Looking to get (and stay!) organized as a BCBA? Find out more about the 5 products I use to make me a more organized, efficient BCBA!
But first, a little backstory…
When I first became a BCBA, I was overwhelmed by everything. I was newly certified with a huge caseload and keeping everything organized felt like a monumental task.We all know how it can be: you have RBT supervision, client programming, treatment plan writing, material making…the list goes on and on. And that’s for one client. I learned the hard way that staying organized isn’t only a goal, it’s vital just to survive a day at the office. In this post, I’ll review my FIVE favorite products that were a complete game changer for me as a BCBA that helped me get (and stay!) organized:
- RBT Supervision Form
- Program Monitoring Form
- Clinical Case Management Form
- Initial Assessment Guide
- Case Note Form
Let’s dive in to talk about the miracles that these products work every day for me as a BCBA!
#1: RBT Supervision Form
There’s something special about a GOOD RBT Supervision Form. It summarizes your session beautifully, streamlines giving feedback to your technicians, and makes keeping track of your supervision a breeze. I realized pretty quickly that, in general, RBTs enjoy receiving written feedback. My staff liked seeing the positive comments I had about their sessions. Surprisingly, it even made the corrective feedback go over better! It was almost as if having the written description of how their session was going well made them want to perform better to get a better review during our next session. When I first implemented this at my clinic, an RBT got a great review after a particularly good session with a client and said, “I can’t wait to take this home and show my mom!”
Implementing an RBT Supervision form built so much rapport with my staff because it built trust. And not only that, but it helped keep me organized and on track during my sessions.
You can find the RBT Supervision form that I love by clicking HERE.
#2: Program Monitoring Form
I feel like a program monitoring form is one of the most underrated—but most needed—products you can use to create a more organized, streamlined BCBA practice. We do a lot on any given day, and it became impossible for me to keep track of what parts of a client’s program I added, removed, or made changes to. Not having a system made programming a nightmare. I spent more time trying to pull the thread in my own mind to figure out what I was thinking when I made changes than actually making progress doing the things that needed to be done during my sessions.
The program monitoring form saved me hours by summarizing exactly what happened during my programming sessions without having to struggle through trying to decipher my cryptic scribbled notes at the end of the day. I was able to quickly jot down an updated clinical summary, describe the programs added and removed, jot down any technician questions or feedback for the therapists on the case, and include action items for myself or others on the team.
Implementing this system made me a better BCBA because it made me more reliable. I kept up with client programming and my clients saw better results because the entire team was on the same page about what the programming looked like!
You can get yourself a copy of the Program Monitoring form that I can’t live without by clicking HERE!
#3: Clinical Case Management Form
Having a Clinical Case Management form is a necessity if you have supervisees or are working with BCaBAs. I absolutely LOVE working with these groups of people because they have such a love for the field and they are so dedicated to doing what’s best for their clients. I’ve been lucky and have been surrounded by supervisees and trainees who generally want to take on more responsibilities, do more for their clients, and have more independence in their growing practice. This form provides structure and support to case review while also promoting independence for supervisees and BCaBAs.
Instead of getting bogged down in the tiny details of a case, I teach supervisees and BCaBAs case review. My goal is to teach them to identify the highlights and sticking points of each case to build clinical decision-making skills and to reinforce briefing a case within a professional setting. This provided the staff with the ability to independently build their clinical skills but provided a life raft in the form of clinical oversight.
This tool made me such a better supervisor because I was able to keep my finger on the pulse of each clinical case without micromanaging (which my staff also greatly appreciated!).
If you want to revolutionize the way you work with supervisees and BCaBAs, you can get the Clinical Case Management form I love by clicking HERE.
#4: Initial Assessment Guide
Trying to keep track of all the moving parts of an assessment, but struggling to make sure everything is organized? Welcome to my world. Sometimes it’s hard to remember who you’ve talked to, which members of the team are responsible for what, and what recommendations will be sent to the payor. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by assessments, especially when you’re a younger clinician and still learning the system that works best for you.
I LOVE the initial assessment guide because it keeps track of everything for me so the only thing I really have to concentrate on is the assessment itself. I use it as a guide to keep myself on track while I am working through the assessment and it is a great way to keep the whole team engaged in the assessment process.
To get your own copy of the initial assessment guide that I can’t live without, click HERE!
#5: Case Note Form
It may seem like overkill that ANOTHER product on my list of must-haves is a form, but honestly I’ve saved one of the best for last! This form PERFECTLY complements the RBT supervision form because it allows you to drill down into the details of your session describes in detail the highlights what went on. It’s the perfect supplement to a debrief with an RBT at the end of the session and supports any feedback you include in the RBT supervision form.
I like to use this one as a record for myself of how RBTs are doing with specific clients and how cases are going overall with the RBT running the session. I’m able to keep track of how certain programs are being run and how often I’m delivering feedback about repeated issues I may be seeing. This form is fantastic because it allows me to stay on top of RBT/client interactions and determine if any changes in staffing or retraining may need to occur.
If you want to improve RBT/client relationships, grab a copy of the case note form HERE!
There you have it, the FIVE products that completely optimized my practice as a BCBA! Each of these products is offered at a great price point and saves the hours of your precious time it would take to make these resources on your own. All of the products featured on the Better Behavior Solutions shop were developed to ease the pressures associated with managing a practice so that you can focus on what really matters most – your clients.