Behavior Therapist

Why work at BDI?

Learn incredibly effective teaching techniques based on years of scientific research. We will train you to work with children who have unique learning needs. Through the use of many positively based behavioral techniques you will be a part of a team of highly trained staff who are able to:

• Help children engage in a wide variety of appropriate behavior so to become fully functioning members of their families, schools, and community.
• Teach children how to learn from their natural environments.
• Teach children who avoid most instructions to calmly follow them.
• Help children who have no or limited communication skills to effectively communicate.
• Teach children who have few or no play skills to make productive use of their free time.
• Help children who avoid most or all social interactions to look forward to being with others.
• Use a person-centered approach to meet the unique cultural needs of the families we serve. Benefits, Experience, and More

• Not only is BDI committed to providing competitive services, but also competitive employment

Benefits, Experience, and More

• BDI believes in rewarding hard work by promoting from within
• We are a family-first company
• We are recognized in the state as one of the top providers of ABA therapy and are expanding
• BDI provides hands on training, mentoring and supervision that can help you gain experience in this field and assist with career advancement. 
• Not only do we also work with students to be flexible with hours, but we also provide tuition reimbursement and bonuses to employees who complete their Master's degree, certification, and licensure in related fields.
• BDI provides medical and dental insurance, 401K, PTO, and short and long-term disability, depending on full-time or part-time employment.

Qualifications: To qualify as a Behavior Therapist (BT), a person must meet at least one of the following sets of requirements:

1. Be currently enrolled in a bachelor's degree program at an accredited college or university in one of the behavioral or child development sciences or a related field (e.g., mental health, special education, social work, psychology, speech pathology, occupational therapy, etc.)

2. Have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in behavioral or child development science or a related field (e.g., mental health, special education, social work, psychology, speech pathology, occupational therapy, etc.),

3. Have both:

• An associate's degree from an accredited college or university in a behavioral or child development science or a related field (e.g., mental health, special education, social work, psychology, speech pathology, occupational therapy, etc.)
• At least 2,000 hours of supervised clinical experience delivering treatment to people with ASD or a related condition.

4. Have at least 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience delivering treatment to people with ASD or a related condition.

You can count hours worked as a mental health behavioral aide, personal care assistance (PCA) worker, or special education paraprofessional toward these requirements.

Knowledge and Skill Required:

• Staff are required to have the following knowledge and skills to perform the various roles and responsibilities:
• Ability to move as quickly as the client with whom work is being done.
• Ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in written form, to coworkers and family members.
• Ability to speak English such that individuals with deficits in receptive language may easily understand the words being used.
• Ability to understand directions given by others in English. Ability to repeat (paraphrase) directions given.
• Ability to accurately read and record information as required, on a daily basis.
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality about all client activity and family information.

Important Distinctions in Responsibilities:

There must always be a primary caregiver at home when BDI staff are at the site working with the child. The primary caregiver is responsible for caring for the child's basic needs. Behavior Therapists are not responsible for providing child care and therefore will not perform the following activities:

• Giving medication (must be administered by caregiver)
• Transporting children
  • Community-based programs are only allowed if stated in the treatment plan, and the caregiver must provide the transportation, never an employee of Behavioral Dimensions.
• Supervising the child when no parent or caregiver is at home
• Providing first aid or CPR
• Behavior Therapists do not train parents or train other staff, or even provide suggestions to parents or to other staff (refer to supervisor instead)

Some of the following needs may be met by Behavior Therapists if they are active skills being taught and training has been provided. Staff should therefore not engage in these activities unless instructed by their supervisor.

• Changing of diapers
• Other toileting needs
• Bathing or other hygiene needs
• Preparing food and feeding