registered behavior technician

board certified behavior analyst

behavior technician

case manager

recruiter

Golden Steps ABA

A typical day at work varied widely because I was hired part-time and rarely had a consistent caseload. The pay structure was confusing and discouraging; higher rates were only available if you met certain hour thresholds, which were not achievable as a part-time employee. I requested a pay increase, and while it was approved, I was never informed that the increase was actually $2 less than requested due to their tiered pay system.

During my time with the company, management struggled to maintain clients on my caseload for longer than a few months. Services were abruptly stopped—even when medical necessity was clear. One client lost services immediately due to an insurance change; another case was stopped the same day simply because the caregiver hadn’t signed the treatment plan, even though it had only been sent to them hours earlier.

The workplace culture felt overly micromanaged, with many different people contacting you about tasks but without clear roles or consistent communication. Schedulers, admins, regional staff, QA, and others all had input, often contradicting one another. QA was extremely strict, requiring excessive specificity for treatment plan baselines and mastery criteria. I was also asked to correct Learning Tree issues for cases I didn’t even currently serve, including trees that were originally built by another BCBA. When services were ended due to a BCBA submitting the re-auth plan late, services were only postponed for a week, but I was never contacted about the services restarting. My communication with the RBT allowed me to learn the services continued. 

A major inconvenience was the requirement to schedule sessions in 4-hour increments. If you worked 5 hours in one day, you had to write two separate session notes. As a part-time BCBA, I went months at a time without clients, and only a few of the many IAs I completed ever turned into ongoing cases.

The hardest part of the job was the inconsistency—unpredictable hours, sudden client losses, and the lack of transparency. The most enjoyable aspect was working with the clients themselves and supporting the RBTs, but the systemic issues overshadowed that. When I finally submitted my resignation, I did not receive any reply or acknowledgment.

I had several job offers when I took the job at Golden Steps. I chose them because they sounded like they valued their employees and compensated for any work that was beyond the expectation. I was told anything over your required billables would be paid and that I'd be full time once I reached 20 hours per week. That never happened. I continuously lost clients which the company did not replace and it was hard to keep RBTs as well so many clients did not have consistent sessions. I didn't get compensated for non billables. It was always difficult to anticipate what hours I would actually work in a week or how much I might make.

On top of that, I always felt like I had my manager over my shoulder checking on my work. I would constantly get emails saying I need to do this or that and I never actually met anyone who gave me feedback. It was all emails or a very rare phone call. Not much support for BCBAs, in my opinion. If I had a question, it usually took a while for someone to find an answer or they would tell me to "keep trying and we'll talk about it later". There also wasn't much communication between departments. I would hear one thing from one person, then hear another from someone else. It was hard to keep track of what was actually going on at a given time.

Overall, I felt unsupported and I never actually became a full time employee like I was hired to be. I never earned my salary, benefits, or made nearly as much as I anticipated I would. Very disappointing

This company is amazing to work for. The BCBAs incorporate ABA into sessions in an applied way that will affect the child's life. The programming is amazing and works on social skills, communication skills and behavior reduction. Management is amazing to work for. I am a military spouse and they were welcoming of that and excited to have me, thankful for my husband serving the country!! (Which can be hard to find in ABA agencies because they often have their own agenda such as only how you can help them) Healthy work environment where you can openly communicate with your supervisors. If you're an RBT looking for a position, APPLY here! I loved it. Would work here forever, but had to move with military. 
They pay you well and the sessions are not too long. They do not drain you, they care about a work life balance. The BCBA that supervises you is in open and positive communication with you and tells you when you are doing a great job. The state supervisor will even be in communication with you, which as cool. 
Amber is the BCBA that I would highly recommend having supervise you if you're an RBT. 
If you don't have your RBT. license, work on it and Golden Steps will help you along the process. 
I left work each day feeling that I had positively impacted a child's life and then when I talked to my supervisors, I would have even more encouragement on what I did well during session. Oftentimes, ABA companies are not this great to work for, but Golden Steps is awesome. 


If you are looking for a company that truly values diversity, employee growth, and fairness, this may not be the best fit.

During my time here, I observed ongoing issues with favoritism, lack of accountability, and a culture that often left some employees feeling excluded. Concerns brought to leadership were minimized or left unaddressed, which made it difficult to trust management support. Recognition tended to go to those who were part of certain internal groups, while others who worked just as hard were overlooked.

The environment often felt cliquish, with gossip and office politics influencing decisions more than performance or professionalism. This contributed to high turnover across teams, particularly in Talent Acquisition. Leadership appeared more focused on numbers than on creating a respectful and inclusive workplace, and the lack of consistent HR independence made it hard to raise concerns without fear of being labeled “difficult.”

Benefits were below average compared to other companies in the industry, and the culture lacked acknowledgment of broader inclusivity initiatives.

Ive been working with Golden Steps ABA for alittle while now and I’ve absolutely loved working with the kids on my caseload and love working with my BCBA. It’s been a job thats respectful to those struggling with mental health issues like stress/anxiety etc. and working with you to solve whatever problems you may have. The work-life balance dynamic is very important to them and they make sure to make you feel comfortable. I have come across the issue of cancellations and COVID being a major role in that as well which has sucked. Losing one client also dramatically changes how much money you’re making in a week but the pay rate makes up for it a bit. Other than that, the company and the job as a whole has changed my life and really made me open my eyes to the potential of going into a profession that i can say i love and want to do for a very long time. Working with kids, specially with ASD, can be challenging and patience is definitely needed to perform at your best for the child’s development but the BCBAs work diligently to make your work as straight forward as possible. 

I was offered a position with this company at a reasonable rate and requested to speak with the BCBA before accepting the case. During our conversation, I learned that sessions would take place in the client’s bedroom from 3–8 p.m., totaling 30 hours a week, including weekends. I expressed that I’d prefer to start slow and gradually build up hours to get to know the client, which the BCBA agreed to.

However, shortly after, I received a call from the state director who questioned whether I was aware of the full-time schedule and demanded a commitment, without giving me the chance to speak or ask questions. I felt consistently talked over, cut off, and undervalued as an RBT.

In addition to the long and intensive schedule, I was told that we would not have freedom to use other areas of the home and would be expected to stay in the client’s bedroom the entire time, which was also described as hot and stuffy. This raised serious concerns about comfort, ethical working conditions, and clinical effectiveness. It felt like the priority was filling hours, not creating the best environment for the client or the RBT.

Ultimately, this opportunity did not align with my values or professional standards. I decided to not move forward with the position.

As an RBT that has worked for multiple companies over the years, I must say Golden Steps has been the best thus far. My BCBAs are always available for feedback, and are eager to provide support and encouragement when needed. The management of Golden Steps has been the most open and accommodating of any business I've worked for as well. Anytime there is a question or concern, someone from the appropriate department is ready to address it with you in a professional, practical, and fair manner. Here at Golden Steps I have made observations and remarks that would have led me to being reprimanded or outright fired at other companies. Each step along the way the Golden Steps team has heard my concerns and has directed me to a course of action that best works for myself as well as the company. I've never felt "silenced" or a sense of resentful obligation from the Golden Steps team. The job is a challenge, and Golden Steps does what they can to support their RBTs and BCBAs -in my experience.

As a BCBA, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Golden Steps ABA and I genuinely couldn’t be happier with the experience so far. The team is incredibly supportive, knowledgeable, and responsive. It truly feels like a collaborative environment where everyone is invested in delivering high-quality care to the clients we serve.
The office staff goes above and beyond to make sure everything runs smoothly. Communication is always clear and timely - WHICH IS APPRECIATED and they’re consistently kind and professional. It’s refreshing to work with a company that values both its staff and the families we support. One of the things I appreciate most is the variety and quality of cases available. I’ve had the opportunity to work with families that are not only a great clinical match, but also geographically convenient. The flexibility and case options they provide really make a difference in maintaining work-life balance. Because of how positive my experience has been, I’m seriously considering transitioning to a full-time role with Golden Steps ABA. It’s rare to find an organization that checks so many boxes, clinical integrity, supportive culture, and strong infrastructure. I’m excited to continue growing with them!

The pay for in home BCBAs is good. There is not a whole lot of positive things I can say other than that. The upper management and higher ups only care about the money. You will constantly be reminded about your billable hour requirement if you are not hitting it every single week. Management does not care if your ability to get your billable hours is due to things outside of your control (e.g., client cancellations, RBT call outs, not having enough clients, etc.) If you are not hitting your billables and you don't have enough clients you will be asked to work direct sessions, pick up RBT direct sessions, and/or work on the weekends to make up for those hours. If you try to say no they will remind you of your salary and remind you that they can put you to hourly if you're not hitting your hours. Training and professional development opportunities are non-existent. The QA team means well, but often times they are undermined by the management team. Your clinical opinion will not matter if it doesn't align with what is going to make the most money. They do not care about their employees well-being, and they definitely don't care about what is best for the client if it is going to make them less money. 

Working for Golden Steps is like playing the lottery. The BCBAs are all super fun and supportive to work with and for the most part, families are too. However, sometimes you draw inconsistent families that do not respect you as a provider and will cancel on you after you knocked on their door for 15 minutes. The company does not offer a way for you to be compensated in these situations nor do they reprimand families. You are just out on the gas and time you wasted. The next scratch ticket is the management team. They are located in NJ which causes this huge disconnect. They work different hours and do not communicate well. You are lucky to get a response back from them in a timely manner, if at all. And the Powerball is that there is no form of training for RBTs (onboarding/ongoing) as well as no growth opportunities. These concerns have been brought up by numerous RBTs and the management team has made no effort to change. Over time you realize they already won the Mega Millions and you are just a number they want to keep billing hours. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered behavior technician 16 salaries reported	$22.75 per hour
Board certified behavior analyst 6 salaries reported	$86,500 per year
Behavior technician 52 salaries reported	$23.75 per hour
Case manager 3 salaries reported	$57,667 per year
Recruiter 4 salaries reported	$66,250 per year

Working at Golden Steps ABA: Company Overview and Reviews

Golden Steps ABA

Golden Steps ABA Ratings

Popular jobs at Golden Steps ABA

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected