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Towards a Competency-Based, Ethical, and Socially Valid Approach to the Supervision of Applied Behavior Analytic Trainees

  • Special Section: Supervision Practices
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Abstract

Competency-based supervision of trainees has recently come to the forefront of behavior analytic practice; however, there are minimal data to support the effectiveness of various supervision practices on trainee outcomes. Accordingly, this paper is intended to spark further discussion and research activity regarding the supervision of those seeking to become Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA). We present a practice model and considerations for supervising applied behavior analytic trainees consistent with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2012b), the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2014), and extant literature from behavior analysis and related fields. Inherent to the current model is a focus on bi-directional feedback and collaboration between the supervisor and trainee to frequently evaluate the acceptability of the procedures, process, outcomes, and effectiveness of supervision. We present a Supervision Monitoring and Evaluation Form consistent with the current model and discuss the assumed importance of objective and subjective self-assessment of supervisor competence to the ultimate advancement of the practice of applied behavior analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Saint Joseph, 1678 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT, 06117, USA

    Laura B. Turner

  2. University of Utah, 1721 Campus Center Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA

    Aaron J. Fischer

  3. Clinical Solutions, Inc. and North East Educational and Developmental Support Center, 1120 Main Street, Tewksbury, MA, 01940, USA

    James K. Luiselli

Authors
  1. Laura B. Turner
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  2. Aaron J. Fischer
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  3. James K. Luiselli
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Correspondence to Laura B. Turner.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Turner, L.B., Fischer, A.J. & Luiselli, J.K. Towards a Competency-Based, Ethical, and Socially Valid Approach to the Supervision of Applied Behavior Analytic Trainees. Behav Analysis Practice 9, 287–298 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0121-4

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