These days, Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) are in high demand for Autism Spectrum Disorder treatment. With so many employment options available, it can be difficult to tell quality Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) providers from the rest. I recently sat down with Nick Chappell, Diana Wolf, and Jennifer Gruber, of Verbal Beginnings to hear about what sets their company apart from the rest.
When you come to work at Verbal Beginnings, you aren’t just thrown into a caseload, you are integrated into a values-based network of support. From the outset, you will shadow a Clinical Coordinator who is a senior-level BCBA that will guide you through a 17-week integration process designed to push your clinical and leadership competencies to a new level.
As we have mentioned previously, Clinical Coordinators are a source of mentorship and constructive feedback. They will also join you during home visits to help ensure treatment plans are running smoothly and parent needs are being addressed. Moreover, Field Coordinators, senior-level Registered Behavioral Technicians (RBTs), provide administrative support to the front-line staff such that BCBAs can further focus on assessment, treatment, and parent support.
And all of this is done within the context of five core values unique to the company, and expressed in daily work.
Collaboration. Verbal Beginnings is more than the sum of its parts. It is something greater. Everyone in the company, across all levels, works together as a team towards shared goals. From the quarterly and annual goals of the company as a whole, to weekly supervision and treatment goals, everyone has a part to play.
Dissemination. ABA was meant for the world, and each team member of Verbal Beginnings is encouraged to spread the science outside of their own client base to the world at large. You can spot Verbal Beginnings employees presenting at local and national conferences; holding workshops for families, teachers, students and other professionals at the Verbal Beginnings Center, and blogging about relevant issues in our field through the Verbal Beginnings website, Facebook page, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Education. Clinical ABA services can’t run effectively without an educational component. The families served by Verbal Beginnings benefit from strategies to effectively encourage appropriate behaviors at home. At Verbal Beginnings, families are part of the team. Utilizing OBM strategies such as behavior skills training (BST), for effective training, BCBAs are not only mentors for RBTs, they’re also coaches for families – teaching, supporting, and enlightening.
Innovation. ABA is constantly evolving. New research is published every day, and new conferences are sprouting up across the world to showcase new ways to improve the lives of those served by ABA services. Thus, the BCBAs at Verbal Beginnings are encouraged to stay abreast of the latest research and to incorporate it into their work with clients. Verbal Beginnings also gives BCBAs a platform to give back to the field by conducting their own research, with current work ranging from ABA feeding, potty training, pairing, verbal behavior, parent training, and much, much more.
Inspiration. The team at Verbal Beginnings is about self-improvement. Everyone can always get better at what they do. This means positively influencing RBTs to pursue continued education in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. In support of this core value, Verbal Beginnings provides scholarships to University partners, in an effort to coordinate the hands-on practice at Verbal Beginnings with the science learned at the University. For BCBAs, inspiration means seeking out conferences, continuing education, and workshops, to continuously hone your skills and update your knowledge of the field.
Verbal Beginnings is currently hiring for BCBAs in and the Maryland, VA and D.C. area. If you are interested in learning more about opportunities at Verbal Beginnings, reach out to join@verbalbeginnings.com.
By Todd A. Ward, PhD, BCBA-D, President and Founder of bSci21Media, LLC
