behavior technician

board certified behavior analyst

behavioral specialist

behavioral therapist

registered behavior technician

Behavioral Health Works

As a former RBT at BHW I can say that overall, the job here was great in some aspects and not-so-decent in others: 

Pros:
-Competitive Pay: The pay is pretty decent when compared to other ABA companies. You also get paid time off, sick pay, and vacation time. 
-You get your own company tablet that you render appointments with and collect data on. Albeit it can be a bit glitchy at times, it got the job done. 
-Company email: You have your own email that you can use to exchange correspondence with your supervisors. Very convenient!
-I did share advice and tools that was implemented to help clients. My opinion mattered oftentimes, and that was appreciated!
-Experience for graduate school: You learn several terms and principles here that you can take with you in your future endeavors. A lot of what I learned at BHW has been repeated in my lectures, so that helped solidify the material for me.  

Cons/Neutral factors:
-Management could be incredibly SLOW to get back to any emails. I would safely say that about half of my emails were answered in a timely manner or answered at all. I would frequently have to send follow-up messages to get my questions or concerns answered. 
-The toy bag they provide you at the beginning had several inexpensive toys from the dollar store. Normally this wouldn't be an issue but I couldn't get a refill of supplies once those were either used up, damaged, or lost (as it happens when you go to several homes). I sent an email that said parents should be buying those supplies to use with their children...odd right? Why would a child work for a toy that they have in their home when they could just get it as soon as I left? Didn't make sense to me, so I took the initiative to buy my own. 
-Scheduling was a pain in the butt: I would get one case a day, four days a week, for two hours a day. You have to work around the parents' schedule unfortunately which means I drove more often than I worked at times. (If you have open availability, however, you would most likely get way more cases in which case this would not be an issue). 
-Supervision: I really wish I would have had more supervision during the beginning here. The 40-hr training is one thing to experience on a tablet, but incredibly different once you're with a real special-needs child. It can be a bit nerve-wracking to go to your first case with a client and you're going solo, which had happened to me frequently. You get the hang of things eventually and I understand that it's important to be independent in any job, but I would suggest that new RBT's get way more supervision once they start. As time went on, however,  depending on the supervisor I'd get I would either have lots of supervision or infrequent overlaps. It really just depended on who you were assigned.
-Conflict resolution: I experienced aggression from a couple clients during my time here. Due to HIPAA constraints, all I can write is that I felt my concerns were brushed under the rug until additional personnel  witnessed or experienced the same issues. Thankfully I had one great supervisor that understood my concerns and supported me when I spoke out about it. Also, this was not super frequent thankfully. 

Not the best, and not the worst company. I appreciated my time here but I would suggest a bit more organization for the sake of their employees and clients as well.

This has been a great an OK company to work at.

Pros: The flexibility of scheduling is useful for parents or students because they are more than willing to accommodate to other obligations you may have (because you have a life outside of work) which has been nice. You get to choose the time you would like to work and that can be anywhere between 8am-8pm but most kid's are in school so chances of you getting clients in the morning varies (depending on region). As a student or individual who appreciates the field of mental health as a therapist you're implementing an evidence-best practice that has shown to reduce, change, or improve the clients behaviors and quality of life. It is a rewarding field to be in when you're provided with the right resources, training, and support from supervisors.You get to work with children, youth, and young adults (if you don't like children, please don't apply). If you are not comfortable servicing a client you can verbalize that without wondering if you will be fired. The clinical team in my experience such as: human resources, scheduling, payroll..ect are very helpful and are great at responding with concerns or questions you may have. You don't have any outside influences from employees because you work in the homes with no one but yourself. If you are a student or recent graduate where you live at home and don't have bills to pay, it is great experience and you learn a lot when paired with supportive supervisors!

Cons: 
There is very little to no support or communication when you live in a region that services clients with only one supervisor. That in itself has been challenging because supervisors come from other states to service the individuals in their region. This is maybe once or twice a month, at most. They are to provide 5% of supervision hours, think about that. If you are barely starting as a Behavioral Therapist make sure you have the support and additional training you need from staff or supervisors in order to be successful in this field. The work we do is amazing and life changing for the individuals we service but the turn over right is ridiculous! You service clients in their homes which means no outside interaction with employees or supervisors which does not allow you as a therapist to learn from others. The hours are wonderful if you're full-time but BHW does not provide full-time hours, least from what I have seen. Best advice would be to pick a region that has a multitude of supervisors and a clinic. My experience is based on not having enough supervisors, opportunities for additional training, and with no clinic to service clients. Everything is in the home, so if you are not comfortable with going into homes DO NOT apply. It is a good 'get you going' kind of job but you only can live comfortably if given full-time position, don't bother with part-time if you have a family to support! 

I live in a region where we don't have many supervisors and the communication we do have is limited. If I was maybe in a different region with BHW it would be significantly better. But I am going on a year in this company but throughout it I have not felt supported enough by supervisors. But thankful to have gained the experience that I have in order to move forward in this field..

Behavioral Health Works is the second ABA company I have worked for and they are an average company within the sea of employers in this field. The job requires you to have availability in the afternoon, which is typical of ABA companies, and starts you off with a small amount of hours (~15) a week. The case load will eventually go up if you're willing/able to stay with such few hours. They give you a tablet after attending training where you are expected to handle all work and work-related tasks.

The pay this company offers compared to the pay of others is not competitive. I'm sure they are aware of this because as of October 2021 they have been offering weekly bonuses and increased pay rates for weekends to entice its employees to stay. It's a great incentive but it only works if therapists are paired with families who are consistent with attending sessions because last minute client cancellations are NOT PAID!
It's one of my biggest criticisms of the company. It does not pay it's employees if the families have last-minute cancellations or they decide to end session early or are experiencing any symptoms of illness. Employees are essentially punished for things that are out of their control.

On the contrary the best thing about the company is the kids! Sessions are amazing and usually consist of playing with your client while taking data points here and there. It's very fun and can even feel like you're not working at all. Everyday I'm reminded why deciding to work with children was a great choice. If you are new to the field I would beware because the first day of starting a case at this company it can feel like you are thrown into the session with very little guidance from the supervisors. They don't offer the best of advice or tips for their new therapists as opposed to my previous company where I was taken step by step how to implement the goals and take the data. But don't be too alarmed because supervisors have been great at getting back to you when you message them. There is only so much that can be said though messages which is why I believe both the the clinical team and the client can benefit from more in person supervision.

As of late there seems to be more communication and transparency happening between the company and its employers. Along with the bonus' mentioned above, the company has been sending monthly newsletters and implemented a new program to connect therapists with one another to build community.

Overall I think BHW is an average company that has potential to be great. Hopefully by listening to their employees they can implement changes to keep them happy and provide their best services to the families and kiddos!

 

I have been working at BHW for over a year. I have read the reviews on this site and, while some of them make valid points (e.g., we are growing and, like all growing agencies, we are learning), some of the reviews seem incongruent with what I've seen here. Perhaps this is due to there being different types of issues within each region. 

Either way, what I have seen across the board is, if you have a good attitude, can be flexible and adaptable to change, you go far here. Everyone that has had a good attitude, attained the needed credentials, and displayed leadership skills has been promoted. I haven't seen the promotion of family members that has been mentioned in some of the reviews. There are some family members of Dr. Douk that work here but they've had the same jobs that they had at the start, some of them wearing multiple hats so that might be where the confusion comes from with all of that. All of those same family members also started the company with Dr. Douk and were BTs themselves, providing services and fulfilling administrative duties in their spare time. 

I have been in the field a long time and have worked for various ABA agencies, large and small. I've watched as new laws passed, insurance coverages changed, and self-advocacy of ASD individuals began to blossom. I have friends and loved ones that receive ABA services and the quality of care that my employer provides matters to me. I've had ABA service providers in my home that did not meet my expectations for quality and I know how hopeless that can feel. I work with upper management, case supervisors, and BTs here. I also work with the various admin professionals. The moment I mention that a change might have an effect on the quality of care that we provide to our families, it is re-evaluated and often times, we change our strategy.

There are business moves that need to be made, even in an ABA agency. I have worked for agencies that did not understand why those types of moves might be beneficial and, in the end, those agencies did not flourish. I think a balanced mix of business acumen and quality service is what this field needs and I understand there will be bumps along the way. What's important to me is that BHW provides quality care and continues to improve and take feedback. I believe in my CEO, I can access him, and I understand what he is trying to do here. I have not been able to say that about any other ABA agency I've worked for.

Just to start out I really love ABA therapy and working with kids with special needs it's fun and rewarding but I had such a horrible time at this company. It's really hard to get in contact with anyone at this company. You are very much left on your own and it takes weeks to get things fixed when I left they owed me a couple of weeks' paycheck. They try to lure you in with $15hr but when you start they take forever to find your clients that you might work with once or twice a week for two hrs. You are paid weekly so you only made $60 that week. I would only ever recommend this as a second job because clients often cancel especially around holidays. I had about 5 clients which was rare but at least 2 clients would cancel a week. They say they offer drive time pay but only if you have more than one client a day or drive over 45mins way. My "manager" was such a jerk and belittled and talked down to me and there was no one I could go to about it. They also told me that I wouldn't be working with any clients over 12 but I had a client the same age as me (which isn't a problem they just only teach you how to interact with kids. I say teach but its a week-long training process where they give you a bunch of power points to read then you take a test. Some times your manger will teach you how to interact with a kid and follow their chart some times they don't. When you first get there they give you a bag of cheap supplies and toys that break the first time then its kinda your job to get stuff you need(I recommend the dollar store puzzles and art supplies).  The job is really rewarding and I loved all of the families I worked with but the company could never stress enough about how you couldn't have any families phone numbers (which can be good in some cases but also inconvenient) you couldn't give or accept gifts or talk to anybody outside of work. I think you get the gist of it but there is so much I can say about this company.

What a great company to work for. It is exciting, rewarding and inspiring.

BHW is rapidly growing and evolving and the biggest reason is because of the leadership by the management team. Not many will be able to see the planning, visioning and strategizing behind the doors but I can honestly say that they are already light years ahead. They know exactly where BHW is headed, how to structure now for inevitable changes in the future (legislation or payors), and continuous improvement on clinical quality by partnership up with Universities/cities/etc.

Due to this, there are many changes internally but it's for adaptability, sustainability and improvement.  While some people are uneasy with all the changes, others like myself, embrace them. 

The fruit of all the labor is rapid growth in clients. Clients are preferring BHW's clinical services which is leading to hospitals and medical/health plan services partnering up with BHW and opening doors to new regions and areas where there are needs. To make BHW's vision a reality - bring light into darkness.

Other agencies in ABA industry is also doing great work with the right heart as we are all in it for the good. But not many can say the same type of praises for their management team.

With that said, BHW is not perfect, at least not yet. However, there are many great aspects besides the leadership - great work-life balance, amazing people with great heart to work with, fun loving culture, no office politics at all (believe it not), fast yet thoughtout decision making, visible career growth/promotions and approachable/mentoring managers/supervisors.

I personally would highly recommend this company.

This job is great for the work content, but the management is awful. They are completely disorganized and have a hard time keeping up with all their employees, so they just don't. My on-site managers are okay, I have one who appreciated communication, but really they are so overworked and busy that I get no support in the field. 
The pay seems great, until you realize you work way too much for so little. 
I love getting to go to different sites and work one on one with kids, however the driving is killer. They gave me a client exactly 45 minutes from my home address (Tracy > Castro Valley), and they won't reimburse you for drive time that is 45 min or less. They make it so complicated to request reimbursement for drive time over that, that you give up trying cause it's so problematic to get paid what's fair. Also they told me I would be hired on as full-time, and I am only part-time so I get no benefits except immediate accrual of paid sick time the day that the first 90 days is up.
I asked to be removed from my very far away client's case because I was driving 78 miles a day, M-F, and it started to take a toll on  my car, so my schedule became inconsistent, and I didn't think it was fair to my client. I emailed HR about it, very detailed, and they replied with nothing but a form for me to fill out, which just asked for the client name and schedule. They didn't even care about the client, the family, my reasons for leaving, if the sessions continued on my end. Just awful.
I got the job at the snap of someone's fingers cause they're desperate, because their turnover is astronomical. It is a great way to get experience in this field if you don't have any, but seriously, for your own sanity, don't stay.

If you are think of going into/ are apart of the field of ABA this is not the place to be. The only good thing I have to say about this place the the clientele is amazing but you will get that from any ABA company. They are no able to accommodate full time schedules and likely the most hours you will receive will be less than 20 per week. It is impossible to move up in the company because growth opportunities require working a certain amount of hours in a year which, guess what, are unattainable because they don’t schedule you enough hours. You will need another job to support yourself. 
You may also goes week air even months without work and without any notice. If a client goes on vacation or cancels an appointment or gets sick you will not be compensated for time lost and you will not be given other work to make up for it. PTO accruals are next to nothing and also don’t get approved unless you ask for permission weeks in advance. 
The data documenting software they use is very finicky, data gets lost often, and session notes have to be made retrospectively. You also don’t get paid your normal rate for taking extra time to complete your notes due to software malfunction. 
Clinical managers are great however they are not supported by directors or administrative roles therefore RBTs are often left to their own devices. BCBAs cancel supervision appointments regularly as they try to balance their work loads and family life. 
Ultimately you will regret joining this company as burnout happens so easily and quickly here. Do yourself a favor and apply somewhere else. 

I felt like my teams were always great, as I felt like I was always being taught aba procedures and plans regularly.  The pros stop there unfortunately. I was severely underpaid for my role with a masters and years of experience, abysmal peanuts really.  I was not given the proper QBS training for a high-risk case which resulted in an injury that I still feel over a year later every day. BHW knew the case involved high rates of physical aggression which they had failed to provide.  The only hope I had here was a potential advancement to the supervisor role, but don't hold your breath.  BHW will only allow Vietnamese or Spanish speakers in this role so I would suggest looking elsewhere if you are not bilingual.  Raise opportunities will be very few-and-far between.  They will consider only after 600 hours are invested, and that's a maybe.  The scheduling team was a nightmare and felt like a battle to simply adjust some drive time in cases.  For example, they would expect me to drive from La Habra/Whittier border to Santa ana in less than 30 minutes at peak traffic hours, ridiculous.  Please look elsewhere if you are going to school for aba or looking for supervision hours- they were extremely difficult to get here and only offered the bare minimum.  

HUGE lack of communication, be prepared for no one to answer your questions or assist you in anyway once you have finished the hiring process.
NO BENEFITS. They will cut your hours just below full time once you hit the 90 day probation mark just so they don't have to give you benefits.
8 hours of vacation per YEAR. That's right...8 hours...one day of vacation a year. I split mine in two and took two half days. 
Be prepared to work every single vacation at your normal rate and have them harass you to make up sessions if you choose not to work on Christmas (you won't get paid, they'll count it as a cancellation).
My families would cancel at the door every single week. Sometimes they wouldn't even answer the door after I got there, so I would just have to leave after the fifteen minute mark. It happened every single week, and the company never once even spoke to the family about it. Sometimes they would see me pull into the driveway, then quickly text me to cancel. If this happens, you won't get any compensation for the drive or the session because "you had warning before you got to the door."
They pay illegally for overtime. I was forced to work overtime and paid LESS than MINIMUM WAGE for it. When I brought this issue up, nobody bothered to EVER respond to me. I was 100% ignored. 
When I quit, nobody EVER responded to it. 
"BHW cares" is the most unfitting slogan any company has ever come up with. 
Other companies may pay less, but it is worth to to have a supportive work community.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Behavior technician 724 salaries reported	$24.93 per hour
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Registered behavior technician 92 salaries reported	$27.87 per hour

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