speech language pathologist

autism specialist

registered behavior technician

entry level technician

board certified behavior analyst

Ally Behavior Centers

My time at Ally had its ups and downs. You fall in love with the kids and it is truly amazing to see them improve. The BCBA's are for the most part highly trained. The staff (clinical fellows, other RBT's) look out for you and support you. 

However, the turnover rate is insanely high. Most people don't stay for more than 6 months (some stay as little as a few months). As soon as you finally get a full team, someone else is going to leave sooner or later. When I started on my team at Ally, a few months later I was the longest lasting employee on my team. This becomes something you are always expecting, you know that your team won't be the same for probably a month at the longest due to the constant staff changes. Not only does this effect the staff still there, it effects the kids as well having to be working with so many new people. This may be due to the low pay or burnout rate. 

The behavior technicians do not get nearly enough money as they should. We are the ones that do the majority of the work, as we are "1 on 1" with the clients. This place emphasizes the fact that you are always 1 on 1 with a client, however they forget to mention that it is in a room with around 12 other kids (along with 12 behavior technicians). So basically it is "1 on 1" but with 24 other people all in the same small room. Before starting at Ally, I was expecting to have a session with a client in a private room, the client goes home, I get a break to do notes, then my next client comes in. Instead, all the kids at the center come in from 9-5. You are never truly alone with your client. It is very chaotic and very stressful to have no breaks and be surrounded by so many kids and people in one room all day long. And seriously, when I say no breaks, it means NO breaks for 8 hours except for a 30 min lunch. Even when you have to take a minute to run to the bathroom you need to find someone to step in to take over your kid which can be impossible at times. It makes it feel like you are in a daycare rather than an ABA clinic.

Since they are so short staffed, most teams don't get any "indirect" time or breaks. Sometimes a team has 6 kids but only 3 or 4 staff on a team, meaning no breaks in your schedule until you get at least 7 people on your team, which can take months. And right when you get an extra person on your team, someone else will probably quit so you can never expect your breaks in schedules to last long. Not to mention if someone calls out sick, you have to take over their schedules as well. It's annoying for those who are there that day, but it also makes you feel guilty every time you have to call out sick. And trust me, YOU WILL get sick. People from HR have had to step in to help watch the kids at points since there are more kids than staff. 

While you get highly trained for this position in the first 2 weeks of starting, and most staff are great, some of the technicians don't take their job seriously. Several times I have had a client at the end of the day, and I go to look at their inputted data that other technicians should've been doing throughout the day with the client, and no data has been put in yet. This makes it feel like what you are doing is pointless, because you work so hard to help these kids but then some staff don't even do what we were hired to do. Some of the BCBA's don't enforce putting the data in either, or they will blame everyone on the team for not entering data when it was not your fault. This is another reason it feels like a daycare, you are so trained to be in this position but when others on your team don't take their job seriously, it ruins all of the work you are doing with the client because it is not consistent, and the data is inaccurate because other people fail to put any in.

They are VERY strict about arriving exactly at 8:45, and leaving at 5:15 on the dot. Sometimes they have someone from the office standing in the doorway to make sure you don't leave before 5:15. This made me very upset due to the lack of trust. We are all adults working full time jobs without a single break for 8 hours, you'd think they might let you walk out the door at 5:13, but no, people line up outside the door waiting for the clock to turn to 5:15. You have a 30 minute lunch, which often gets cut short due to people being late in rotating you out from your kid for lunch. And you often can't take the full 30 minutes when you get to lunch late because then you will mess up the schedule being late to your next client.

Lastly, they don't list on the job application that your job includes cleaning the facility. Every week your team is assigned a room to clean (the kids cafeteria, bathrooms, etc). You aren't allowed to leave until after you finish your cleaning assignment, even if it is past 5:15. Sometimes parents don't even show up until 5:15 (they are supposed to show up at 5), but you still have to stay after to clean, and rarely get paid overtime for that extra time you are staying which adds up after awhile. 

In conclusion, this place needs to work on a lot before it can be a good place to work.

Ally behavior is a great place to be for a new BT and RBT. At this location you are supported by fellow coworkers in the facility even the ones that are not on your team. 
Everyday you will feel encouraged to work with your clients due to being trained properly and always a helping hand willing to guide you  ( depends on the team you’re on). The operation team creates your schedule, you do not have control over your own schedule, but you can ask for adjustments which can/cannot be made due to certain circumstances. If you want an earlier lunch or later lunch time,  working with a client more or less, working with the client during mornings, lunch or evenings. Direct time is with the client and indirect time is not with the client, during this time you can do notes, or jobs for your BCBA, it’s a mini break which is a plus it can range from 30 minutes to 1- 3 hours depending on how many clients are on your team, if your clients are absent you still get paid. Depending on your experience and educational background you can work with different clients that are not on your team. Which is a plus for more exposure of different BIP’s, goals and another in sight of ABA. Also, classes are provided for daily maintenance, group activities every week to work on different operants great for obtaining and maintaining your knowledge in ABA. This place can feel crowded and overwhelming, some has cubes space in a room with 3-5 clients while others  has enclosed rooms with 3-4 clients depends on the team. Great place to collaborate with professionals OTP and BCBA’s. Great to see the clients growth. Parent training meetings on site with BCBA’s. The clients are dropped off in the morning at 9AM, picked up in the evening time at 5:00PM-5:15PM. Staff members ( BT, RBT, OTP, BCBA ) will go outside to pick up clients. This is quite organized. The main problem is management at the corporate office, the job security is low which is frightening. I’ve seen many people come and go. The turnover rate is pretty high due to low pay, a lot of changes, health conditions and burnout. The turnover rate is from coworkers quitting and coworkers getting fired. ( management is selfish and only focus on what’s going on behind the scenes policies and procedures rather than not worrying about this location being fully staffed to get a job done, why fire anyone if you’re short staffed? ; especially if it’s a chance to work with a person and if there is no major problem. ) This make the job 10 times harder when your coworkers are constantly leaving over problems that can be worked out. I believe in discipline, but it keeps happening…The pay also needs to be higher, low income. We as RBT our pay rate is lower, but we do more work with the client. Work with them 8 hours a day, while BCBA’s pops in/out. It’s not a lot of staff members here the ratio of staff members on a team is the same ratio of the clients, more people need to be hired on the teams so burnout can decrease. It should be more staff members on the team at least 2-3 more than the clients on the team, so if any call outs happen with the staff members the team still will be supported…overall I love it here, it has come a long way, but the more people they hire as well the more the police’s and procedures change it’s really not the same as it use to be in Sandy Springs. Ally behavior has come a long way, but it needs much more help to go farther. It is a business, but they should listen to the people more…especially the ones who been here the longest. Again great place to work, the new Clinical Director is nice who was once a BCBA in the company.Advancements is based on your education ( which wouldn’t make a huge difference but a couple of cents more on the salary) They just need to hear us rather than see us. But I love it here, perfect clients great team members something’s just fall between the cracks, what shouldn’t get overlooked does & what does shouldn’t. HR - Corporate office listen to us, even the corporate office workers are coming in to help us at this location….understaffed…please work with the good people you’ve…it’s hard to come by. Hope this helps.

I started right before they moved to their most current location and everything was great then. It was small but really supportive. The atmosphere was amazing. I enjoyed learning in the field, and I felt like at that time opportunity for growth was happening. Upon me starting, I had a BCBA and that BCBA ended up transferring which left programs in the air and I got a new one and they seem to pick up and help and train. Within the past two months. The center has increasingly declined each one of my coworkers and I have been extremely depressed. We push through for the kids. There has been HIGH turnover. Which is overwhelming when everyday is capped off and you can’t take off or be sick. Management seems to outwardly express their stress and frustration. Which doesn’t help the case I felt extremely unsupported as there’s no BCBAs available to help anymore. Lord forbid you call for help. They do send people from other centers to help, but even they’ve expressed that they can tell that somethings off here. We have lost a lot of good people and leaders that made working here happy.  It’s like as they all disappeared you could see a cloud form over the center. This place has become heavily understaffed! Often times I had to come into work and pretend that I like the higher ups with fear of retaliation or to gossip about me or schedule discrimination. If they don’t like you, you’ll have more time on the floor and less float time to do your notes. They make us compete for points to finish our notes BUT WHEN DO YOU HAVE TIME TO DO THEM! I was doing my overdue notes one time and the manager came and asked me to go to the store to buy something for a client she had just been on me for my overdue notes so why make me go to the store was that my responsibility? She has done this to me several times. She may be new but I’m not sure I was supposed to do that on indirect hours. I have never been so anxious, overwhelmed and depressed in a working environment than I have at this location. On behalf of most staff I can say this location has seen happier days. Beware of what they tell you during your interview because it’s not what it’s like the pay is terrible. The culture terrible. I can at least say that when I left, I left making trauma bonded friends. Leaving here was the best thing I did for my mental health! So it you take the chance with this company beware!  Not the best place to start off in the field. 

The foundation of a company is it's management. I feel very supported by my management and superiors, which makes me feel very stable in my day-to-day activities at work. Not only do I love my management, but I love my coworkers and my clients. The environment at Springfield fosters a sense of community unlike anywhere else Ive ever worked. It takes a village to support a child and it truly feels like everyone is here to support each other and the children. We are not just here for a paycheck. The pay is not enough to support a single person in the DMV region, but that is the sacrifice we as RBTs make when provide services in clinic as opposed to in-home. If you are a single person looking to earn a living at Ally as an RBT-- you can't. If you are person with parents or a partner who can financially support you-- then this is THE BEST place to begin your ABA career. Ally's Springfield Location has a work culture that is compassionate, professional, and yet... Fun!

Personally, I really love getting to work with 3-4 different clients every day. I feel that the schedule is very thoughtful and I know that if I have questions or concerns regarding it that I can bring it to the attention of my managers. When I am on direct with a client, I know that if I need support that my peers or BCBA will help me promptly. Truly, I feel honored to show up and grow up as an RBT at Ally.  Ally's Springfield location has something special. It has heart, unlike most other 9-5's. It has a big, beautiful group of humans who really care about helping humans. 

Ally Behavior Centers is a great place to work if you are seeking a career in applied behavioral analysis or have a passion for working with children with special needs. As someone with a family member diagnosed with autism, I could not be more proud of the work we are achieving at Ally. 

As a manager, I interact with the clients, their families, and our staff. I have heard first-hand from families about the impact our therapy has, and how our therapists have been essential to the development of their children. Ally spends a lot of time growing new employees into certified behavioral technicians. I, with the help of our highly-talented BCBAs, have had the pleasure of training and developing our new talent regularly. 

With employees that come from all walks of life, interest areas, and backgrounds, Ally does a good job preparing people for this work, which can be difficult at times. Ally Behavior Centers is not a daycare, but a therapeutic environment. So, as someone with no prior experience in this field, Ally's leadership made sure I had all the tools needed for success, took time to teach me the ins-and-outs of the industry, let me learn at my own pace, and continues to support me many months in. 

I'm excited about how quickly this organization is growing! It's fun to be a part of the process, helping us improve what we do for young learners.

Working in the field of ABA is a challenge no matter where you work.  I have been extremely happy working as a BCBA at Ally.  Some of the issues that I deal with are very typical of any ABA organization such as staff call outs.  Our operations team at Springfield does an amazing job navigating daily operations issues.  I love my team of BTs/RBTs.  Our Center Director does a great job listening to our concerns and is able to find solutions.  The team of BCBAs are a cohesive unit and we are able to have fun at work and the culture at Ally is amazing from top down. 

I have a reasonable caseload and am able to meet my weekly billable hours as well as meeting the supervision requirements.  The most difficult part of the job is the scramble once in a while when there are unexpected staff call outs, but once those are resolved by the Operations team and Center Director, the day just flows.  

I've worked at other ABA companies where numbers are always the primary concern for management.  I've never had issues with this at Ally, center management is always there to assist me.  I've also never had to purchase anything in terms of reinforcers for my clients, the company provides this for every client monthly based on BCBA requests.  

I've run into some standard ABA issues with Ally like having new staff and having staff leave my team, but nothing that is out of the norm in our field.  This is a great place for BCBAs to work!  

You work with one BCBA and one team so if your BCBA is inexperienced then you're not in good shape. Rumors fly around the place so requesting to be placed with another BCBA is not an option. My supervisor was a trained clinician but had an unrefined leadership style, which placed a lot of stress on the team and made work straining. I don't know any RBTs that have stayed longer than a year or six months here. There has not been an HR manager for several months. Management also plays favorites and allows some people to get away with tardiness or frequent call-outs while punishing others. There is also stigma and social repercussions from calling out because it means your team will get less or no breaks. Several teams are understaffed and often do not get indirect time. You can gain up to 2,000 more a year as an RBT but then you require further schooling for any growth. You also are penalized if you take off sick in the first 90 days, even though you are very likely to get sick, but the expectation is that you still work. Sanitation has slowly been improving but kids are allowed to come in sick as long as they don't have a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea so when kids are sick it spreads quickly. Management will tell you to take care of your physical or mental health and then punish you on paper for prioritizing it.

Working at Ally has honestly been such a great experience. The thing I appreciate most is the support from leadership. They really take the time to provide training, answer questions, and make sure we feel confident in what we’re doing. It never feels like you’re on your own, and that kind of support makes such a difference day to day.

The culture is also really positive and motivating. Everyone puts in effort to not only do their job well but to truly understand the field and help each other grow. What makes it even more special is how much of a team we are even (both clinically and operationally). No matter the role, people are willing to step in, support one another, and make sure we’re all moving forward together.

I also love that leadership encourages new ideas and different perspectives. You feel heard here, and that creates a work environment where you want to give your best because you know it’s valued.

Overall, this is the kind of workplace where you feel supported, appreciated, and encouraged to grow both personally and professionally. It’s a place I’m proud to be part of!

Overall, my experience at this company was mixed. Although there were some positive experiences, there were also a ton of negative experiences. I had the pleasure of working with a great team of registered behavior technicians and a supportive board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). Although this position was salaried, the pay was very low and did not seem adequate based on the physical and mental capacity that this job required. The PTO was also low, which was frustrating since technicians are constantly getting sick. This is most likely because clients were often not sent home from the clinic even if they were showing visible signs of illness. The high turnover rate within this company (and the ABA field itself) had a negative impact on my team's dynamic and workload distribution, which often led to increased stress levels. The clinic was always short staffed and a typical day meant 7 hours on the floor with different clients, with only a 30 minute unpaid lunch break. Although "open forum discussions" were held frequently in order to get staff feedback, the feedback was often not taken into consideration.

My experience at Ally, in a managerial/leadership position, has been great! I believe Ally truly invests in its employees who want to grow. As a young and growing company, there are several opportunities for growth, especially for young professionals. If you’re someone who wishes to lead within the healthcare field, this is a great opportunity! If you’re someone with no prior experience, the Center Operations Manager in Training program offers an amazing chance to learn. The Center Operations Manager role is great for those who love helping others, can curate a positive work environment, is solution-oriented, a great problem solver, is flexible, and is able to work efficiently while under pressure. The field of ABA can be very stressful, so as a manager, it is important that you motivate and encourage your staff. 

My supervisor is very supportive and has allowed me and my colleagues to add our own touch to our respective centers. I love working at Ally and am super grateful for the position I am in!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Speech language pathologist 153 salaries reported	$79,510 per year
Autism specialist 59 salaries reported	$36,992 per year
Registered behavior technician 62 salaries reported	$37,004 per year
Entry level technician 10 salaries reported	$37,500 per year
Board certified behavior analyst 18 salaries reported	$98,472 per year

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