In today’s blog you’ll get to hear from Intern-turned-Field Coordinator Taylor Dye. Taylor started off at VB as an intern and eventually finished her master’s program and is now overseeing her own field team! Here’s Taylor’s story with a little advice and lessons learned along the way.
Tell us about your first day as an intern… what was it like?
My first day as an intern was an amazing experience at the center. It was my first exposure to ABA in the field. I just started my first semester of grad school so ABA was still very new to me. It was a great experience to shadow the ABA Therapists and BCBAs throughout the day. I was able to ask questions start to pair with a few of the clients. The internship made me feel prepared and comfortable that I could work with clients in-home.
What was it like being part of Verbal Beginning’s in-home team?
Working in-home has been such a great experience for me. I started out working part time; only 6-10 hours a week in the evenings and I loved the hands-on experience I was getting with my clients. I think it allows you to really be able to pair and establish a great relationship with not only the client but the family members as well. I love being able to work on life skills and helping my clients become more independent within their own environment.
You were promoted to Field Coordinator last year. Congrats! Tell us about how you went after this role and what it took to get there.
After I completed my master’s program in ABA I wanted to find a full-time position in the field so that I could start to earn more supervision hours towards my BCBA. The Field Coordinator overseeing me was the one who introduced me to the idea of applying for the Field Coordinator position since.
What’s a typical day like for you as you’re overseeing a team in the field?
As a Field Coordinator I oversee a team of 10-20 therapists in the field that live in my region. We have made a lot of changes to the structure of the VBF team since I started the position in January 2018. It is great practice for providing feedback and training to those on my team. Each day is different and that is what makes it so interesting. A typical day as a FC starts out with me working from the comforts of my own home; I am responsible for weekly/ monthly check-ins with each of my team members, collecting audit information and providing assistance with any administrative questions or needs and then I travel to work 2-4 hours each evening with my clients in-home. As an FC I am able to reach out to the therapists in the field and help them feel more connected to the company and that they are a part of a team.
Any advice to those just starting out their careers in ABA?
My advice to anyone starting their career is ABA is do not be afraid to ask your supervisors questions and learn from their experiences so that you can find what works best for you when you start to work with your clients. This is a field where you can learn something new each day so make sure you are taking it all in and enjoying it!
