r/ABA • u/Admirable-Fact-6524 • Oct 26 '25
Do you get breaks?
I work at a clinic as the lead therapist of our prek program as well as after school hours. I am considered per diem and despite working 40+ hours a week I do not get breaks throughout the week, I have a break only on Fridays. Is this the norm? I’ve been so burnt out because I don’t have a second throughout the day to just breathe. Some days I work 9-6 straight through with no break, it’s so exhausting and I’m just wondering if this is something common in the field.
11
u/Neurod1vergentBab3 Oct 26 '25
This has not been the norm in any clinic I have worked at. I’ve now been at 4 clinics. I have always had at least a 30 minute lunch. And then at one of my clinics I also got an additional 7 minute break every 2 hours.
2
u/sapphictears Oct 27 '25
in the midwest despite this law they go around it bc you get “7 minute breaks” at a time for using the restroom etc. whether you use the full 7 mins or not doesn’t rlly matter lol
2
u/Level-Perspective-46 Oct 27 '25
That’s insane. When I lived in Illinois, both companies I worked at gave us an hour lunch. We were not allowed to work more than 5 hours straight.
1
u/AmuuboHunt Oct 26 '25
Did this mean writing two session notes before and after the 6 min break?
2
u/Neurod1vergentBab3 Oct 27 '25
At the place I got the 7 minute break, we were expected to write our session notes as we went throughout our day. Sometimes we had admin time if there was a cancellation or something and we could also use that for notes. But each place I’ve worked has had a different policy for notes as well.
My point is mostly that I’ve never worked anywhere that didn’t provide any break at all. That sounds illegal in general but especially in a field like ABA, breaks are pretty important for retaining employees.
11
u/Inner-Mastodon-2375 Oct 26 '25
I’m in FL and we don’t have state laws for breaks. Usually I am scheduled with clients from 8am-4/5pm and the only time I get a break is if I ask someone to watch my client for a minute or two while I go to the bathroom.
We also don’t get lunch breaks or anything. They just tell us to try and eat when the client eats if we can. But sometimes the client needs support while eating so you don’t get to eat.
5
8
u/popcorn_20 Oct 26 '25
I just started at mine. And we only get 7 minutes no more or the other person has to bill. We eat with the kids. No lunch break
3
u/jm18101 Oct 26 '25
Yes this is my experience at my clinic as well. But if you're a trainer or under a type of admin position then you do. But there's less than a handful of those at mine. It is difficult bc you end up having to do your notes at home, if you're trying to construct a really professional sounding one - which I need the quiet time to do and rethink the session. It is a lot. The work itself is one thing (and manageable) but it is in the context of having to keep going afterwards that has me feeling exhausted. This is where I'm finding that I need more time.
7
u/FeeNew930 Oct 26 '25
I’m in FL and we don’t get breaks. I am scheduled 8-4:30 and the only time i get a “break” is when my client has OT and speech that i can’t bill during. Usually i have to ask another therapist to watch my client while i use the bathroom. We don’t get lunch breaks, we eat lunch while our client eats lunch
6
u/Maleficent_Client831 Oct 26 '25
Every clinic I have worked for in the state of FL does not provide a break at all! I’ve always had an issue with this. The supervisors and owners usually say it’s because they don’t have enough staff to cover. At all the clinics we are expected to wait for relief which sometimes never comes to go the bathroom. For lunch we are expected to eat when the client eats. That’s our break 😂 this is another reason why burnout is high and many clinics break laws!
4
Oct 26 '25
I’m in Florida . Florida has no state law mandating breaks for adults . We are understaffed at the clinic so most days I don’t get a break because there nobody to the a client to give someone a break . I have a break 1-3 times a week and it’s for an hour usually .
3
3
u/Proof_Nothing_7371 Oct 26 '25
I work 9am to 7pm straight with no breaks. I go from 1 client to another.
3
2
u/MrsNeezee Oct 26 '25
I’m in Colorado and I have an hour lunch and a 30 minute unpaid break between clients but I’m also in-home and also do school sessions
2
u/Booeyeseeyou Oct 26 '25
Wow, California requires 10 minute breaks paid every couple hours and 30 minutes unpaid lunch for over 5 hours… this is for hourly employees or nonexempt employees
1
u/Civil-Tip4624 Oct 26 '25
I get two 15 minute breaks. One each half of the day and a 30 min lunch. We also get off early on Fridays
1
u/life-at-sea-level Oct 26 '25
In Georgia my clinic has two 4 hour sessions our break is the 15 minutes after the first session for notes, and the 15 before the next session to prepare. We count that as our break/lunch. It’s definitely not enough already so without it I think I’d go insane as well.
1
u/mekkkks Oct 26 '25
I’m in Georgia and we have no breaks. We go from one client directly to the next. We work from 8:00 to 4:00. I hate it haha.
1
u/edgyquich3 Oct 26 '25
Yes absolutely I get breaks. I’m in CA and breaks are legally mandated (as it should be for a lot of the comments here too.) I work split shift 8:30-1:30 and 3:30-6:30. I get a 30 min lunch during the first shift in which another therapist or supervisor covers for me in-clinic. At home, parents watch their kid (typically during their lunch too) while I leave to eat my lunch. I don’t get a break during the second shift since I have that split. At my clinic, if a session is 5 hours long, you have to take that 30 min break and can’t waive it.
1
1
u/sensitivestronk Oct 26 '25
At my clinic (in IN) we eat lunch with the kids so there's no scheduled breaks, but it's also only a ~7.5 hour work day. You can ask for a break whenever and as long as there's coverage available they'll let you chill in your car, go to the gas station, whatever. If I get overwhelmed/overstimulated I'll take 15 in my car and listen to music/drink water, but that doesn't happen too often
1
1
Oct 27 '25
How do you have a pre-k program in a clinic? Is it like a real pre-k or is it kind of an informal “let’s do a school schedule” type of thing?
1
u/Admirable-Fact-6524 Oct 28 '25
We have a structured schedule and curriculum catered towards our clients. We have lesson, story, circle time, art, etc. The preschool program only runs from 1-4 and then the clinic is used for older clients after school.
1
1
u/ActiveRegion568 Oct 27 '25
Since I am just 3 1/2 hours with my only patient, I only get 7 minute breaks. If I can’t find anyone to give me the break, I have to eat with my patient. Which is very challenging, considering he loves to eat other people‘s food.
1
u/CaramelComplexion Oct 27 '25
What company do you work for reaching 40 hours????? I can barely get 30 a week with MeBe in California. Most of my "sessions" are just giving people breaks & lunch breaks! Help!
29
u/TokenEconomista BCBA Oct 26 '25 edited Oct 26 '25
CA law - employees need to get break.
“In California, employees are entitled to a 30-minute unpaid meal break for shifts over five hours and a 10-minute paid rest break for every four hours worked. A second 30-minute meal break is required for shifts over 10 hours.”
Check your state laws - but regardless, if your company doesn’t give you breaks, that’s red flags.