Becoming a RBT
It was as simple as responding to an archived Indeed job posting for a part-time, weekend position.
At the time, I was working as a preschool teacher and one of the new students we had received in our classroom had behaviors that were different from those of other students around him. I was taking a course in Child Psychology at the University of Illinois at the time (I was a psych major in my sophomore year), so with my work experience in conjunction with my ongoing education, I was even more fascinated with how each student acted similarly or different in response to different situations in various environments.
In addition to my Psychology major, I am pursuing a teaching licensure. In fact, I was working as a preschool teacher to build my resume for a future in teaching but up until then, I had no idea how I would practically incorporate my education in psychology with my training as a future educator but it was when I saw the Indeed post when it began to come together.
I was looking for a challenge in my professional life. I had grown accustomed to a set work/school schedule because I was still a student during the pandemic during its prime, and I soon found myself looking at part-time positions at other preschools. Somehow, I landed on a very old job posting for a Behavior Therapist on the “WEEKENDS ONLY”. The title seemed daunting because to me, therapist meant a trained professional dealing with mental or physical health issues. I had never done anything related to that before, so I was very discouraged to apply. However, something about the job drew me to applying with a here goes nothing attitude.
One thing led to the other, and I was hired for the therapist position. I was nervous but excited because I was told I would be trained for the position; I absolutely love to learn and grow, especially when it can help me become a better professional and individual overall, so this was ideal.
Even the training was interesting to me because a lot of the principles of ABA seemed familiar since they were similar to those I was studying as a student in clinical/community psychology. Thus, it was pretty easy to be very passionate about the subject. Eventually, the “weekends only” job became my primary, part-time profession. I worked with kiddos of various ages in both the clinical and home settings, with a possibility of working in school settings which I thought was perfect because it was a definite way for me to bring my background in education and psychology together in a practical manner.
But even beyond that, ABA and my job as a behavior therapist was more fulfilling than I had ever imagined it would be. Each individual I worked with was so unique, yet they were seeking to learn of ways in which they could adapt and respond to new places, people, and situations. From as young as two years old, these amazing kiddos—by working with the therapist which is implied to be consent in many cases—were taking the initiative to handle life changes in a more appropriate way, something even adults I encounter everyday have an issue doing yet they do not have an ASD diagnosis.
I have been very familiar with the struggle of adapting to different situations. I have also been in a position where I think it would be easier to stick to old habits. If my own support person had not taught me coping skills to deal with life’s challenges, I would be in a very different, much darker place today. I knew the importance of being my own individual, finding my own voice, and finding a more adaptable way of being me in today’s society.
I saw the behavior therapist job as an opportunity to be another individual’s support person. Truly, I began to take a closer look at the progress my clients were making. With the ABA support they were getting from their therapy team, their families, and other support systems, a lot of my clients were making visible progress. For instance, I had worked with one kiddo who I was assigned to since the start of her time with the company. We worked on many “yes/no” responding targets—the client would say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to questions simple for the client to understand, like, “Are you hungry”—and after working with the client for four months, I had to leave for a trip abroad that would last 8 weeks. Even after I came back and started working with the same client, it was such a proud moment to see that the client could now respond to questions with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
I had asked the client, “Do you want to go on a walk” to which they replied, “Yes! I want to go on a walk”. As cheesy as it sounds, it was purely fulfilling to see that my hard work was valuable to the entire support team of this particular individual so much to the point that they could now have more autonomy in their day-to-day activities.
Then I went to Panama.
I went to Panama in Central America for 8 weeks to teach abroad. I had always wanted to travel and going to get work experience (so, a legitimate excuse) justified the trip, and so I went. Working as a student teacher in a school in Panama City opened my eyes to how students with ASD experience school in a place outside of America. As I lead lesson plans, I began to use a lot of the skills I was developing at work to make the curriculum easier for the students to understand and retain. That was when the lightbulb turned on, brighter than ever.
I realized that the work I did as a Behavior Therapist was extremely important, because I was part of a team that helped individuals be prepared to be their own person as the time came. That is an enormous responsibility, and as with anything else, I wanted to be extremely well prepared. Thankfully after I came back from Panama, I began working in an environment that has always valued best practices for the client and family, though an equally unique feature about the company was that it values the growth of their therapists, their team members.
Under the guidance of an amazing BCBA, I began to train for the RBT credentials so that I could officially do the best job I could do as a professional in the field of ABA. I am proud to say that I eventually became an RBT, but I am even prouder to say that I am learning more and more things everyday which have even helped me become a better person in my own life.
I think becoming a BT/RBT was the ultimate event in my professional/academic life thus far that has helped me clearly visualize my future. It introduced me to a science-based practice that I could use for students and individuals around the world who are looking for an opportunity to learn different techniques of expressing who they are with the help of trained team-members and caregivers. And I could not be any prouder knowing that.
For anyone considering becoming a RBT, do it. You must have come this far in your journey to consider taking the exam. And that is a big step. Huge! I get it. I had learned that I would need to take the exam two months into my job. While that is still late, I pushed off taking the exam for 1 more month before I mustered up enough courage to sit for, and thankfully passed the exam. It is a daunting thing. You are responsible for an individual in your care, with the goal that you help the individual learn new behaviors. Your work will be reflected in everything your client does and that is purely terrifying. Or at least it can be.
Therefore, becoming a RBT helps. With the 40-hour training, BCBA supervision, and competency assessment (and if you can land one of the amazing BCBAs out there like I did), you are mostly ready to take the exam. All you need after that is to, of course, study, and have a lot of passion for what you do. I love what I do. Working with children and young adults can be challenging, but if you are someone who loves to learn and grow with the individual you are working with, this is the right job for you to consider.
I will say, it is not always easy. There are days when you get home and because of ethics, you cannot discuss your work day, but you just need to take a nice relaxing hour of binge television watching. Or dog-walking. Or whatever else. The point is, it happens. But that is the case with any job. What stands out to me about this job, though, is the fulfilling feeling I have every time I see one of my kiddos doing something like saying hello, or asking for more of something, in an appropriate way I helped teach. That is enough to keep me passionate about being a RBT, and I am confident that if you love working with children and also are passionate about the fact that every child deserves an opportunity to make their own future, you will be passionate and subsequently confident enough to become a successful RBT in your own right.
I truly do hope this helps anyone find their calling in ABA, but if not, thank you for giving my story some of your time!
