Assistant Behavior Consultant - ABA

SUBSIDIARY: The Center for Autism (CFA)

PROGRAM: Community ABA Services

ROLE TYPE: Full-Time

JOB OVERVIEW:

The Assistant Behavior Consultant (ABC) provides mental health services utilizing the evidence-based practice Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to children with autism spectrum disorder in clinic, home, school, and/or community settings. The ABC is responsible for providing direct service to clients, developing/training new Behavioral Health Technicians (BHTs), and assisting Behavior Consultants (BCs) with planning and implementation of treatment plans and assessments.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Foster a positive therapeutic relationship with the child.
• Follow treatment plan goals and interventions utilizing the ABA program designed by the BC-ABA and seek out consultation when needed.
• Prompt safe and socially acceptable replacement behaviors in order to build a repertoire of communication, social interaction, and problem-solving skills, and fade prompts appropriately to promote independent use of the replacement behaviors.
• Increase the frequency or duration of safe and appropriate replacement behaviors by providing access to reinforcement.
• Accurately collect behavior data, including A-B-C, count, frequency, duration, latency, inter-response time, event, and interval-based recording.
• Provide input and feedback that contribute to the development of the treatment plan.
• Provide crisis management and support to clients, including prevention, de-escalation, and processing of strategies to support improved client functioning.
• Actively engage and coach clients and their caregivers and/or teachers (as well as other adult supports) to work toward the achievement of treatment goals, applying a range of appropriate therapeutic interventions.
• Provide in vivo guidance, training, and support to new and current BHT-ABAs in the implementation of the treatment and behavior support plan.
• Maintain ongoing communication and collaboration with all team members.
• Assist BC-ABAs with development behavior/treatment plan and/or crisis plans with the child, family, and team that are developmentally appropriate and strengths-based.
• Assist BC-ABAs with Interobserver Agreement (IOA) data collection to measure the quality of the interventions being used.
• Assist BC-ABAs with graphing clinical data on active treatment goals to monitor progress and communicate with BC-ABAs regarding any changes that need to be made to programming.
• Complete all required documentation in a thorough and accurate manner.
• Travel to a variety of education and/or home environments to provide services in clients’ environment, when applicable.
• Ensure compliance with PHMC/CFA policies and procedures, including confidentiality and mandated reporting.
• Provide clinical information to the evaluating psychologist/psychiatrist as required or requested.
• Attend and participate in meetings, training programs, and supervision as required by PHMC/CFA and the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).

Contributing to the Team

• Participate in regular meetings with staff to ensure that priorities are clear, coordination is good, and communication is open. Develop additional methods for ongoing effective communication.
• Cooperate and communicate as a multidisciplinary staff team member through formal meetings, informal consultations, and committee participation.
• Respond promptly to the concerns and interests of clients, parents, guardians, funding entities, and other PHMC/CFA staff.

Staff Leadership

• Foster a strengths-based, trauma-informed, accountable, committed, and motivating environment.
• Mentor and develop new and current BHT-ABAs to ensure a core team that is focused on meeting the priorities of the program.

Team Leadership

• Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with all internal and external stakeholders.
• Model traits of a responsible team member by executing job responsibilities, open communication, and good follow-through. Support team members to do the same.

Trauma-Informed Behavior

• Demonstrate commitment to being trauma-informed and maintaining a therapeutic environment and community that promotes safety and nonviolence as the basis for all we do with clients and staff.
• Demonstrate knowledge and utilization of trauma-informed practices, including emotional intelligence, effective communication, understanding of the impact of trauma on development, strengths-based and person-centered practice, resilience focus, and commitment to growth and change.

Administrative Activities

• Ensure compliance with all PHMC/CFA policies and procedures, including confidentiality and acting as a mandated reporter in accordance with the law.
• Implement all documentation requirements and ensure that reports are complete, thorough, timely, and written in the prescribed format. Ensure that staff do the same.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

SKILLS:

• Understanding of theory and implementation of behavior modification interventions
• Must have strong applied behavior analysis skills
• Knowledge of crisis management techniques
• Ability to adapt, be flexible, and change activities quickly
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with a broad variety of people, including other team members and management
• Ability to quickly form trusting relationships with a child/adolescent population based on an understanding of developmental processes and emotional needs
• Ability to form effective working relationships with diverse clients, school staff, family members, and stakeholders
• Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment
• Ability to maintain appropriate professional boundaries and confidentiality
• Demonstrates initiative, problem-solving, and follow-through
• Ability to independently assess and record data in order to report behavioral outcomes and intervention results to the treatment team
• Knowledge of, application of, and adherence to CASSP principles
• Ability to effectively and independently communicate treatment objectives and interventions to youth, family, school staff, and other treatment team members

ROLE REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have one of the following:
  
  • Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, counseling, sociology, education, criminal justice, or a similar human services field
  • Bachelor’s degree in any field with at least one year of experience in a job that involved direct contact with children/adolescents
• Must meet one of the following:
  
  • Have the qualifications for licensure as a behavior specialist under 49 Pa. Code §18.524 (relating to criteria for licensure as a behavior specialist) except the experience required under section 18.524(c)
  • Have a BCaBA certification or other accredited undergraduate-level certification in behavior analysis
  • Have a minimum of 6 months of experience in providing ABA services and a minimum of 12 credits in ABA from an accredited college or university
• Valid driver’s license must be maintained
• Participation in and completion of all CBH mandatory in-services (must be completed within three months of hire and then annually from the date of the initial training)

CLEARANCES: Valid PA child abuse (Act 33), PA criminal history, FBI, and medical clearances

COMPENSATION:

• PHMC Salary Grade 16
• Competitive salary based on experience
• Excellent benefits package

PHMC is an Equal Opportunity and E-Verify Employer.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities


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