BCBA Clinical Apprentice (Internal Only)

We deliver exceptional service by hiring extraordinary talent! 

If you are pursuing your BCBA certification and seeking fieldwork hours, the Clinical Apprentice position could be the perfect fit for you!

Summary

LittleStar ABA Therapy is committed to training the next generation of Behavior Analysts! ​​​​​ Whether you are interested in staying with LittleStar once credentialed as a BCBA or would like to transition to another agency, the Clinical Apprentice position will prepare you to be effective in your work! We understand the need for a guided supervisory experience with access to diverse unrestricted experiences and have designed a supervision curriculum to bridge the gap from university coursework to practical application. This curriculum has 42 competencies that cover the majority of the 5^th edition task list and the 2022 Ethics Code.  Through individual and group supervision, Clinical Apprentices access targeted experience on various applications of Behavior Analysis within the context of autism spectrum disorders. For more information about our model, read the article we published in the Behavior Analysis in Practice journal in 2016, "The Apprentice: an Innovative Approach to Meet the Behavior Analysis Certification Board's Supervision Standards". 

About Us 

LittleStar ABA Therapy works with children, teens, and young adults affected by autism.  Operating as a non-profit organization, we use our resources to ensure quality services to our patients, and to invest in our staff and the autism community. Our clinical leadership consists of experts in the field of ABA, including three PhDs and a world-class advisory board.  We have been improving the lives of individuals with autism for over 20 years!   

Why Work at LittleStar?

• Paid unrestricted hours
• Access to multiple supervisors
• Sequenced supervision curriculum designed from the 5^th edition task list and the 2022 Ethics Code
• Opportunities to provide staff training and parent support, conduct various assessments, and develop treatment plans and programming (i.e., diverse supervised unrestricted activities are available)
• Weekly group supervision with other Clinical Apprentices
• Access to mock BCBA exams with content-specific feedback
• Assistance with career placement after obtaining the BCBA credential (at LittleStar and elsewhere!)

GREAT BENEFITS

• 15 days of paid time off (PTO) for the first year and additional day with each subsequent year
• 9 paid holidays
• 3 options for medical insurance and 2 options for dental insurance, and free vision insurance
• 401k retirement plan with up to a 4% company match
• As a nonprofit, our employees are eligible for public service loan forgiveness (PSLF)

Qualifications and Skills Required

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Enrolled in graduate-level Applied Behavior Analysis courses, and actively working towards certification as a board certified behavior analyst
• Six months of prior experience conducting ABA Therapy with patients with autism
• Completion of a minimum of 800 restricted supervision hours (preferred)

Essential Duties and Responsibilities of a Clinical Apprentice

• Design, implement, and systematically monitor skill-acquisition and behavior reduction programs under the supervision of a Clinical BCBA
• Write monthly goals for patients as directed by the Clinical BCBA; create, prepare, and update acquisition program materials for patients
• Assist with the implementation of an assigned patient’s behavior deceleration plan, as needed
• Analyze and summarize results of assessments and graph results/data regularly; create and update data sheets and electronic data collection system
• Write 6-month progress reports with supervision and guidance by the Clinical BCBA
• Assist the Clinical BCBA by researching the literature related to specific patient’s programs; write objectives to be tested for initial assessments; conduct and assist with assessments related to the need for behavioral intervention (e.g., stimulus preference assessment, functional assessment, staff performance assessment)
• Conduct approximately one patient observation per week by giving feedback and instruction to RBTs, with supervision and feedback from Clinical BCBA; conduct naturalistic observation of patients as directed by the Clinical BCBA
• Oversee the implementation of behavior-analytic programs by RBTs, train and design behavioral systems and performance management for RBTs
• Meet with the supervising Clinical BCBA at least once per week to discuss patient progress and behavior analytic tasks that must be completed for each patient (can meet on the floor with BCBA and Patient present), attend monthly clinical staff meetings
• Spend a minimum of 10 hours per week on the floor with the Clinical BCBA as they provide program modification to patients
• Facilitate team meetings for patients as needed, with supervision and feedback from Clinical BCBA
• Follow-up with the caregivers to ensure generalization of patient objectives, provide staff and caregiver training, and assist with answering parent emails
• Work with patients for a minimum of 16 hours per week, providing shift coverage as needed

Condition of Employment

• Must successfully pass the initial and updated criminal history, background, and record checks, which includes driving history checks.
• Must provide transportation to patients using your personal vehicle and travel to different locations within the surrounding area to provide therapy.
• Must provide proof of automobile insurance with a minimum of $100,000 combined in property and medical liability prior to and during employment.

Supervisory Responsibility

Clinical Apprentices help to supervise the Technicians working with their assigned Clinical BCBA’s caseload of patients.

Work Environment

Position operates in a clinical environment. This role routinely uses standard office and audiovisual equipment. Position may also operate at offsite locations including a patient’s home, school, or place of employment. This role will be expected to work at multiple sites with multiple patients. Clinical Apprentices are not eligible for telecommuting.

Physical & Psychological Demands
The physical & psychological demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. This position is required to work with special needs/disabled patients, who can be aggressive based upon their diagnosis.  It is a physically active position, working with patients of varied activity levels and movement.  Patients will move throughout the building to various locations during therapy. 
Employees will be required to implement appropriate behavior management techniques as prescribed by patient’s behavior plan.  This will include physical management procedures in response to aggressive or unsafe behaviors. Employees must successfully demonstrate techniques learned during Crisis De-escalation and Intervention (CDI) training within the first few weeks of employment and annually thereafter.
Employees must be flexible and adaptive to working with multiple patients with different patient profiles, including a range of ability level(s) presenting challenging behaviors.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to meet the following demands.

Physical requirements:

• Speaking – must speak and understand the English language
• Hearing – requires hearing ability sufficient to perform job duties safely and effectively
• Reaching with hands and arms; be dexterous while using hands to finger, handle or feel
• Exhibiting physical agility such as walk/run/climb stairs; sit/stand for long periods time; dodge/lunge/pivot/shuffle; have quick reaction time / move quickly; bend at waist, in all directions; be able to sit on floor with legs extended, then lean back supporting weight on elbow; be able to lay flat on floor, facing down; be able to get up from floor to stand quickly, without assistance of wall, chair or pushing themselves up with their hands
• Lifting/pushing/pulling at least 50 lbs.
• Enduring high levels of constant physical activity

• Patient behaviors may precipitate and/or impact an employee’s personal mental health.  This role may not be suitable for people with certain behavioral health conditions (e.g., PTSD, Anxiety, Bipolar, etc.).
• Must remain calm and focused under pressure

• Supervise employee’s patient consistently and independently
• Be able to work with patients who may be larger in height and/or weight than employee

Travel

Travel to satellite sites, patient’s homes, and/or training events or conferences may be required.

Mission

To inspire, serve, and guide all those touched by autism to achieve a better reality.

Vision

To be the trusted, innovative, compassionate partner creating new possibilities for individuals touched by autism across their lifespan.

Core Values

Real Care, Real Advocacy, and Real Progress
 

This Employer Participates in E-Verify and All Offers of Employment are Contingent Upon Clear Results of a Background Check