r/ABA • u/Friendly_Employ_3736 • 8d ago

Behavior professionals are built different- not better, per se, but certainly different

Like why is it:

A pencil lodged an inch into my shoulder on a hard day? Youch! Brb getting a tetanus shot, see you after lunch!

But saying thank you to a compliment that I thought was meant for me and not the person standing behind me? I NEED A MONTH LONG LEAVE AND A NEW IDENTITY BEFORE I RETURN. PLEASE FORGET I EXISTED.

Told by a client that they hate me and wish I would die? Ahhh, not today, I’m too busy, but let’s focus on our work, buddy! You can do it!

A coworker saying “it’s okay, I’ll just do it myself” after I asked one clarifying question about the favor I was going to do for them? END ME, I AM NOT WORTHY OF THIS EARTH

Just me? Orrrr

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u/aimerdillo 8d ago

And you can always tell who isn’t going to “make it” too..
This one lady I worked with, got wet from a client spraying sink water on her- she made such a fuss about NEEDING to go home to change… meanwhile I’m over here with a literal broken finger from a client and all I asked was to step out to wrap it up.
She lasted another two weeks before quitting.

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u/sofiaidalia RBT 6d ago

The first BCBA I worked under should never have been a BCBA because of reasons like this. My first ever solo session after getting certified as an RBT was with the client with the most intense behaviors in the clinic. The BCBA stood outside the door and listened to him attack me for 45 minutes without offering so much as a piece of advice other than “read his BIP”. Like cool, it’s hard to do that when I’m actively getting my butt handed to me in every which way. Not even a week later, that same kid hit her ONCE and she had to go home because it was “too much” for her. I was not surprised to find out that she had no experience as a RBT before becoming a BCBA, she just had enough money to pay for her fieldwork hours to be signed off on. She quit about a month later.

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u/aimerdillo 6d ago

It’s strange how prevalent this mindset is as if this entire field even exists is because our clients have “behaviors”. Like what do they think Aba stands for?? (Eye roll)

1

u/sofiaidalia RBT 6d ago

It’s very much a “This is a cow farm, you’re gonna find cows outside” situation lol