A licensed behavior analyst is a type of applied behavior analysis practitioner in the United States. They have at least a master's degree, and sometimes a doctorate, in behavior analysis or a related field. Behavior analysts apply radical behaviorism to people. To become licensed, behavior analysts must not only complete graduate education, but also finish supervised fieldwork and pass a certification exam typically overseen by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) or the Qualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing Board (QABA).
Defining the scope of practice According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), behavior analysis is a scientific discipline concerned with understanding and improving behavior. Rooted in the philosophy of behaviorism, it emphasizes that efforts to improve the human condition are most effective when behavior itself is the focus of study and intervention. Research in this field has identified consistent relationships between behavior and environmental events, providing the foundation for applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABA practitioners use these principles to teach new skills and modify socially significant behaviors—such as communication, learning, and adaptive functioning—through evidence-based methods like positive reinforcement. As the above suggests, behavior analysis is based on the principles of operant and respondent conditioning. This places behavior analysis as one of the dominant models of behavior management, behavioral engineering and behavior therapy. Behavior analysis is an active, environmental based approach and some behavior analytic procedures are considered highly restrictive (see least restrictive environment). For example, these service may make access to preferred items contingent on performance. This has led to abuses in the past, in particular where punishment programs have been involved. In addition, failure to be an independent profession often leads behavior analysts and other behavior modifiers to have their ethical codes supplanted by those of other professions. For example, a behavior analyst working in the hospital setting might design a token economy, a form of contingency management. He may desire to meet his ethical obligation to make the program habilitative and in the clients' best long-term interest. The physicians and nurses in the hospital who supervise him may decide that the token economy should instead create order in the nursing routines so clients get their medication quickly and efficiently. Instead of the ethical code of the BACB and the Association for Behavior Analysis International's position that those receiving treatment have a right to effective treatment and a right to effective education. In addition, failure on the part of a behavior analyst to adequately supervise their workers could lead to abuse. Finally, misrepresentations of the field and historical problems between academics has led to frequent calls to professionalize behavior analysis. There is wide support within the profession for licensure.
Range of populations worked with
The professional practice of behavior analysis ranges from treatment of autistic and other developmentally disabled individuals to behavioral coaching and therapy. In addition to treatment of behavioral problems and corrections, the professional practice of behavior analysis includes organizational behavioral management, behavioral safety and even maintaining the behavioral health of astronauts while within and beyond Earth's orbit.
Certification The BACB and QABA offers a technical certificate in behavior analysis. This certification is internationally recognized. This certification states the level of training and requires an exam to show a minimum level of competence to call oneself a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). Certification came about because of many ethical issues with behavioral interventions being delivered including the use of aversive and humiliating treatments in the name of behavior modification. As of 2001, the American Board of Behavioral Psychology offered a diplomate (post PhD and licensed certification) in behavioral psychology.
The meaning of certification BACB and the QABA are private organizations without governmental powers to regulate behavior analytic practice. While the BACB and QABA certifications mean that candidates have satisfied entry-level requirements in behavior analytic training, certificants may require a government license for independent practice when treating behavioral health or medical problems. Licensed certificants must operate within the scope of their license and must practice within their areas of expertise. Where the government regulates behavior analytic services unlicensed certificants must be supervised by a licensed professional and operate within the scope of their supervisor's license when treating disorders. Unlicensed certificants who provide behavior analytic training for educational or optimal performance purposes do not require licensed supervision. Where the government does not regulate the treatment of medical or psychological disorders certificants should practice in accord with the laws of their state, province, or country. All certificants must practice within their personal areas of expertise.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
