Why ABA Clinicians Don’t Trust You (Yet)—And What You Can Do About It
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If you’re in leadership in ABA—especially if you’re a mid level manager or executive—there’s something you might want to consider. If you’re new to the field, doubly so.
A few years ago—probably a few years too late—it dawned on me that the ABA field is not like other industries. You don’t manage BCBAs the same way you manage people in sales or marketing or tech. BCBAs and RBTs aren’t wired like those folks. Most don’t get into this field for the climb. Most don’t come in looking for prestige or profit.
ABA is a lot more like the teaching and human services fields than sales, marketing, and finance. If you ask them about how or why they work in ABA, clinicians will often use words like “calling” and “purpose” and “kids”.
And if you haven’t noticed that by now, then you haven’t been paying close enough attention.
Most clinicians in ABA—at least the good ones—are motivated by relationships and what they can do for people.
If you don’t design your leadership around that—you will lose them completely.
As an aside, managers sometimes tend to assume that their people will be motivated for the same things that they are—like growth, performance, territory stability, revenue. And there’s nothing wrong with that. We need people—like you— thinking about the big picture. But problems happen when you assume your team is motivated the same way you are.
And from my experience, many ABA clinicians are not motivated for those things.
And thank goodness they aren’t!
I actually touched on this in an article several years ago: BCBAs are not coin-operated. You can’t dangle career ladders in front of them and expect them to stay. That’s not the primary reinforcer for most people in the field. These are people who got into ABA because they wanted to help. Because they care. Because somewhere along the line, they worked with a kid who made them believe that behavioral change could change lives.
So remember that—I want that to hit home. But, it only prefaces this week’s point.
With all that said, there’s usually another layer to this that ABA leadership might not be getting as well. Read on.
For many ABA organizations, BCBAs and RBTs are a hot commodity and can be hard to come by at times. As such, organizations might find themselves courting half a dozen BCBAs at any given moment hoping that they’ll sign on and join the team.
But there’s something else that is important to remember about these BCBAs.
Many of them are the walking wounded. Not dramatically. Not with some “burn it all down” attitude (well, maybe a few of them). Just a quiet, cautious kind of hesitation. The kind that says: “I’ve been here before. Let’s see if this place is any different.”
You see, the field has been through some stuff.
In the last 10 years, ABA saw an explosion. Demand skyrocketed. Actors—good and bad—moved in on the market. Clinics multiplied like Starbucks locations. And some of those organizations didn’t exactly lead with integrity. Massive caseloads. Rushed onboarding. “Just turn in your treatment plan—we don’t care what it looks like” mentalities. Executive teams who hadn’t met a kid in years setting productivity targets that would break a robot, let alone a human clinician.
And, who were the people who took the hit? The same ones you’re interviewing and managing now.
These BCBAs and RBTs—driven by “calling”, “purpose”, “kids”, and “relationships”—entered the field with their professional sleeves-rolled-up…and ended up caught in systems that didn’t reflect—and even punished them—for these beloved values!
Some were handed caseloads of 15+ with zero support. Some were ghosted by their managers when they asked for clinical help. All were left wondering: “Wait…what did I get myself into? This can’t be right!” And many have just now applied or signed on with your organization after swearing to themselves that “I’ll never go through that ever again.”
So…naturally…when you bring on a BCBA, they walk in a little guarded.
It’s important to note that they’re not being difficult, they’re being careful. And, you should want careful. You should respect that instinct. Maybe it’s the ethics code at work. Maybe, it’s their professional trauma talking. Whatever the case, you want someone who—at the very least—tries to reference their internal compass on a daily basis.
And, you should take care of them for that.
So this is the point. You’re not just leading clinicians who are motivated by relationships. You’re rebuilding their trust, as well.
Sadly, trust doesn’t rebuild itself with a swag bag and an onboarding checklist. It happens when you show—through your actions—that this is a different kind of place. A place where clinical quality matters more than margins. Where support isn’t just a buzzword. Where people are allowed to care, deeply, without being punished for it.
Martin Myers is a BCBA with a passion for helping improve the field of ABA. He is the creator of BxMastery, with over 4,000 goal ideas, sequenced, to inspire your programming. With 10+ years of experience in the field, he’s dedicated to empowering others and fostering positive change through effective leadership and communication. Connect with Martin on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more insights and updates.