registered behavior technician

behavior technician

board certified behavior analyst

clinical psychologist

autism specialist

Ascend Behavior Partners

WHERE DO I START?! Actually, before I start- I have been with this company for 2 years now... I want to make it clear to anyone who may come across this.. This is coming from a place of qualified genuine raw sincerity (I am not getting paid to write this or being bribed with a promotion to write this, yada yada). This company is revolutionizing the game and raising the bar when it comes to working for a company in the ABA field. From the bottom up, hands down. I have been an RBT for 4 plus years and I have been with the worst of company's to what I currently know now, THE best. From RBT to BCBA.. they are covering it all as far as what they have to offer you. They are doing things that (within my experience) NO other company is offering. RBT's: are offered a guaranteed work program (along with part time work options if that is what you are seeking); typical work schedules fall around 36 hours per week (32 hours at a VERY competitive 'clinical' rate, which is direct therapy-- ill dive more into that later-- and 4 hours at an 'admin' rate, drive time, mileage etc.-- and even in the midst of the chaos of COVID-19 they will cover you for up to 2 weeks of being an official employee at the admin rate, god forbid, something happens with family/personal situation), which is HUGE because you are still guaranteed to get paid even when a client cancels (at a much lower rate mind you, but its better than nothing!). Lord, I seriously could write a novel about this company and how amazing they are.. bare with me! And check this- There is a 'badge' system that is implemented with RBT's and even BCBA's (BCBA's have an opportunity to exercise their skill set and grow outside of their salary and get a little bonus, where do they do that at?!)- Whenever you complete these 'badges' (signed off by your BCBA) as an RBT you automatically get a dollar raise (no questions asked, BOOM) and there are 8+ badges! If you aren't sure about becoming a BCBA.. Ascend has got you! They are making a career for you, a LIVING for you and there is room for growth (if you are pursuing a career as a BCBA we offer a phenomenal residency program that will do everything they can to support you in achieving that goal). I can assure you that I am a living testament of it. I am not getting paid to write this review, this is genuinely coming from my heart and my personal experience.. I just can't express it enough, I want to shout it from the mountain tops to the world for anybody working in this field. This company is a godsend. They are genuine, they are humble and they WANT to pay all of their employees for their worth and hard earned work. Full Benefits, 401-k (matching 100% up to 3% and 50% after). The co-founders are extremely involved and very close to ground zero, same as the BCBA's, Family Concierge's, etc. We operate on a strict 'block' scheduling system from 8am-5:30pm which sets a stage to allow you to have time for yourself and your families and if you just so happen to want to work more, weekend options are available for you to make up for cancellations with families, etc. This is truly a genuine community of caregivers, and now we are all friends :). All right, I need to stop or I won't stop- APPLY, APPLY, APPLY!!

I’ve been an RBT at Ascend for two years, and it’s by far the best ABA company I’ve worked for. I started here after working for a large ABA chain, where I liked my colleagues but grew to feel really uncomfortable about the ethics.  They had strict requirements for all clients at our center to have full time hours, and some that didn’t want that were kicked out.  I considered leaving ABA, but a former coworker told me about Ascend.

One of the biggest things at Ascend is the positive and strong culture.  Its a smaller company, and they have a strong emphasis on quality and values alighment.  The leaders are surprisingly candid, for instance don’t just give the usual corporate talk but actually discuss the challenges the company and the ABA field in general are facing.  They say they value feedback (which, let’s be honest, all companies say), but I’ve seen it in action.  In one town hall I shared an idea, and later that week one of the founders messaged me to ask if we could meet to share more with him.  It turned out they were already working on that exact improvement - it just wasn’t rolled out yet.  That made me feel valued, which I appreciated.

I also fell in love with in-home treatment.  I know center-based therapy has a place, especially for older kids, but working one-on-one in a kid’s natural environment allows me to build a deeper relationship with my client and their family.  I love getting to explain to mom what I’m doing so she can keep it up outside of session, which is really gratifying.  It feels like I’m making an impact. In-home can be a little lonely at times and it’s very different than the chaotic atmosphere in the center, but I do enjoy the autonomy and responsibility of being on my own.  Still, my supervisor and my BCBA are available on chat when I need them.

This job, like any job, isn’t perfect. But I’ve come to see that Ascend is unique.  They really try to live by their values and they care.  I would recommend Ascend if you love working with kids, want to do in-home, and care about being in an ethical company with people who are passionate about ABA and changing lives.  I feel valued and respected and would recommend it.

 I was hired as a part time expert consultant. When I was hired there was a full team already hard at work, but it appeared they felt threatened by my presence and quickly quit. I didn't realize until later that it was due to the lack of communication where there should be, and the overly micromanaging owners. My part time job quickly went from a few hours a day to 16 hours a day, minimum, and I still wasn't done with my job, and despite telling the owners that I had too much on my plate and things were going to start falling off, they demanded more unnecessary and unimportant jobs be priority over the important ones. 
I did learn that no matter how loyal I am to a company, it's not enough, and it's not worth it. As people, the owners, at least one of them are very nice, and great a great human being. However neither of them seemed interested in growing their employees professionally. They have great culture ideas, but it didn't seem to come to fruition, and often seemed like they were doing the exact opposite of their ideas. An example would be "everybody has a voice" but even hiring an expert to get their opinion my voice was not heard. The hardest part of the job was constantly being micromanaged and not left to work autonomously. Nobody expects to just be left alone but I also don't need to be told step my step how to do something especially by somebody that's never done it. When hired as an expert you'd think it would be the other way around. The most enjoyable part of the job was my last day, but really, I guess I enjoyed the challenge of having to figure everything out the hard and long way, but I didn't want to spend three years doing that. Everytime a process would be approved it would be changed, even though it wasn't "broken" and we would have to start all over again. Processed were overly complicated when they didn't need to be, and there were spreadsheets to track the spreadsheets of spreadsheets, for the other spreadsheets of data to be micromanaged. 

For years I worked for a company that made it so hard to take care of myself along with working over -time all the time. PTO was accrued but it was so incredibly challenging to take off time ( it was like pulling teeth) and in 7 years I never got a raise or a promotion despite my efforts. When I left, I had low expectations due to how most companies present themselves. BOY was I SURPRISED! This companies environment is completely DIFFERENT! The amount of time and effort everyone takes to provide you with support along your journey, how easy it is to take time off to do things you need to do, the support with a sabbatical program for full timers that gives you a week to mental reset, and the overall kind hearted and lively spirit everyone has is overwhelming! It's not something a typical American worker is used to at all! And since working with them I've been able to feel more successful than ever! I've gotten premotions and raises, I've been able to care for myself and my health more than ever before, and best of all, The CEO and Co Founders both really take time to let me know how much they appreciate me, how much they care and how much they want to support me! I hear about companies like this but usually they're only in other countries where they have higher standards. Its amazing to know that there's another company, that is actually here in America, that treats you with those same high quality standards! I love working with this company and I hope that others get a chance to do so as well!

I loved working with my clients everyday, the clients were sweet and usually easy to work with. Management did not do a good job of making sure that the family (ie: parents and other caregivers) were a good fit with the BT or RBT that was placed on the case. When concerns about the caregivers for clients were brought up the BCBA’s and FTS were quick to blow off concerns and advise the technicians “don’t worry about it, just continue with session”. This company does NOT investigate allegations made by clients family against the technicians, they do NOT require any evidence and do NOT conduct investigations into allegations made. Their own rule books state they must place the BT/RBT on a “PIP” aka “Performance improvement plan” however they do not abide by this regulation and will fire BT’s/RBT’s for any accusation made whether credible or not. The company’s CEO is very kind and willing to listen, and the other BT/RBT’s are very friendly and welcoming. Training is lacking as well, expectations of conduct were not properly outlined and minimal information about HIPPA was given when the hiring process started. Overall I would give this company a 3 out of 5 star review. They are not friendly to LGBTQIA individuals and they do not make an effort to make sure that communication in a way that each technician can understand is given. Overall I would say to find a different company to work for. 

TLDR:  A company with great values that has career advancement and cares about their staff and the community we serve.

I have worked for Ascend for almost 4 years and in that time have held several positions.  The culture of the company is based on compassion and service.

I first joined the team as and BT, brand new to the professional ABA field but bringing with me my own autistic experience and the experience of parenting several of my own autistic children.

I was overjoyed to be in a company that truly loved helping kids and respects the dignity of autistic individuals.  

On my road to becoming an RBT, I felt supported and encouraged the entire time.  My BCBA was compassionate and driven.  I loved my clients and my work.  Every single day, my body was tired and my heart was full.  

After about a year I was able to apply for and got promoted to the Lead RBT position for Tucson.  I was able to grow my skills and become involved in bigger company projects!

A short time after that promotion I was able to move into the Outreach position for the company.  Here, I was able to create deep and meaningful relationships that fueled programs to take down barriers to treatment and reduce stigma.  
I am proud of the job I have and even more proud of the company I work for.  

I love being able to show up for these kiddos everyday. The world isn’t always as patient or understanding with them as we are, so it feels really special to be part of a team that truly gets it and wants to help them grow.

When I joined, I was honestly at a crossroads. I was between jobs and even thinking about stepping away from ABA, it had been hard to find a company that offered both the support I needed and a healthy work-life ballance. But from the very first week, I knew this place was different. I actually got to meet the CEO and the founders right away, which really stood out to me. They were down to earth, genuine, and clearly passionate about what we do.

That first impression has held true ever since, even through a number of big changes. I get to keep doing the work I love, continue growing my skills, and be part of a community that cares just as much about it’s team as it does about the kids we serve.

I’ve worked at companies across multiple states, and Ascend is my favorite. RBT is a hard job, and the BCBAs take our feedback as “boots on the ground” very seriously, and incorporate it into programming. Another MAJOR factor for me is that my BCBAs are not interested in making compliant little drones. Motivation and engagement are hugely emphasized and we get frequent professional development in how to earn a client’s interest (among other things). While teaching clients the skills they need to communicate and function in the world, we celebrate what makes them uniquely them. This is an area of concern across ABA and Ascend is meeting it head on. 
Things to understand are that in this field, you have to commute. It’s just how it is. Our family concierges work really hard to make sure our commutes are less than an hour that our time is used as much for providing direct treatment as possible. They have supported my scheduling as I’m finishing up school and have some weird scheduling needs. 
Overall, in Ascend, I’ve found my home. 


The interview and training process for Ascend was great. I came from a bad ABA company and felt like Ascend had it all figured out. I feel I was misled.  
I only worked at Ascend for about 6 months and by the time I left, everyone involved in hiring me was gone. Turn over for supervisors is alarmingly high. I lost 3 supervisors in my time there. I was told I had the potential to get a significant raise within only a few months by demonstrating different skills in sessions. I had only one supervisor who began the process for this and before anything could be completed she was gone. I often felt isolated and lack of support with my clients. Even with the guaranteed hours, my paycheck was greatly affected by clients canceling and the company offering little to help me make up hours. I understand they may have ended the guaranteed hours after I no longer worked there. It's okay as far as ABA companies go but I wouldn't recommend it long term. 

In-home therapy is so hard! You don’t see your BCBA that often (every two weeks) and when you do, some of the ones I worked with were behind my back the whole session. I love feedback but there was a point when I felt it was too much and I couldn’t run my session as I usually did! My other supervisor just went to chat with parents about their lives during overlaps. The job is stressful as it is but the BCBAs expected me to figure out most things by myself. My BcBA wasn’t that supporting and didn’t have a lot of experience. My client used to cry every time he saw her and she blamed me because “I didn’t pair well with him”. The company offers great benefits but it’s definitely a no-no. The experience in general was bad. I’m still in the ABA field but when I started working in a clinic setting I realized how much I hated doing in-home. I definitely don’t recommend it. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered behavior technician 87 salaries reported	$24.15 per hour
Behavior technician 35 salaries reported	$24.00 per hour
Board certified behavior analyst 15 salaries reported	$86,633 per year
Clinical psychologist 1 salary reported	$80.00 per hour
Autism specialist 7 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour

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