Expectations and Self Awareness: Pointers for Getting Out Ahead of BCBA Burnout
I had the intriguing pleasure of hopping on a podcast/interview over the past week with Christina Torres. We talked about a variety of different topics ranging from entrepreneurship to efficient clinical decision making. I had a lot of fun!
One of the topics that we discussed had to do with my advice for new BCBAs entering the field. Christina wanted to know what my suggestions might be regarding the prevention of burnout.
I figured I’d reverberate and expand on my response to this question on burnout prevention in a shorter post this week. By the way, you can catch the full interview here. I highly recommend checking out Christina’s work here.
So how did I answer this question? Well I recommended that BCBAs concentrate on what they can control in the early stages of entering the field. I think there are two areas that need to be managed before a BCBA ever takes a caseload. It comes down to expectations and self-awareness.
First, BCBAs need to manage their own expectations of what the job is. Some of our favorite parts of being a BCBA is 1) helping kids and families and 2) nerding out and implementing scientific principles that introduce drastic behavior change. The science and the kiddos are what energize us. Our expectation is that we get to be nerdy-creative with all the warm and fuzzies of working with kiddos…and we get paid for it.
Although that’s a part of the job, it’s also a drastic oversimplification. And, in walking into the position with that mindset, we might be setting ourselves up for failure. There are session notes that need to be completed, clinical documentation that needs to be organized, materials to create, staff that need to be motivated, and all kinds of other things that will encompass and overshadow what we think the job is. If we reduce the position down to something that we want it to be (and not something that it actually is), then we shouldn’t be surprised that burnout rates are high. And they would be high at even the most perfect ABA organization.
The sooner we introduce the BCBA position for what it is—which is a case management position—the more prepared we’ll be as BCBAs. So, get up close and personal with your expectations for the job and ask around to see whether or not they are realistic and/or oversimplified.
As an aside, here’s one of my favorite questions to ask BCBAs: What management and growth books are you reading right now?
The other half of my answer of what advice to give BCBAs was to have self awareness. BCBAs who know themselves will do just fine. BCBAs who are oblivious to how their personal habits impact their professional and clinical success, will struggle and fail. If you’re a BCBA and want to succeed, assessing your personal situation and habits and adopting a mindset of personal growth and accountability—before you come to work—can be the difference maker. The easiest way to do this is to simply take inventory of what you allow into your life. And, if there are deficiencies, dig in and ask “why”?
Take a good hard honest look at your relationships. Are you good at relationships? Are the relationships you’re in healthy ones? Do you seem to gravitate away from healthy, stable people (boring!) in exchange for toxic, surface level people? Why is that?
Take a good hard look at your diet, sleep, and physical activity patterns. Are you drinking and staying out later more than you probably should? And on week nights? Are you working out? What’s on your grocery list? Are you eating fast food multiple times a week? Are you drinking enough water? If you’re falling short, why? Is it impacting your day to day?
Take a good hard look at how you use technology and social media—after all it’s linked to depression. How often are you scrolling? Are you watching a lot of TV? How charged up do you get when someone likes or comments on one of your posts? How often are you posting? Could you give social media up today? If not, why? Remember, the reason they call a news feed a “feed” is because you’re literally being fed…and by someone other than yourself. Dig in and try to answer these questions!
Managing your expectations well and managing your personal life can save you a WEALTH of pain in the long run. A stable life promotes a stable person. A stable person becomes a stable professional. A stable professional incurs respect from their clients and their colleagues. And a well respected professional will more easily shape the environment to their liking—for themselves and their colleagues.
Something to think about!
Link to the interview here:
And, one of my favorites. Check out the latest edition!
25 Essential Skills for the Professional Behavior Analyst by Bailey & Burch.