Supervision for Certification in the Field of Applied Behaviour Analysis: Characteristics and Relationship with Job Satisfaction, Burnout, Work Demands, and Support.

Brian Fennell,Erin Early,Katerina Dounavi

doi:10.3390/ijerph16122098

Brian Fennell, Erin Early + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16122098

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Abstract

Background: Supervision of behavior analysts seeking certification and supervision of service delivery are key processes in the provision of quality behaviour analytic services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Our study is the first to examine international supervisory practices within the field of applied behaviour analysis. Method: An online survey was distributed to 92 professionals internationally, assessing supervisory practice, supervisor support, work demands, job satisfaction, and burnout. Results: Findings indicate high satisfaction with the supervisor and supervisory experience. Excessive work demands positively correlate with high burnout and low job satisfaction. Half of all professionals only worked with one or two clients before certification. Supervisor and collegial support seem to decrease the likelihood of suffering burnout and increase job satisfaction, although relationships were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Supervisor and collegial support warrant further research as protective factors. Implications for an evidence-based supervisory practice that produces ethical and competent supervisees are discussed.

Highlights

Care professions have been described as those jobs in which the professional, as the giver, and the client, as the receiver, have an asymmetrical social relationship [1,2]
Parsons and Reid [16] found that only after being explicitly trained on feedback provision did supervisors improve their feedback quality. These results clearly indicate that new BCBAs® who might be competent in the application of behaviour-analytic procedures would most likely not be effective at instructing others unless they have received training on supervision, very recently made mandatory by the Behavior Analysts Certification Board (BACB® ) (BACB, [17])
A total of 74 respondents provided information on the number of clients served during pre-certification or pre-credentialing supervision, with four respondents reporting having worked with five clients (5.4%), six (8.1%) with four, 26 (35.1%) with three, and 30 (40.5%) with two clients (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Care professions have been described as those jobs in which the professional, as the giver, and the client, as the receiver, have an asymmetrical social relationship [1,2]. This imbalanced dynamic can elevate the risk of burnout across professions such as physicians, nurses, social workers, care workers, and teachers. Plantiveau et al [3] found high rates of burnout among Board Certified Behavior Analysts®. Method: An online survey was distributed to 92 professionals internationally, assessing supervisory practice, supervisor support, work demands, job satisfaction, and burnout. Implications for an evidence-based supervisory practice that produces ethical and competent supervisees are discussed

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