board certified behavior analyst

registered behavior technician

clinical director

aba therapist

behavior technician

Acorn Health

Acorn has many centers across many locations in the US, and they have learned much in how to streamline and minimize costs to their organization. RBTs are generally impacted most and may not last longer than a month or two depending on the clinician's experience and preferences, but BCBAs suffer more in relation to their frequent contact with Acorn's hollow cultural values, lack of support, and other encouraged/required non-billable activities. For example, RBTs will generally get a 30 minute lunch break, which is their only "free-time" during their workday, but Acorn nonetheless expects everyone to uphold their cultural ideals and make sure all employees feel valued and appreciated on a personal level ...when the supervisor's best opportunity to do so outside of a supervised session would be by interrupting someone's lunch break or asking them to stay later or do something social after work (all unpaid)... meanwhile the administrative higher ups are usually rarely "on-the-floor" or highly familiar with the employees of a center - you just end up feeling like there's an excited well-dressed stranger going around saying hi to everyone today for whatever reason. Therefore, the only people that really have the time to put forth the effort to maintain their culture are the admins, who barely ever do so, whereas everyone else is generally reminded of their place and role in the corporation (profits) as a result. I never once felt genuinely cared for or supported or known on a meaningfully personal level with Acorn, but every week we reviewed the revenue I was bringing to the company and was constantly reminded of what was expected of me combined with how limited I felt in being able to feasibly accomplish all items within a given work-day, week, month, or year.  Altogether, because of hollow cultural values of profit prioritization and the conglomerate corporate nature of Acorn and their administrative supports, it rarely - if ever - "felt good" to do something for Acorn. I absolutely recommend working for a smaller company that would be more willing to "pay costs" that make you feel more valued and treated like a person on a daily basis.

When I first started working here, everything was fine, I felt supported, the environment felt warm and welcoming. After a while, when I started noticing the lack of parent accountability, more emphasis on showing up even if you didn’t feel okay, pushing for emphasis on tech accountability and not the parents or anyone else, subtle drama, and overall the feeling of doing so much and not getting enough, I decided to leave. Acorn had a chance to support their technicians, specifically the Mechanicsville location, but cared more about themselves versus others (sans two BA’s).

There’s holes in the walls that have yet to be fixed which we frequently had to prevent clients from sticking their hands and toys in, the bathrooms worked for handfuls at a time, there’s not a lot of windows, some of the ceiling panels are falling out, and that’s solely cosmetic issues. Other things include the lack of break between scheduling; in what world would it be okay to have a tech work from 8:30-6:00 with one 30 minute break? The 30 minute breaks become null when you have parents who are not being held accountable for being 30-45 minutes late coming to get their child.

Being overworked is only the tip of the iceberg, when you also include that technicians did 80% of the cleaning and BA’s did none, and indirect weekly hours were docked if a technician did not clean on a certain day due to not being there or not doing a lot of the cleaning.

I felt as though there was zero capability to move upwards, and as much as they tell you they want to see you move upwards, only two of the BA’s wanted to see you move further and offered support for when you did want to move forward. In addition, technician burn out is ridiculously HIGH and that is why your technicians are leaving this company. When over 5 technicians leave within a two month span, it is not a *them* problem. It is a *you* problem. Pay, overworking, and not being supported don’t need to be beat around the bush.

Acorn had the chance to be better and could have been better. The kids made the job worth it for a while, but when you’re not being paid a liveable wage and have technicians having two jobs in order to afford their rent, something has to change.

Essentially, the job of a BT entails working under graduate-level behavior specialists to administer behavior plans to children with autism. Services can be in-home or in ACM's day center. Interventions can be for anything from shaping language skills to overcoming problem behaviors, etc. Interventions are clear and explicit - very little "guess-work." Techs receive supervision weekly, in which their supervisor watches them work and gives them constructive feedback on how they administer the therapy. Supervision is great and really helps techs grow.

Actual content of the session depends heavily on the plan and the client's behaviors. Some clients are very easy to work with, others have challenging problem behaviors. But even for those with behaviors, sessions, in my experience, are overall fun and positive. The work can be challenging, but it is so, so rewarding to watch these children learn and grow.

The main problem that I've seen techs deal with (at least in GR) is availability of hours. ACM tries their best to fill out everyone's schedules, but because most children only have 4PM-8PM availability due to school, that does limit available timeslots. This isn't as problematic during the summer. Vast majority of techs are only part-time. I've never worked more than 20 hours/week unless I've subbed shifts. Hours are generally unavailable on the weekend. Many of ACM's BTs are students or work a second job.

I'm not sure I'd recommend ACM's BT position if you're looking for full-time employment or a career, but if you're looking for solid part-time experience related to psychology, education, child development, etc. etc., I would certainly recommend ACM. It's a great opportunity to develop engagement skills as well as an opportunity to positively impact the lives of children and their families.

I love that the schedule is very flexible. I do wish I was put on more hours , but it’s nice to still be on benefits and not have to worry about benefits dropping if you don’t hit 30 hours or more weekly. the clients and families are great. The co-workers are supportive and helpful and asked all my questions when I first started at acorn. However , management could definitely improve. At times , staff need to shout they need help because no one is around , other coworkers are with clients. Sometimes , the CD and other staff (such as BCBAs and lead RBTs’) do not answer messages on teams when staff have a question or need help.  Though there is an option to use the teams app to communicate , not everyone is always on it. Usually there is a response right away when it comes to the schedule and attendance, but not always an answer from anyone if a staff needs to be relieved The basic support needs are very important and should be a priority, especially in the field of ABA as staff need their energy to stay active when working with kids on the spectrum. There also could be a better system for scheduling , as currently , aside from the office number , people do not communicate through calling or texting. It is only on the Microsoft teams app and at times , that and the outlook email will even have glitches and not be available to all staff members, so there should be a back up system in place or a Plan B when technology is not working as effectively and efficiently as it should be. There is a lot of favoritism however, as some staff are able to be in the CD’s office while their clients are in different rooms within the clinic and are walking or running around without being supervised by an adult or the provider/RBT that’s assigned to them. 

So let’s get real first. Most people will make the effort to leave a review because they’re not thrilled with their experiences. I see this happening across the board with the ABA companies I have researched online or have worked for. When you’re mad, its one of the first behaviors we engage in - tell others about what we didn’t like. Were more likely to do so than when we are happy. Bars wouldn’t be as successful if we didn’t.

But I’ll save you the boring data review and the existential discussion on behavior and get to my own personal experience. I find myself consistently sharing my story to new employees for the opposite reason. 
Here’s why. 

I’ve worked in non-profit settings, hospital settings, privately owned small settings, and newly launched settings. You know what I didn’t find in those places that I find here? A company that is innovative, offers opportunity, focused on socially significant outcomes, considers the needs of their staff, allows/offers flexibility, and has stable leadership with a positive outlook. Not in any other company did I feel so included, considered, or provided for. While it’s starting to sound like they’re my BFF, what I’m trying to say here is - the other experiences I’ve been in have never been close to this - clinical leadership had never been present, had massive egos, weren’t taking care of their employees, or the company was a mess. 

This is the first company I’ve seen where they are working to ensure grad students are getting fieldwork hours, where there’s opportunity to do clinical research, where autonomy and creativity is rewarded and sought out, and where we can become strong clinicians. I wouldn’t recommend anyone as much as I do them. If you are looking for a place to grow, build your career, and feel like you have a stable position that will grow with you, ACM IS the place to go.

There are some amazing clinicians that I met and had the privilege of working with while at Acorn. The CEU and clinical resources were a perk with it being such a large company. 

That being said there was a shift in leadership that led to a significant and noticeable decline in satisfaction among employees in 2024. Though clinical quality is often preached and expected, it is not valued or supported in the day to day by upper leadership (Regional Directors and above).

They overcomplicate processes to the point few people can do them correctly and instead of providing training, implement punishment and overcomplicated processes to correct mistakes. 

They run their employees into the ground leading to extremely high turnover and being a valued and loyal employee has no meaning. You are not valued as anything more than a number of weekly billable hours unless you get the rare supervisor who is transparent and trusts you to do your job without micromanaging all aspects. The values that are preached are not practiced by many of those in leadership and your success is determined by billable hours and willingness to take on more responsibilities without compensation.

If you want to feel appreciated, like you have a life outside of work and/or expect mentorship, real and/or supportive feedback or to trust your supervisors, I’d keep looking…

Feedback is huge in our field, yet it’s as if anyone above the BCBA role is exempt from feedback unless they specifically solicit it from their employees. When honest feedback is given up the chain, there is rarely change and often subtle (or sometimes obvious) retaliation occurs with others in leadership and HR positions turning a blind eye or being oblivious to it. 

During my time with this company, I encountered several challenges that made it difficult to feel valued or motivated as an employee. One of the most significant issues was the poor management structure. Communication between supervisors and staff was inconsistent, and leadership often failed to provide clear direction or support to the employees. Promises made to employees—particularly regarding pay raises, schedules, and career advancement opportunities—were frequently delayed or never fulfilled, which created frustration and mistrust.
Another concern was the lack of respect shown toward employees. Feedback and concerns brought to management were often dismissed or ignored, and favoritism within management led to an uneven and unfair work environment. Certain individuals received preferential treatment regardless of performance, while others who worked hard and followed policies, were overlooked.
Additionally, the workplace culture was negatively impacted by gossip and unprofessional behavior among both coworkers and management. This created unnecessary tension and a toxic environment that discouraged teamwork and open communication. It became very cliquey and overall, mentally exhausting.
Overall, while there were some positive aspects to the job, the combination of poor management practices, unkept promises, lack of respect, and favoritism made it a challenging and disappointing work experience. Improvements in leadership/management, communication, fairness and improved pay could make this company a much better place to work.

I've been very happy at this company. I believe the clinical director and BCBAs/supervisors do a great job of of providing guidance as well as checking in on everyone in staff. The work-life balance is also good and the supervisors will help their staff find that work-life balance that works the best for each employee. I find that most of the other RBT/BTs will do the same and definitely will work as a team to help each other out. I've found that the most enjoyable part of the job in my experience that is everyone is very supportive of each other to help not only us as staff succeed, but to help the clients succeed as well. There have been some clients who will have late cancellations or no-call-no-shows at times, and scheduling will try to help find a sub session at these times, but sometimes it can be hard to get a sub session. It is definitely not an easy job and there can be moments of high stress in moments when a client may be escalated, but the hard work is very rewarding in the end and I've really enjoyed seeing the growth in the clients we work with!

Pay is fair compared to other companies, however they will not pay you fairly compared to people just starting. Management says they have an open door policy and dismiss everything you say ultimately making you feel bad for saying anything at all. There’s no support, and you will often find yourself driving far to a clients home and find out the supervisor can’t be there with you to assist with challenging behaviors. While it would be rewarding to help child with autism, this is more of a babysitting gig since most treatment plans are vague and not followed or explained. The clinical director/higher up management doesn’t care about you or the clients. For them it’s all about brining in more money. There is a lot of burn out with this job, mainly due to the lack of support. You won’t get breaks and will have to randomly snack throughout the day. Bathroom breaks are hit or miss, and depends on if someone wants to come give you one which can be hard after 6-10 straight hours with clients. While the challenging behavior of the clients is hard work, the lack of support is what will burn you out. 

The feeling I, and many of my coworkers have, is Acorn is turning its focus away from quality of care and employee support in favor of the mighty dollar. Technicians are being scheduled to fill in with clients they have not shadowed with and new employees have limited support before starting their caseload on their own. Turnover is high for BTs and BCBAs.

Billable hour wages are comparable to other providers, but if a technician takes on a project outside of direct therapy, they will only be paid minimum wage for their time regardless of the complexity of the task. 

The benefits include medical, dental, vision, and 401K. You must maintain an average of over 30 hours a week or your benefits will be dropped. This can become difficult to maintain as client cancellations can be unpredictable. 

All that said, working with the kids, families, and staff at this location are the absolute highlight of this job. This location has a very welcoming culture and BCBAs and Clinical Director are happy to provide support (when they're not shuffling their schedules to train a technician last minute to cover a client). The kids absolutely have my heart and I feel honored to be able to help them grow and reach their potential. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Board certified behavior analyst 1 salary reported	$91,250 per year
Registered behavior technician 22 salaries reported	$18.36 per hour
Clinical director 62 salaries reported	$92,637 per year
Aba therapist 31 salaries reported	$21.13 per hour
Behavior technician 1 salary reported	$18.75 per hour

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