Behavioral Therapist Interview Preparation Guide

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Be honest with yourself. Do play the game and try to think of something that you’ve been improving or could improve, but be honest. All of us have strengths and all of us have weaknesses. If you find yourself hiding from the truth (like you hate kids but are applying to be a school teacher) question whether you should really be interviewing for this position.

Be positive. Never say, “Oh, I can’t really think of anything I liked now you mention it.” (I have been given this answer when interviewing and it kind of reflects badly on the person). Beyond being affirmative and upbeat, try to think of something you liked to do in the position that is part of the new position you are applying for (i.e. “I really liked working with the public” when applying for a Customer Service position).

I enjoy every phase of the therapeutic process. I thrive on the challenge of diagnosing the case, devising and implementing the most appropriate treatment plan and above all I enjoy watching the plan work.

This question is a gift although sometimes it can seem overwhelming.

When preparing for your interview, you should study the job description and make a bulleted list of what aspects really appeal to you and play to your strengths.

I was treating an autistic child using combination technique that utilized pivotal response and incidental teaching methods and the child was responding positively to the treatment. All of a sudden his condition got worse and I was disappointed. I changed the strategy but still could not attain the desired result. On further investigation I found out that the child was being bullied at the school by a new class fellow. I coordinated with the teacher and the issue was finally resolved.

An applied behavior analysis therapist assists clients in social skills development, language acquisition, self help strategies and development of daily living skills by applying various behavioral therapeutic interventions. ABA therapists assist patients in changing their behavior with a view to make them more productive, socially active and healthy minded.

This question waits in your path like a mine waiting to take your leg off, but the answer is not always obvious. Some jobs require you to spend a long time alone on projects. Other companies have a total commitment to the team building idea of running a business. Target your answer depending on (a) what you really, truly prefer and (b) on what the interviewer seems to be looking for (knowing the company culture will give you your answer). Most people answer with a nod to both – they’re flexible. Be careful of sitting on the fence. Whatever you answer, sound like you mean it.

An approved certificate program can provide the coursework necessary to be eligible for certification as a BCBA or BCaBA. A certificate program can also provide education that may be very useful to individuals not pursuing any kind of certification, such as some educators and parents. A certificate program must have the BACB approved sequence of coursework to count toward certification eligibility. Certification by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board is only available for people who already possess a master's or bachelor's degree in a relevant field, completed the required coursework, and who already have, or will be able to obtain, supervised experience in applied behavior analysis.

I was treating an autistic child using combination technique that utilized pivotal response and incidental teaching methods and the child was responding positively to the treatment. All of a sudden his condition got worse and I was disappointed. I changed the strategy but still could not attain the desired result. On further investigation I found out that the child was being bullied at the school by a new class fellow. I coordinated with the teacher and the issue was finally resolved

It is very difficult not to get emotionally involved with a patient. For most part of the day, a patient is in my care and it is up to me to provide him or her with everything that he or she needs both physically and emotionally. While it is difficult, I try not to get emotionally involved and still maintain compassion and understanding so that I can treat them effectively.

Think about this now. Write down what you do best. Become conscious of what you like to do. Don’t downplay your positive attributes. The interviewer will only hear about the good things you do if you tell them. If you keep it to yourself you’re only doing yourself harm.

☛ What do you do when priorities change quickly? Give one example of when this happened.
☛ Describe a project or idea that was implemented primarily because of your efforts. What was your role? What was the outcome?
☛ What is the riskiest decision you have made? What was the situation? What happened?
☛ Give an example of an important goal that you set in the past. Tell about your success in reaching it.
☛ Tell us about a time when you had to analyze information and make a recommendation. What kind of thought process did you go through? What was your reasoning behind your decision?
☛ Tell us about a time when you built rapport quickly with someone under difficult conditions.
☛ Tell us about the most difficult or frustrating individual that you’ve ever had to work with, and how you managed to work with them.
☛ There are many jobs that require creative or innovative thinking. Give an example of when you had such a job and how you handled it.
☛ On occasion we are confronted by dishonesty in the workplace. Tell about such an occurrence and how you handled it.
☛ Describe the most challenging negotiation in which you were involved. What did you do? What were the results for you? What were the results for the other party?
☛ Tell us about the most effective presentation you have made. What was the topic? What made it difficult? How did you handle it?
☛ What have you done to develop your subordinates? Give an example.
☛ Describe a situation where you had to use confrontation skills.

Sound like a difficult question? Does it make you feel like crying or just apologising for turning up and followed by a burning desire to jump out the window? Don’t do it. The question is so easy! Turn it around. It is offering you a chance to list off several ways that you suit the position, i.e. you like advertising, you’re a computer guru, you’ve got a proven track record in sales behind you. Use the question to identify yourself with the position. Make the interviewer think, “Why wouldn’t I hire this person?”

I usually decide the techniques after evaluating the case however the ones I use most commonly and have found to be very effective include: pivotal response training, positive reinforcement systems and incidental teaching

Definitely not! Some children with Autism have a higher IQ than even the most intelligent of people.

This question is asking you to think about your future with the company. Prior to your interview, think about and write down your answer to this question. Where do you hope to be with the company in five years. Don’t hedge too much, don’t say, “Well, it’s difficult to say. Five years is a long time away.” Use the question to target the interview. Your answer should be different every time you interview with a different company (unless they are competitors in the same industry with identical corporate structures).

Whenever I am assigned a team task I schedule a daily brief plenary meeting with all team members and a weekly progress development analysis meeting. This enables ample communication and exchange of information regarding the case or cases and the future treatment plans are also chalked out in these sessions collaboratively.

No, they are excellent for educators, parents of autistic children, social workers, special education teachers, health and human services professionals and more. Although these individuals may never pursue certification or work directly in the psychology field, board certified behavior analysis courses help them develop their ability to identify and analyze root causes of performance problems and behavioral issues as well as to develop interventions that address these problems in a systematic way. The concepts learned and the skills developed through applied behavior analysis can be applied for the betterment of many fields.

It should be noted that many parents of Autistic children enroll in ABA and ABA Autism certificate programs. Enabling families to access affordable and competent behavior analysts is an urgent problem because this is not an area in which "do-it-yourself" programming is advisable. Often, however, particularly for persons living far away from services, parents will have to assume major responsibility for their children's intervention programs.

It is very difficult not to get emotionally involved with a patient. For most part of the day, a patient is in my care and it is up to me to provide him or her with everything that he or she needs both physically and emotionally. While it is difficult, I try not to get emotionally involved and still maintain compassion and understanding so that I can treat them effectively.

The initial case history data form includes information like the name, age, gender of the patient, his or her medical history, marital and socio economic status, birth order, observable physical and behavioral problems and the like

The Board Certified Behavior Analyst is an independent practitioner who also may work as an employee or independent contractor for an organization. The BCBA conducts descriptive and systematic (e.g., analogue) behavioral assessments, including functional analyses, and provides behavior analytic interpretations of the results. The BCBA designs and supervises behavior analytic interventions. The BCBA is able to effectively develop and implement appropriate assessment and intervention methods for use in unfamiliar situations and for a range of cases. The BCBA seeks the consultation of more experienced practitioners when necessary. The BCBA teaches others to carry out ethical and effective behavior analytic interventions based on published research and designs and delivers instruction in behavior analysis. BCBAs supervise the work of Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts and others who implement behavior analytic interventions.

The Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) awards this credential to individuals who have met coursework, degree, fieldwork and examination requirements. To become eligible for BCBA certification by the BACB, applicants must meet one of the following three options:

☛ Option 1 requires an acceptable graduate degree from an accredited university, completion of acceptable graduate coursework in behavior analysis, and a defined period of supervised practical experience to apply for the BCBA examination.
☛ Option 2 requires an acceptable graduate degree, a full-time faculty position in behavior analysis that includes research and teaching, and supervised practical experience to apply for the BCBA examination.
☛ Option 3 requires an acceptable doctoral degree that was conferred at least 10 years ago and at least 10 years’ post-doctoral practical experience to apply for the BCBA examination.

This question is best answered with a concrete example of how you handled a stressful situation from your past work history. Referencing a real example will give greater validity to your answer. For example, you might say, “In my last job I wore many hats and a lot of stress occurred around deadlines. I eased the stress by planning out a schedule which I sent to everybody on my team. That way we all who was responsible for finishing a particular job on time.”

If you can’t refer to a specific example where you handled stress – think how you would do so hypothetically. You might say, “I would handle a stressful situation by looking at my workload and seeing if it was reasonable. If I couldn’t get the job done in the time required, I might seek help from my co-workers or advice from my manager.”

Or finally, reference a personal example of stress management. For example, “When I was stressed by exams at school, I would break down the tasks I had to do into more manageable components then tackle them one by one.”

It is difficult to provide a standard answer here as each child with autism has different learning abilities and limitations so each child has to be treated according to these. The first thing I do in a situation such as this is to entice the child’s imagination so that he or she can determine the fun associated with an extrovert activity. The rest depends on how they react; I just take their cue.

Now is your time to get answers to your questions that have come up based on your grueling interview. Steer clear of salary, benefit and other questions that might make you sound pushy or that you are trying to negotiate the terms of a job that hasn't been offered to you yet. Take this time to clarify questions of what hours you will be working, what type of patients they see most of and why the interviewer enjoys working for this hospital or facility.

As an ABA Therapist, you know that the four basic schedules of reinforcement refer to the frequency with which a patient receives reinforcement (or a reward) for performing the desired behavior. You can go ahead and answer this question in textbook fashion but have an example handy just in case the interviewer wants you to go into your answer just a bit more.