Dealing with Behavioral Stress

Overview: Putting It All Together

Terrell is a BCBA supervisor working with supervisees who are gaining experience hours toward national certification. Many of his supervisees express feelings of anxiety around gaining their hours and the workload of managing their careers, families, school, and supervision obligations. Being a skilled supervisor, Terrell incorporates acceptance and commitment training (ACT) into his supervision, helping his supervisors to build self-management skills that will help them reach their goals.

The role of BCBA can carry a heavy physical, mental, and emotional load. While the work is highly gratifying, it is far too often that a behavior analyst will work to the point of burnout. Being aware of this possibility provides you with an opportunity to set up systems for prevention. Acceptance and commitment training (ACT) may be useful in preparing for and managing the stress that can come with the demands of supervising.

Summaries of the specified chapter and article:
Chapter 19: “Learn to Deal Behaviorally with Stress” from “25 Essential Skills and Strategies for the Professional Behavior Analyst” by Bailey and Burch (2009):
This chapter focuses on providing behavior analysts with strategies to effectively deal with stress. It emphasizes the importance of recognizing stress triggers and understanding how they impact behavior. The chapter offers practical techniques, such as mindfulness and relaxation exercises, to manage stress behaviorally. It also discusses the role of self-care and maintaining a healthy work-life balance in reducing stress levels. Overall, the chapter aims to equip behavior analysts with tools to cope with stress effectively, enhancing their consulting effectiveness.
Article: “How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Changed the Perspective on Support Provision for Staff Working with Intellectual Disability” by Leoni, Corti, Cavagnola, Healy, & Noone (2016), Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 10(1), 59-73:
This article explores the impact of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on staff members working with individuals with intellectual disabilities. It discusses how ACT interventions have shifted perspectives on support provision by focusing on values, mindfulness, and acceptance. The article highlights how ACT techniques, such as mindfulness exercises and value clarification, have improved staff members’ well-being and effectiveness in supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities. It suggests that incorporating ACT principles into training programs can enhance staff resilience, empathy, and job satisfaction while improving the quality of care provided to individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Overview
As a BCBA, you will be responsible for ensuring those who implement your plans are highly trained, carry through programs, and meet all other performance expectations, such as collecting accurate data and turning in data sheets.
Instructions
Building on your last assignment, refer to your case developed in your PSY7712 and PSY7713 coursework and imagine you are a behavior analyst planning to train the trainee who will implement your program. Use the five-step model to develop a comprehensive performance management plan to train your trainee to implement the procedure selected for the Week 9 assignment. Complete the following:
● Provide a brief overview (one paragraph) of the case, including the following:
○ Brief description of the client, their skills and needs.
○ Operational definition for the target behavior.
○ Function of the behavior.
○ Identify the treatment procedure(s) selected.
● Pinpoint the result and behavior(s) for the selected procedure (for example, pinpointed result: 0 injury incidents; pinpointed behavior: trainee implements FCT for SIB with 100 percent accuracy).
● Discuss how you will measure the pinpoints.
○ Include your fidelity checklist from Week 9. (i have attached my paper from week 9)
● Describe how you will train your trainee, and provide feedback considering best practices.
● Explain how you will reinforce trainee performance.
● Include how you will evaluate your performance management plan.
● Explain how compassionate supervisory practices were incorporated into the performance management plan.
Suggested structure for your paper:
● Title Page.
● Case Overview.
● Pinpoints.
● Measurement.
● Training and Feedback.
● Reinforce.
● Evaluate.
● Compassionate Supervisory Practices.
● References Page.

Additional Requirements
● Written Communication: Writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
● APA Formatting: References and citations are formatted according to APA style guidelines. Review Evidence and APA for more information.
● Resources: At least 4–5 scholarly or professional resources.
● Length: 4–6 double-spaced pages, excluding title page and list of references.
Refer to the Designing a Performance Management Plan rubric to ensure you understand the grading criteria for this assignment.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and rubric criteria:
● Competency 1: Apply the principles of behavior analysis to supervisory practices.
○ Provide an adequate case overview.
○ Define relevant pinpoints in a clear manner.
● Competency 2: Apply performance monitoring systems to oversee behavior change programs.
○ Discuss a system for measuring the selected pinpoints, and include a fidelity checklist.
○ Describe a training and feedback plan.
○ Create a reinforcement system for maintaining trainee performance.
○ Describe how to evaluate the performance management plan.
● Competency 3: Apply compassionate approaches to supervisory practices.
○ Explain how compassionate supervisory practices were incorporated into the performance management plan.
● Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
○ Demonstrate an academic writing style through well-organized prose that follows assignment guidelines.
○ Demonstrate compliance with APA style, citation, and referencing guidelines.