BCBA Supervision Resource Library

Nov 1, 20223 min read

Updated: Jan 15

One of the requirements for earning board certification in behavior analysis is the successful completion of fieldwork hours. For most, this means 2,000 hours of experience, 5% of which are supervised. Explore more of the fieldwork requirements in this article.

High-quality fieldwork supervision is arguably the biggest piece to ensuring that we are thoroughly preparing our trainees for a behavior analyst role. However, behavior analysts and trainees alike encounter many in the supervision process. For supervisees, a key concern is the quality of supervision they receive. Many struggle to accrue unrestricted hours, with their supervisors prioritizing restricted work and being less invested in assigning unrestricted responsibilities. Supervisors often report barriers in accessing resources, progressing supervision, and finding opportunities for trainees to accrue hours.

This article will provide supervision resources for both the BCBA who is providing supervision and the supervisee who is receiving or seeking supervision. Please note that this is in no way an all-encompassing list of resources.

Are you exploring open RBT, BCBA, or mid-level supervisor positions? Take a look at the open roles posted on the ABA Job Board!

Start with the basics

For both supervising BCBAs and those who are pursuing fieldwork supervision, I highly recommend thoroughly reviewing the following BACB resources.

BCBA Handbook: This goes over all aspects of pursuing BCBA certification from eligibility pathways to fieldwork requirements, fieldwork activities, exam information, and more. Keep this bookmarked for easy access as you'll likely need to reference it on numerous occasions (I can't tell you how many times I have!).

Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts: BCBA applicants and certificants are required to know and abide by this code. Trainees should expect fieldwork supervision to consist of ongoing ethical discussions. As such, before taking on supervisees, BCBAs are recommended to brush up on the code.

Remote supervision

Those pursuing fieldwork hours may not have access to a BCBA in their current place of employment. Or they may struggle to accrue unrestricted hours with only one supervisor—this is especially common when working in a BT/RBT role. These trainees rarely experience a shortage in restricted hours but desperately need unrestricted tasks to develop the competencies of a BCBA and meet certification requirements. As such, many hopeful behavior analysts turn to remote supervision to accrue more hours.

If you're searching for a remote BCBA supervisor, check out this database of remote BCBA Supervisors who offer fieldwork supervision! Are you a supervisor who offers remote supervision? Sign up to be included in our BCBA Remote Supervisor Database!

Are you a new BCBA providing supervision? Don't forget the new requirement for consulting supervision! All BCBAs who provide supervision within their 1st year as a BCBA must have a consulting supervisor with 5+ years of experience as a BCBA.

Supervision Introductory Meeting Guide

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BCBA-specific supervision resources

Here’s a curated list of BCBA-specific supervision resources, including books, articles, and continuing education courses, that can enhance your supervision practices:

BCBA Supervision & Mentorship Books

Building and Sustaining Meaningful and Effective Relationships as a Supervisor and Mentor

BCBA Fieldwork Supervision Curriculum

Supervision CEUs

Expand your competencies in supervision practices by taking continued education courses. 3 supervision CEUs per two-year period are required for BCBAs providing supervision.

Supervision-related articles

The behavior analytic literature on supervision continues to expand. Here are several article suggestions.

Resources for both BCBAs and Trainees

BCBA Task List Competency Tracker : Track your OR your supervisee's progress toward the items on the 5th edition task list. The task list consists of skills and concepts that are expected of a behavior analyst, and therefore, monitoring one's competencies through the task list is beneficial. Check out this video on how the competency tracker is used.

Ethics for Behavior Analysts: An excellent read for both current and aspiring BCBAs. This book may be used to guide the ethical discussions in supervision meetings.

The Practical ABA Practitioner: Another great read for both current and aspiring analysts.