registered behavior technician

board certified behavior analyst

board certified assistant behavior analyst

aba therapist

service manager

Apara Autism Center

Actual work with the kids was great and very rewarding. At first I was happy to work there and start what I thought would a long time at a job that made a difference. After awhile I realized the training I was given was more focused on the RBT  certification rather than working at Apara. Not only that but some of the leads would critique and more or less gossip about coworkers to their BCBA's or other team members rather than speaking to the team member themselves. There's almost no way to schedule things like doctor visits or appointments on your own schedule unless you schedule them 2 weeks ahead or hope other people can take your sessions. There are also multiple people that can change or affect your schedule. I went from full-time working 40-45 hours a week, to working 30 to 25 hours a week, to having my last week be 7 hours total and that's only because I mentioned that I needed hours. Had I not called about it I would not have worked at all. Although there is a scheduler there are multiple people that can change your schedule even as your working. Some co-workers would switch sessions with fellow coworkers without even asking. And lastly breaks are treated as a privilege. You have to ask to have breaks or hope that time opens up between clients  so you can take a break. Although you can have lunch with some of the kids other ones have feeding programs or behaviors that prevent you from being able to eat. Some coworkers would just give their client a toy and then eat but then what work is being done?  When they could just have a proper lunchbreak instead. Although I learned many things and I truly cared for my kids and their progress working there just wasn't worth it any longer for my own mental well-being.

The Richardson and Carrollton locations are not suitable for clinics. They are essentially small office spaces with one or two bathrooms that they stuff with as many staff and clients as possible. The company does not lead with morals. There are still BCBAs and RBTs that stop everyday stims, try to get eye contact, and say calm body/gentle hands. The Lewisville location does dress up Fridays and does team building exercises maybe every three months. The companies main concern is making money no matter the costs. We have had to do group sessions when understaffed. The pairs they pick are dependent on insurance so you could end up with two clients with lots of needs. They have told new hires they guarantee 40 hours but that has not been my experience. Try to get any promises in writing. We're either incredibly understaffed or over staffed because of the turn over rate. The benefits are of course a mockery to the work we do. No sick. No holiday. No emergency weather. The insurance is the worst I've seen. The training for new BTs is insufficient and why so many people have negative views of this field. They'll hire anyone that applies and then show them 40 hours of videos and cross their fingers that they can keep another body to staff. If you mess up or do anything wrong they won't discuss it with you or try to figure out what went wrong or what should have been done to your face. You'll just be blindsided at the next team meeting as your mistake will be the topic. Raises are apparently supposed to happen every 6 months but everyone is told something different. Oh, and don't let your mental health plummet. You'll pay for weeks even after you're better.

Every day is an adventure in the field of ABA! Apara Autism Center continues to provide a safe space for children, families, and staff to come into to focus on learning new skills and strengthening personal connections. Through my time at Apara, they have taught me the importance of community involvement and how to be a resource for families instead of just a clinician. Management is continuously working towards improving experiences by setting goals and expectations to best fit individual needs observed at each location. Every center has its own unique culture and style. This can be seen through each team's celebration of one another, themed events, and group activities.
I have never worked at a company that encourages so much growth from within as Apara does. Staff members are encouraged to bring their own style and interest into their therapy sessions expanding the children's interactions to a variety of environments and activities. Apara strives for excellence within therapy and drives for continued growth and education of all that enter their doors.
There is never a perfect day in this field, but Apara team members come together to celebrate small achievements and work with one another to overcome obstacles. The best days are those when everyone works together with the same goal, and you can see the impact that you have had through hard work and dedication with your team.

Probably one of the worst ABA clinics I’ve worked at and I’ve only been in the field for a year. The turnover rate is so high that sometimes you will be stuck watching two clients at once or having to watch the same client twice a day because there is no coverage. There is no holiday pay or sick time so get ready to be using your PTO for those days which is already hard to accumulate. the management is absolutely horrid and has showed no signs of improving anytime soon. They often times let two BCBAS take off at the same time which leads to issues if you have multiple clients in behaviors at once or have a question regarding someone’s protocol which then leads to that one BCBA attending to everyone needs and concerns which I don’t think is fair.  Your chances of you getting a break is slim so be prepared to work 8-9 hours without a break and expected to be at 100% the entire time. If you call in , they will scold you and make you feel bad even if it was for an emergency or you felt sick. It is undecided disorganized and you see it the first day you walk in why nobody stays. Everybody who has worked there has been there for less than a year which speaks volumes.

I've been here a couple years and got to grow with this company to open another location to serve more of the community! Ive always believed that people don't leave companies, they leave bad management and I can 100% say I have never had anything bad to say about any of my directors or BCBAs in this company. I love that our clients often recieved their other specialty services in our clinic as well as I do feel it means our BCBA is connected to the extra services (speech, ot, PT) and the therapy ties together as a team for the client. As a parent of my own special needs daughter, this is what would have been so useful for me with her help when little and the company is very aware of my daughter still having needs and has always tried to ensure that I can balance my work/home life. I've been asked repeatedly about how she is by various management and they truly care! It's a company I 100% plan to retire with in 30yrs! BCBAs truly value the therapist and listen if something isn't working and encourages you and supports you through challenging behaviors! I am in the Pearland location now but have experience with Sugarland as well if that helps! 

Working at this company as a black African-American seeing one of my own be targeted before me I would have never suspected I would be next. Every week they tell you, you doing things good but always come with something you have to fix. Once you fix it they find something else you need to fix while they continue to tell you how good your doing. No matter how much you care on the kids growth if you don’t do things to there liking they finds ways to get you out of there. No holiday pay no incentive pay, nothing. You are expected to work when scheduled and any outside extra curricular better not effect your performance because they will not help but make it seem like they are. Don’t except a break because if there’s none to give they will not give it, so expect to work 8 to 9 hour shifts with no break. Also expect to work with kids who beat on you, they want you to have no emotion towards that no matter how much or how long it’s happens to you. If you want this job for the interest of the kids this my not be the company/ location for you as this company is mainly about insurance and there pay. 

This company was amazing when I first started. Either I was in honeymoon phase or something changed. The reason I stayed as long as I did was the kids and my fellow technicians. Especially if you are seeking your BCBA, run FAR away from this place. They will hire you under the guise of an intern yet use every last bit of your being for direct therapy until you basically die, teaching you absolutely NOTHING. Then when you question the status of your next steps; they will give you a line about “barriers.” This company does not want to train leaders, it wants robot therapists. “Leadership” doesn’t exist here. Only people in higher positions who sit in the office all day, not supporting the floor (that’s if they even come to the clinic that day). RBTs do not get breaks. You are expected to work 8-9 hours without a break. Oh, and you better not get sick or have family outside of work or you will be threatened with disciplinary action. Lots of favoritism, and they do not hide it. They don’t care about employee mental health. They expect you to go above and beyond and if you don’t ….. “discipline will occur.” 

Overall, apara is one of the best companies out there. That doesn’t mean that they can not improve. There is no room for growth for individuals to be able to feel like they are working towards something. When I started at the company, you could arrive ten minutes early and leave ten minutes late. This was crucial to the cleanliness of the clinic and getting in the headspace to work with the clients. Floating time has disappeared and that has affected hours for many of the staff. There have been many messages on teams that have not been followed through with and many of the workers who are doing a great job don’t get the recognition they deserve. As the company grows, we don’t want to forget how much progress the RBTs have done with the kiddos. For example, raffles or fun trips for RBTs to go on to learn more about ABA. This location has not had a staff meeting and there have been many updates and schedule changes that many of the staff have questions. I also think it is important to keep educating the staff and meeting their individual needs. 

I love Apara’s overall mission and I think ABA is amazing. I also think the CEO is very helpful and so sweet and nice. However, I am extremely dissatisfied with this company and how they handle certain situations. For example, there are SO many clients at certain clinics that it feels more as a day care, rather than therapy. The BCBA’s never want to get their hands dirty and change a diaper or clean an accident. They talk down to RBT’s and I have gone to upper management and BCBA’s about how things are handled and all I do is get ignored and over looked. The hours are TERRIBLE and if you need to change your availability then there needs to be a notice about it months in advance. The BCBA’s literally make supervisions so uncomfortable and demeaning. . There are also people in grad school making 17$ per hour despite people with NO experience and NO degree making 20$. They also handle COVID situations so UNPROFESSIONALLY, and will not notify you of close contact with a covid positive client. It’s just ridiculous. 

The center is run by people who should have no business being in a lead role. Management is inconsistent and plays favorites. If you complain to management or have an issue regarding them, you will be treated poorly and eventually be pushed out or fired. The turnover rate should tell management that they need to change but they don't care. The center coordinator and BCBAs will gossip all day in the back office but sit and watch camera footage to make sure we are not doing the same. Toxic work environment between employees and management. They promise you things during your interview including increasing pay, full-time hours, time off, and bonuses to get you to work there but none of it is true. They do not offer any bonuses or guarantee hours so that is a lie. You do not get a pay increase when you become an RBT and all holidays are unpaid. They will say anything to make the job sound better and then claim they never said any of it when you actually take the job. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered behavior technician 673 salaries reported	$19.32 per hour
Board certified behavior analyst 215 salaries reported	$90,212 per year
Board certified assistant behavior analyst 159 salaries reported	$81,447 per year
Aba therapist 40 salaries reported	$90,000 per year
Service manager 36 salaries reported	$81,111 per year

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