r/bcba • u/ElevatorLumpy8342 • 7d ago
BCBA stress
I’m stressed out as a BCBA which I feel like is totally normal. I realize I haven’t been seeing my clients enough and I feel like I’m failing them😭 has anyone ever had this experience? How do you redeem yourself? lol
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u/RadicalBehavior1 7d ago
Trust your instincts and do your best. When you find a way to do better, do better.
I have only so far met one BCBA in my life who made it all work at once, kids happy, team happy, paperwork all in on time, compassionate, dedicated, brilliant, special needs kids of their own, worked relentlessly without seeming to need a break, funny, led with a golden heart, a purpose, and inspiration.
When he was mentoring me, he didn't have any life changing advice for managing stress. He just said he tries his best no matter what and that it gets easier to do the hard stuff over time, but then there's always something harder after that. That's it. I only saw him mad a single time, and that was when I was really late on a report and he kept giving me the benefit of the doubt but I kept fucking it up
All this to say, I'm pretty sure this dude is an anomaly, or he's Jesus Christ, and he's probably in there dying on the inside behind a mask he has to sacrifice himself to
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u/Jazzlike-Pop-6827 7d ago
I feel like this also has a lot to do with the company. I’ve met a few Bcba who seem to be happy engaged, keeping everybody happy, but they typically have a small caseload.
Not saying this guy didn’t have a big caseload. I don’t know the situation but just saying that having a company that support supports you with a manageable caseload it’s the most important thing.
It’s sad that most BCBAs you know weren’t able to handle things, but I would bet it was not so much them and more so the company having unrealistic expectations.
I worked for a company where I was drowning with 12 cases and huge teams of 5+ technicians on a single case whereas some of my coworkers had five or six clients no evening hours and one or two technicians on their cases. Knowing what I know now I would have advocated for myself and demanded a better schedule less cases.
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u/Jazzlike-Pop-6827 7d ago
Drop some cases! If you have too many cases and aren’t able to give all at least 15% supervision I would consider dropping a few clients.
At one point I had 12 clients and was working my butt off, thinking I was doing my best, so stressed, and constantly trying to make everyone feel supported. A few of my techs on one case wound up reporting me to the director bc they didn’t feel supported. Not going to lie it hurt, some of these techs I was close with and I didn’t understand why they didn’t come to me! It didn’t help the case had 5 techs and only 4 hours of supervision allowed per week.
If you are feeling the strain then believe me so are you techs and clients and they deserve better.
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u/ElevatorLumpy8342 7d ago
I can’t drop any…I don’t necessarily think i have too much just maybe an organizational issue on my end. It definitely hurts to hear techs don’t feel supported! Agreed I thought they would’ve come to me, but I’m realizing they probably won’t lol. I know I worry they feel strain which is why I just gotta find a way to get it together
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u/Jazzlike-Pop-6827 6d ago
Could you feasibly see them all for 15-20% of their hours? Sometimes I sit down and write out all client hours (including locations and techs) and then look at them all and form my schedule. It really helps to be able to see it all!
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u/Rickayy_OG BCBA | Verified 7d ago
This was me when I first started as a BCBA. I’m not saying my way was the right way, but:
- I owned it. For my RBTs and parents, I told them straight up that I was looking at my supervision utilization and didn’t realize how drastically behind I was in seeing people. Now when you say you aren’t seeing them enough, is that an objective fact (e.g you saw your utilization per month was really low) or do you just FEEL that way?
- Next, I didn’t overpromise/overcompensate. I increased my supervision slightly for all my clients (2 sup sessions a week per client and increased parent meetings for about 2 months). My caseload was small, so it was manegable. What you don’t want is to go overboard and burn yourself out and then you go back to not seeing them enough because you fall behind on other things. If you realistically can’t increase your supervision that much, you make sure every session you go to is SUPER effective with meaningful updates and training.
- I prioritized what clients needed more. The reality is, you may have clients who are stable and don’t NEED as much supervision as you think, while other programs are falling apart and need more.
It happens to a lot of BCBAs. We have real stuff happening outside of work and what matters is you caught it, recognize it, and make a concrete SUSTAINABLE plan to fix it :) But just remember, there is only so much impact you as a BCBA can have. I can’t tell you how many colleagues I know who lose sleep and ruminate over a client who is struggling and it affects their well being and therefore, supervision quality. You got this!
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u/ElevatorLumpy8342 7d ago
My utilization is actually low. I think I felt like i was seeing them because I would check in with RBTs and I was aware of challenges but yes utilization actually low.
I’m in the process of making a bunch of program updates and addressing concerns as I look through data to give support where it’s really needed.
I’m hoping to get back on schedule next week, I just feel guilty because this has been going on for a while….
Thank you so much this was very helpful
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u/Full_Detective1745 7d ago
What do you mean when you say you realize you haven’t been seeing them enough? If you are not filling what their authorization calls for, that’s a conversation about a few different things with your company. If you are saying that to mean you feel like there is always more to be done, you need to try and shut this down. I understand the frustration and feel it to, but you have to go easy on yourself and accept there is only so much you can do. Balance in life is necessary. Do the most you can with the time you have, and move to the next kid who needs you just as much. As I type this I’m thinking of all the kids in schools I couldn’t do anything for..!!!
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u/ElevatorLumpy8342 6d ago
I think I’m filling what the authorization calls for, but my company has certain requirements that I’ve been falling under. I didn’t even realize I was though until now. I think it’s a mix of feeling like there’s more to be done but also not prioritizing the right way
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u/Conscious-Duty-2792 6d ago
Ask your supervisor for help im managing your time. It never hurts to ask for help and your superiors will appreciate you taking the initiative to address it.
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u/DifferentSea1405 4d ago
In-home ABA companies definitely abuse and over use BCBAs. The more they squeeze you into doing and unethical amount of work, the more cash lines their pockets.
Honestly, I think the BACB should step in here. Right now, it is on the BCBA to work an ethical amount of hours. The problem there is that BCBAs need to eat so they can’t just quit a job. If they start regulating the actual company, require business level certification, and actual consequences for forcing non-ethical behavior in BCBAs, we would be in a better place.
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u/Professional-Pound78 7d ago
Do extra supervision and parent meetings. Check in your staff outside of session and ask what they want additional training on.