autism and other developmental disorders. For BCBAs, this means increased opportunities for supervisory roles, research and academia positions, private sector positions, and more. The opportunities to advance your career as a board-certified behavior analyst are continually growing in both number and type of options.
Job Demand
The demand for behavior analyst jobs is steadily increasing. With a growing recognition of the necessity of therapy for developmental disorders, there is a significant need for BCBA positions across all settings. There is also an increase in insurance coverage available for ABA therapy, making these services more available with more BCBA positions needed.
Becoming Board Certified
There are multiple steps required to become a board-certified behavior analyst, though some parts of them can be taken at the same time. The process takes six to eight years on average. Here are the steps to becoming, and staying, board certified:
Educational Requirements
To become a BCBA, you must already be an ABA and have a graduate degree in a qualifying discipline for board certification, typically in behavioral analysis or education. The qualifying disciplines for your master’s degree usually include coursework in psychology, child psychology, behavioral therapies, early development, developmental psychology, and more.
Fieldwork Experience
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) has requirements for fieldwork experience before becoming board certified. This experience is typically earned through a qualifying practicum as part of a graduate degree program. The fieldwork requirement is typically 1,500 hours before you are eligible to become board certified.
Pass the BCBA Exam
After meeting the educational and fieldwork requirements, you then need to pass the Behavior Analyst Certification (BCBA) exam from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) with a rate of 65% or higher. The exam is four hours long and includes 160 questions to gauge your knowledge of behavior analysis. Many study guides, resources, and practice tests are available to help you prepare for and pass the exam.
Maintaining Certification
BCBAs can maintain their board certification by submitting a recertification application and completing continuing education units (CEUs). The continuing education typically involves requirements related to ethics and supervision. Beyond those courses, CEUs can be earned through teaching classes, having peer-reviewed articles published, attending professional events, and more.
Behavioral Health Jobs with SHC
Supplemental Health Care (SHC) is a leader in improving behavioral health opportunities and services. As the longest-tenured and most experienced staffing company in behavioral health staffing, we help fill many roles across settings and disciplines. SHC recognizes the growing need for integrated behavioral health support in schools and other settings, and our team works to connect over 100 skill sets to dozens of unique care settings.
If you’re looking for a job in behavioral health, search our open positions to find the right fit for you! Or, contact our recruiting team today to learn more about how SHC can help you discover the right career path for you.
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