board certified behavior analyst

registered behavior technician

autism support professional

therapist

direct support professional

Action Behavior Centers - ABA Therapy for Autism

In my experience, this company has several workplace challenges that contributed to a difficult work environment. Leadership communication often felt inconsistent, and policies seemed to be applied differently depending on the situation. As an employee, this created uncertainty and made it difficult to feel supported.
One of my biggest concerns was the attendance policy. In my experience, there was very little flexibility when employees became ill. Working with children means illnesses can spread quickly, and it often felt like staff members were expected to return to work as soon as possible regardless of circumstances. This sometimes created additional stress for employees who were already dealing with health concerns.
The workplace culture often felt more focused on reporting mistakes than encouraging teamwork. In my opinion, recognition and praise did not always seem evenly distributed, which sometimes created the feeling of favoritism. This contributed to an environment where employees appeared more concerned about being criticized than collaborating with one another.
The workload was another challenge. Many days involved multiple sessions and extensive documentation requirements. I personally found it difficult to balance direct client care with documentation expectations while also managing a full schedule and limited break time. At times, this led to frustration among staff who were trying their best to meet expectations.
I also felt that maintaining client schedules was often prioritized over employee concerns. During periods of severe weather or staffing shortages, employees were still expected to maintain normal operations whenever possible. In my opinion, this sometimes left staff feeling unsupported.
My location appeared to experience frequent turnover. It was common to see new employees join while others left shortly afterward. From my perspective, this suggests that leadership could benefit from reflecting on employee feedback and workplace concerns rather than viewing turnover solely as an employee issue.
There are positive aspects to the job, including the opportunity to work with children and gain valuable experience in the field. However, based on my experience, the company would benefit from improving communication, employee support, recognition practices, and work-life balance. Unfortunately, I did not see signs that these concerns were being addressed during my time there, which made it difficult to view the position as a long-term career opportunity.

The work itself was genuinely rewarding and the kids were amazing. Building relationships with clients and watching them make progress was the best part of the job by far, and many of the RBTs I worked with were caring and hardworking people doing their best in a very demanding environment.

That said, there was a significant shift in morale and workplace culture after several state Medicaid insurers stopped renewing contracts with the company. While the company avoided layoffs, many experienced BCBAs and operations staff left or moved to other centers during that period, and the atmosphere became noticeably more strained and heavily micromanaged.

At my location in particular, staff frequently felt scrutinized and unsupported at the same time by the new management. Sessions were often disrupted by leadership or other RBTs, communication between supervisors and staff could be inconsistent, and expectations sometimes felt unclear or changed depending on who was involved. Many employees reported similar frustrations. It did not improve even when brought to leadership.

The clinic environment also involved extremely high illness exposure. I was sick constantly throughout the year - I accumulated more than $4000 in medical bills even with company insurance, almost all of which was directly due to illnesses contracted in the clinic - and the available time off did not feel sufficient for fully recovering before returning to work. If you are sick or out for any reason, even with a doctor's note, and don't have paid sick time to cover it, you get an occurrence, and after 7 occurrences, you are terminated. You are required to give more than 24 hours' notice before your next shift to avoid receiving an occurrence, which is unreasonable in most cases of illness. Some days, I woke up so sick that giving any notice at all was a challenge, but I was okay the morning before when I got to work. I realize that consistency is important in this field, but this policy results in a lot of burnout and turnover: while I was there, I saw several of our best RBTs leave due to attendance issues after being sick.

My biggest issue was with the BCBA-track/fieldwork process. I was initially encouraged to view the company as a long-term career path with support for supervision and advancement. I gave my BCBA and operations notice that I was about to begin my ABA graduate work and was told they would find me a supervisor as soon as possible. After spending over three months waiting to be assigned a supervisor and continuing to invest heavily in the role, I was unexpectedly evaluated using a locally created assessment that I had not previously been informed about or prepared for. The process felt opaque and arbitrary, and it completely changed my trust in the company and my future in the field.

I do think some locations and supervisors are likely much better experiences than others, but prospective employees should understand that support, communication, and advancement opportunities can vary dramatically depending on leadership.

To have just started it seems like they expect you to know everything. After you do cohort it is like the training becomes non existent. I am shocked to see all of this unfold especially when we are directly working with kids. Could you imagine being a mental health provider and just having to figure it out from day 1? There's some shadowing but that doesn't completely prepare you to do the session from top to bottom. There's so many different things to know and it varies for every client. Good luck having any time before sessions to read the BIPs or know what targets to look for and different commands you can give for each kiddo because they don't prepare you well and just throws you in the fire. I understand the staffing is strained but that needs to be handled with management and not to just put a band aid on the problem by throwing brand new people in the mix to do direct when they have just come out of cohort. There needs to be a slightly lighter schedule like 2-3 clients and more training for new techs throughout the day like session debriefs with supervisors, BIP reviews, note taking practice, and role playing to reenact what was done so you can get a flow of things which would be more effective and not this "throwing information at you" during a session and expecting you to just remember everything. Doing this will make people feel like they can actually do their job and be good at it which will keep people around. 

New people need more support to know where to go, how things are set up for the kiddos, assistance with bathroom time, a little downtime in between sessions to do notes until we get the hang of it, and overall to just have a little more patience with us to get our footing. That is why people are leaving left and right because we are getting overwhelmed by all the information, trying to learn everything at once, and trying to do our best from the start with barely a real understanding of what we're doing, and all of this while having 5-7 clients a day! We are also all different people and may learn at a different pace than the people who have obviously mastered all the things that we haven't, so trying to rush us in this role is not helpful or realistic. I also didn't expect to be cleaning, changing diapers in small stalls with limited space, cooking, feeding, not having 1 dedicated room that the kiddo stays in but going from room to room to other kiddos rooms which gets very confusing, and washing dishes... we definitely need to evaluate how much we are doing. I will also say that if kiddos have any serious medical conditions that we are not a hospital and not equipped to handle a real life threatening emergency, and that is very dangerous. Overall, I may be thinking too rationally but we need several additional roles added to our centers who can help balance some of these duties and safety for everyone to include housekeeping, a nurse staff, and a doctor in my opinion..especially with how many kids we have and they can easily get injured unintentionally with their behaviors.

Pros:
-Their training and protocol to help new people within the RBT is pretty solid for a corporate company. It didn't take me too long to get my RBT license through this company since they had everything set up pretty well. 

-My current location does have a solid structure in place, so everyone has a set team that they're on, which allows everyone to usually work with the same kids each week (this helps since you need to pair with each kiddo before you run targets). You'll be expected to cover some kids from other teams if they need help (they usually do). 

-All of the benefits that they advertise are available and easy to access if you're interested (I haven't personally used all of them to say much). 

-They're willing to change your schedule throughout the day if they are able to and if you're willing to advocate for yourself! There hasn't been a single week where I'm not scheduled for more than 36 hours a week (even when my usual kids call out), so the work hours and pay is pretty stable. Lunch is about 30 minutes every day for those curious.

-The work culture is also pretty nice at my center. 

Cons:
-There was a recent change that prevented some RBTs from working with certain kids due to insurance purposes, which has made the division of kiddo sessions among each team a bit wonky. Some RBTs will work with the same kid for 3 hours while others may work with the same kid for only an hour or 30 minutes. The division is heavily dependent on if you have a degree and if anyone called out on any given day. If you're good with schedule changes and can handle any session length, then this isn't too much of a con! 

-Their attendance policy is a bit hard and could be improved, regardless if your center has a lot or not enough staff. I think it could be improved because it's not exactly realistic to limit how many can call out if we're working with kids who bring all kinds of sickness with them into the center. I do want to say that it's easy to request for PTO if you have the hours. The hard part of their policy comes from having a low limit on how many can be out per day since some may be out on PTO for a vacation/break while others are too sick to come in. 

-As an RBT at this company, you're expected to do a lot more beyond RBT duties. This includes cleaning the center, filling out logs for each kid on your schedule, giving bathroom breaks to other RBTs, and making sure your kid eats + goes to the bathroom throughout the day. Once you're used to doing all this, it's not too bad, but I wanted to mention it since it definitely made me feel overwhelmed at first. 

Overall:

Take my review with a grain of salt since it's based on my own experience with my current center and some others that I have helped. Each center may be slightly different since they are all managed by different operational managers and clinical directors, who have their own preferences and ideas on how to run their center. I'd recommend just giving it a try if you're interested to see if it's the right fit for you. 

I was extremely excited to work at Action Behavior Center, so it is very disappointing to share my experience. As a college student studying psychology and seriously pursuing a career in child development, I expected meaningful training and professional support. Instead, I felt set up for failure from the beginning. New hires are required to complete a full week (40 hours) of training modules that, according to the trainers themselves, are not relevant to the actual job or the RBT certification exam. At the same time, employees are expected to obtain their RBT certification within 60 days of their official start date. Being required to complete training that does not effectively prepare you—while working under a strict certification deadline—creates unnecessary pressure and does not support employee success.

Although we are told to ask questions or request help if needed, doing so often leads to dismissive or negative responses rather than guidance. This discourages open communication and makes it difficult for new staff to learn and grow in their roles. Additionally, there is an unprofessional environment where negative comments about new Behavior Technicians are tolerated, which further undermines confidence and teamwork.

During my shadowing experience, many RBTs were frequently engaged in conversations with coworkers and provided very little information about the children I was assigned to observe. I had to repeatedly ask questions just to receive basic guidance. My BCBA did not provide effective feedback and never directly supervised my sessions with clients. As a behavioral therapist, I did not receive thorough instruction on how to properly implement therapy. Instead, I received minimal feedback from an RBT who had only been with the company for about a year, and even that feedback was only provided when I specifically requested it.

For the past two weeks, I have also been scheduled to work with clients whose insurance coverage does not appear to include services provided by a Behavior Technician. Although certified RBTs were available, I was assigned to cases that may conflict with insurance policies, which placed me in an uncomfortable and professionally concerning position.

Overall, while the company presents itself as a supportive and professional workplace, my experience has been marked by disorganization, lack of supervision, and unprofessional practices. It is disappointing to see such a significant gap between the company’s image and its day-to-day operations.

Do you ever sit there as an ABC employee and wonder … why does it seem like I am the only one not thrilled with the ABC way?  Right now - social media portrays ABC as hands down the best ABA company out there because they have a great marketing team and have some pretty good perks. Do you not feel the love? Well don’t worry this could be why. 

1. Poor communication 
By this I mean chats chats chats. Everyone is swimming in chats. The chats are incredibly overwhelming and basically a full time job on their own.  It is concerning when ABC boasts about quality care. Are RBTs truly engaged with patients or are they more concerned with socializing at inappropriate times? Are BCBAs REALLY providing quality supervision?  Stop making memes/chats a priority and start making your patients a priority. 

2. Cliques, Exclusion and Gossipy behavior 
It’s toxic and HR will not help you if you are not in the “inner circle.” You cannot trust HR here and any vulnerability you show can and will be used against you.  Also the regional competitions just breed cliques and exclusion and take up way too much time. No thanks.

3. Bad leadership 
A company filled with micromanagers. Favoritism, questionable decisions, gaslighting from upper management. If you ask too many questions about the speed of onboarding, hour recommendations, staffing or give ANY push back to policies for the sake of the employees they will punish you. This company does not want to listen to the people who are there everyday giving their all and in the trenches. RCD/RDOs will withhold the necessary staff and materials to do you job if you give them a hard time.  On the flip side if you are a yes man they will reward the center.  

4. Rapid turnover
Intense levels of burn out from management, BCBAs, RBTs.  Employees regularly have panic attacks. Overall the quality services is low because with the constant schedule changes due to call outs (due to being understaffed) no one has any energy left to do a quality job. Literally everyone is exhausted and it shows on their faces. 

5. No work life balance
As a BCBA at ABC they will literally make you choose between your life and your career.  You can either choose to be on the life track where you have less treatment hours but no opportunity for promotion or the career track. The name says it all about their commitment to work/ life balance. 

6. Forward movement is a JOKE
Here at ABC a change in Job title, tiny salary increase, and some balloons replace actual pay increases. News flash if you don’t get at least a 6% raise you actually taking a pay cut amid inflation. So, reward those who actually chose to stay. 

The kids are the brightest part of the day. Yes, being an RBT and working with kids on the spectrum can be challenging, but it has always been extremely rewarding and that is why I have stayed at the company as long as I did.. The BCBAs are knowledgeable and I’ve been blessed to have worked under a few great ones and to have learned a plethora of skills and techniques to help my kiddos achieve their goals. There used to be plenty of flexibility and a sense of humanity when it came to being burnt out as an RBT. Now, with all the money hungry changes, the classic profit over people, the RBTs are no longer looked after. Management does not and will never care about you the way they say they will in the interview process. The newest OM at the center I worked at was harder than most OMs to get along with. She is crass, two faced, would talk about others behind their back, played favorites, fired people when we were already so short staffed and struggling, etc.. She fired our previous CAA a few days before her last day JUST BECAUSE. Her justification was “morale”, but once this OM started morale was worse than it has ever been. This is a stressful job and the toxic work environment she created when she started will forever be the reason some of our best therapists transferred or quit. I even gave it my all until I couldn’t. Burnout combined with a toxic work environment will never be worth it, no matter how much you love and care about your patients. My experience with ABC was truly tainted my last year there. I don’t think I’ll go back to work at a big ABA company again, IF I ever go back into the field. 

There are changes happening within the company that takes the stress load off of the BCBAs and gives the RBTs the brunt end of the stick. I wouldn’t recommend this job unless you want to go for your BCBA. The trainees are the only RBTs prioritized and everyone else is looked at as replaceable, bc at the end of the day, like our OM would tell us almost every meeting “this is a business, so from a business standpoint…”. Forget about pay and benefits for RBTs, the longer I worked there the less the RBTs got. Insurance became more expensive and covered less, the annual bonus got reduced, perks? Free food on fridays, but when it’s sandwiches or pizza every week, you might as well just take your own lunch. It’s great at first, but please ABC, just save your money with the free food and give ur RBTs more time off to help prevent burnout. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY ALWAYS, but you can forget that concept when you start working at ABC lol. 

I've been with Action Behavior Centers for almost 2 years, and I could not be more pleased with the work environment and incredible talent hired by the company. I was a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), whom had years of experience in ABA, and over 6 years working with children with special needs and other developmental disorders, and I am now working on the Administrative Team to help families receive quality ABA services in a much more global way! 

Action Behavior Centers is the paragon in the World of ABA. There are various ABA clinics in Texas that claim to provide service excellence and treat their clients and RBTs with compassion. However, from my experience with other clinics across Texas, they become more consumed with receiving insurance money, put therapists in unrealistic ratio standards (aggressive 12 year old client + clients that are 2-5 years old), and prevent quality of services. These factors at other clinics in Texas cause therapists to be more concerned about safety of children in these ratios, let alone be able to practice ABA and teach a child skill acquisition to catch up on learning due to major or global developmental delays. Action Behavior Centers (ABC) is the complete opposite of a company like that. ABC genuinely cares for their clients, therapists, and the community they serve. They offer free ADOS II assessments (thats right--FREE), and continue to aspire to be the best clinic for their clients and employees as they grow. They continue to reward and compensate individuals for the hard work they put in, provide us with free lunches on Fridays, bonuses (yes--you heard me correctly!) and keep ratios for BCBAs small (6 patients to 8 therapists) to ensure that RBTs are properly trained and implementing procedures correctly, as well as keep RBTs from experiencing "burn out"--an extremely common factor in the world of ABA. 

I work for Founders that value every person that they interact with in their lives. ABC only hires those whose integrity, diligence, experience and knowledge of ABA and Autism are the gold standard. This is what every ABA clinic should want to achieve. It is a privilege to work for a team like ABC.

Having worked at this amazing company for a month at the time of this review, I can say that I feel amazing and that I am truly happy to be here. I currently work in the Plano location and I can say that this company seems to have thought of everything to keep employees happy and patients growing.  Their benefits package is amazing when compared to other companies that I have worked for (it even includes payed holidays, and maternity and paternity leave).  I'm not sure about the exact paternity benefits, but for maternity they pay a percentage of what you would typically make if you were working.  I think benefits like these are amazing. The culture at my current location is great, and it seems like everyone is always happy.  Yes, there are many struggles because we are all working hard for the benefit of amazing children, but it just feels like I'm having fun while doing it (it literally feels like a family).  If your looking to grow from RBT to BCBA, they have a great program for acquiring your hours.  If becoming a BCBA is not in your agenda, there seem to be other ways to move up the ladder as well like becoming an RBT trainer.  Overall, and as a father of a child with ASD, I can share that the children are extremely well cared for and that this company has very high standards when it comes to their care and their growth.  They even have a program to help children transition to school.  In the end, I'm happy here and recommend this job to anyone who wants to grow in this field and to those of you who are wanting to impact the lives of children with ASD.  You won't regret it!  
Also, you mainly work with about 4 kiddos a day and have them for about two hours each - this is great because I don't feel like I'm burning out.  And, I would say that the hardest part of the job is that there are high expectations put upon you (high but doable).  I appreciate it this as a parent, but also as an employee because I grow. There is training available if you feel that you need it and the BCBAs seem to always support their RBTs. Every Friday there is free lunch, that is always good. In the end, I am mainly speaking about the Plano, Tx location but this company in general seems like a great place to grow.  I'll probalby update this review in the future if anything changes; I hope this helps.  

Review for RBT Position at Action Behavior Center

Management:
The management at Action Behavior Center is generally supportive and committed to the professional growth of their employees. Supervisors and Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) provide ongoing feedback and are available to answer questions or address concerns. There are regular check-ins and performance reviews, which help maintain clear expectations. However, at times, communication between upper management and staff can be inconsistent, especially during busy periods.

Workplace Culture:
The workplace culture is fast-paced but collaborative. There is a strong emphasis on teamwork, and fellow RBTs are usually helpful and supportive. The center encourages a positive, child-centered environment where the goal is to make meaningful progress with clients. There are also opportunities for professional development, such as workshops and RBT training reinforcement. However, the job can be emotionally demanding, and maintaining a work-life balance may be challenging during peak hours.

The Hardest Part of the Job:
The most challenging aspect of the job is managing challenging behaviors while staying consistent with behavior intervention plans. It requires patience, adaptability, and emotional resilience. Additionally, the physical demands of the role—such as being on your feet for extended periods and assisting clients—can be tiring. Data collection and documentation must be precise, which can add pressure during busy sessions.

The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job:
The most rewarding part of working as an RBT at Action Behavior Center is seeing clients make progress and achieve their goals. Building relationships with the children and their families is incredibly fulfilling. There are also opportunities to celebrate client milestones, which fosters a sense of accomplishment. The supportive team environment and the chance to make a positive impact on a child’s life make the work meaningful.

Overall, Action Behavior Center provides a supportive and professional environment for RBTs who are passionate about helping children and are willing to work hard in a demanding but rewarding field.

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