board certified behavior analyst

registered behavior technician

behavior technician

clinical director

behavioral therapist

Lighthouse Autism Center

Working at Lighthouse Autism Center as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) offers a fulfilling and supportive environment dedicated to delivering high-quality services to individuals with autism. The center stands out for its commitment to creating a nurturing atmosphere where both learners and staff thrive. I’ve worked for the company for over 9 years and have nothing but positive feedback. 

Quality Services
Lighthouse Autism Center prioritizes quality in every aspect of its operations. BCBAs are empowered to implement evidence-based practices, ensuring that each learner receives tailored interventions that meet their unique needs. The focus on ongoing training and professional development with the generous CE budget further enhances the quality of care provided, allowing staff to stay current with the latest research and methodologies in the field.

Opportunities for Upward Mobility
The organization fosters a culture of growth and advancement. BCBAs are encouraged to pursue leadership roles. Lighthouse Autism Center actively promotes from within, allowing dedicated professionals to elevate their careers while contributing to the organization’s mission.

Small Caseloads
One of the most significant advantages of working at Lighthouse is the manageable caseload sizes. This allows BCBAs to dedicate ample time and attention to each learner, resulting in more effective interventions and better outcomes. Smaller caseloads also reduce burnout, making for a more sustainable and enjoyable work experience.

Beautiful Centers and Resources
The centers at Lighthouse Autism Center are designed with the needs of both learners and staff in mind. Each center is well-equipped with a variety of materials and toys that facilitate engaging and meaningful learning experiences. The welcoming and aesthetically pleasing environments contribute to a positive atmosphere for both learners and clinicians.

Support Staff for Clinical Teams
Collaboration is at the heart of Lighthouse’s approach. BCBAs benefit from a robust support system, including a clinical admin, SLP, onsite training coordinator, RBT Trainers for each team, an assistant for each BCBA/PM, CD on site for support and mentorship, and an insurance team to handle payor relations. This team-oriented structure allows for efficient service delivery, enabling BCBAs to focus on developing individualized treatment plans and fostering relationships with learners and their families.

Growth Focused on Quality Services
Lighthouse Autism Center is committed to continuous improvement. The organization actively seeks feedback from staff to refine processes and enhance service delivery. This growth mindset not only boosts the quality of services provided but also ensures that BCBAs feel valued and heard within the organization.

In summary, working at Lighthouse Autism Center as a BCBA is a rewarding experience marked by a strong commitment to quality services, professional growth opportunities, manageable caseloads, and a supportive team environment. For those looking to make a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals with autism, Lighthouse offers an exceptional platform to do so.


For the most part, I loved this job. I loved all of the children soo much and still think about them often. The job can be tough, though. Each child has different protocols and different behaviors being tracked. Targets can also change daily, so even if you work with a child often, you have to still check everything each day to see if anything changed. If you've never worked with the child before or haven't in a while, you have to read through everything while still keeping an eye on them and tracking any behaviors. Sometimes, reaching the minimum amount of data was difficult even when a child had a good day, and sometimes impossible. I never had a program manager upset about not reaching data, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Especially since I never came close for a certain child and data also relied on the morning therapists trials (you have a morning child and an afternoon child). Behaviors were also sporadic and could end up leaving you injured. You also often had to run after children and try to block them from leaving a room. You also had to fill out an incident or injury report for any occurance that happened, but often you did not have a sheet with you, so you would have to fill it out later while somehow still remembering what time it happened. You only had three breaks, which was a maximum of 8 minutes. You had to eat lunch with your child, feeding them at the same time, if needed. If you had to go to the bathroom outside of these breaks, you would have to find a support staff member and ask if they could take your place. 

But the kids were a lot of fun. It was great seeing the children make progress, light up over playing with toys, and making new friends. It was also clear that the parents really appreciated everything we did. There were work events, including many food party days. We were reminded repeatedly that we were appreciated for all of the work we were doing. Program managers were also available almost all the time to answer any questions. The only times they weren't was for parent meetings, asseessments, and when they were needed for behaviors. 

It isn't something you probably want to do long-term, though, because you need to be active and quick. I also personally questioned how I felt about pressuring children to listen to every instruction they are told.

The only good things about working at the Portage LAC are the children and your coworkers. We support each other everyday and our kids are really great. They're smart, caring and wonderful people. We honestly only stay as long as we do for each other and the clients (who are amazing). With that being said everything else is horrible. We are overworked and underpaid. Even though we work with children that are consistently sick which in turns causes us to be consistently sick we have no sick days available to us. In fact if you're sick and come to work and your manager tells you to leave you are still pointed for it. You only recieve three 7 minute breaks (if you're lucky). Instead of giving their underpaid employees a raise (or even a bonus) they bought a trampoline that has been broken for weeks and takes up half of the children's play area. They consistently implement things that help no one and only serve to make the RBTs job harder. 

Favoritism is high for both employees and clients. Certain individuals recieve better treatment in comparison to others. If you are not a favorite its very apparent specifically with your schedule as an rbt or reinforcements as a client. There's no real encouragement given to you by your BCBAs. You feel like a number most of the time. Portage has an extremely high turnover rate which is damaging to moral. The clients have very little consistency in their day to day because therapist are burnt out. As someone that works closely with clients your input or suggestions are not taken seriously because you don't have a fancy title. We are supposed to be getting the clients school ready and some of their programs are not conducive to that goal. There's so much more to be said.

You will deal with children that have high behaviors. You will be bitten. You will be hit. You will have things thrown at you. You will possibly be severely injured. And you will still be expected to "manage your emotions" and do your job with a smile. And we do because at the end of the day the children deserve it. Luckily we (RBTs) have each others backs. We comfort each other. We give space to vent to each other. We allow each other to cry and then we wipe each other's tears. And we give our kids all we have because they deserve it. 

I will say that they've gotten better at providing snacks. 


Working here was, well an experience.  It has few Bacb's working at a place with quite a few children.  They do not follow regular protocols for problem behaviors.  You may be told to do one thing and follow it the the "T" but when anyone in a position of power comes along they don't have to follow any of the rules.  They play favorites among staff and clients alike.  They hire and promote staff based on those that look the part but don't necessarily have the experience.  Most, if not all of their senior or lead therapist have less than a year of experience when they got the job.  They have little to no breaks, and will only give breaks to those they like.  If you are not apart of the LAC "family" they've created within the organization, you will likely ask for a break multiple times before someone comes huffing and puffing about taking care of your client for the 7 minutes they are with them.  There's no lunch break, which somehow is passable under the law.  They will also put you in situations in which you may feel uncomfortable and if you bring up how uncomfortable you are too many times, you're likely to be chastised.  I was also told how and when I could use the restroom within the first two months of working there.  I love the clients, but few of them get the attention and help they need.  It is behavioral science we're applying, but here you will see behaviors are the last of their priorities.  If you do well in this environment for your client and make progress, they will make sure to let you know that you had nothing do with their progress and they will take credit for your accomplishments.  Management is a tight-lipped group of individuals who would stand on a hill together right or wrong, before exercising correct programs and initiating any change you may think is helpful. So if you want to put in a complaint just make sure to know they will all talk about it and make sure they're on the same page so they can defend their position together, leaving you without a place to go when you feel things are being handled incorrectly.  The most enjoyable part of the job are the kiddos.  The hardest part of the job are your bosses attitudes towards anyone who just wants to see better results for their clients.  Good luck to those who apply, as you will probably learn the wrong way ABA and in order to change jobs you'll have to re-learn a lot of things taught incorrectly here.

Lighthouse as a company is a very good employer in that there is vast opportunity for advancement as a BCBA, the company provides a $1500 stipend for professional development (enough to attend a conference!), and the resources are seemingly endless; never once did they deny any request I made for materials/supplies! 
However, they are growing exponentially (their goal if to open one new clinic per month) and that is their focus. Clinics such as the one in Richmond are neglected/put on the back burner with these other clinics as their main priority. This company started very grassroots/family-owned with good intentions but it seems they now only have dollar signs in their sight. 

BCBAs have a low minimum billable at 25 hours per week, but are expected to handle a lot of other administrative tasks that honestly should be handled by a dedicated staff member that does not exist. There is a pittance "bonus" of one day of PTO or a small monetary amount for meeting minimum billable hours and no tangible incentive for going over 25 (which most BCBAs acheive). 

PTO is accrued as you work @ about 4 hours per pay period which is biweekly. The more seniority/years you have with the company, the higher your PTO accrual rate is. I found that most people ended up using their PTO as soon as they earned it due to the constant illness most staff experienced in this clinic. Every month it is something, I suppose due to the nature of working with small children. 

Management was recently changed as this clinic in Richmond was taken over in a merger last year (previously ACCESS behavior analysis), and in my opinion is poor, as the approach is now to "rule with an iron fist" instead of "with a carrot". The morale is constantly low. The clinic could very much benefit from an OBM/postiive reinforcement approach from management instead of the current negative style. 

You will rake in a ton of money as a BCBA in this position, but guard yourself against burnout as this clinic has many factors that could easily do that to you. 



My experience at the Noblesville location was great.

Overall, the job itself is very typical of a clinic RBT position. After your certification, you work one on one with learners and receive regular supervision from BCBAs and senior therapists. Supervisors were open to RBTs voicing their thoughts on therapy programs. I found the majority of my experiences during supervision were positive and helpful. The clinic itself has a lot of great resources and reinforcements on hand. The facilities are well maintained and clean. 

The center does a great job of maintaining a positive workplace culture. Of course, part of that does fall on the rest of the employees to take part, but I greatly enjoyed how they were eager to create bonding opportunities. Managers readily provided praise to us and did their best to show appreciation. Coworkers are typically eager to help one another, whether it's covering a break or assisting with behaviors. I felt mostly supported during my time there.

One downside is that there were definitely times in which favoritism and social cliques were apparent, however, it was no more prevalent than what I've experienced in other childcare jobs. It just comes with the industry. The silver lining is that I never felt ostracized for my identity or disability. Whenever issues did arise, management was very responsive and professional. My experiences with their HR team was also positive for both work incidents and acquiring ADA accommodations.  

Another thing to note is that they have a very strict attendance policy. There just isn't a lot of wiggle room, so ensure you have adequate transportation and be communicative when you are running behind. 

I worked in the Richmond IN office, first ill say the manager is very sweet, there a few others who are as well. I only took the job because I had to take a break in service at another job, so I only needed it for about 10 days or so, just to have some money coming in. However, the other employees continuously talk bad about parents. We had a morning meeting which was immediately followed by management being mocked by the employees. Also, the other employees can't be trusted for the most part. They smile in your face and then turn around an run to management to get you in trouble. They have 0 no smoking signs up and I got in trouble for smoking at the complete opposite end of the parking lot, quite literally I was almost on the sidewalk of a public road and besides that I'm pretty sure they rent the lot and don't own it, but that's for another day. It's not very stimulating, it is for the kids. For the time I was there, I didn't really see any progression of the kids. Company is clearly benefiting from medicaid paying for it. There's a false sense of family, not from everyone, the manager and a couple other higher ups are very nice but it just doesn't trickle down like it should. The regular employees will literally help you and then run to management to tell on you. It's hard to stay awak, the building is like 90 degrees and most people are monotone when they're talking to you. As far as catching on too stuff. It's super easy and I feel other people are threatened by how little you can pay attention and understand compared to how hard they've worked to get where they are. I personally wouldn't work here if I had a chance to do it again. A factory would have been arguably equally as stimulating. I think if management cleaned house and busted down on people creating a false sense of family and trust it would be a really fun place. But the vibe was just off alot.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part of working for Lighthouse was definitely serving the kiddos and my co workers . 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part at working for Lighthouse Clinton location was by far management. Not only were the completed unprofessional but did not allow staff to follow Lighthouse company policy as well as as ethics procedures put in place by the BACB.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The company morale starts great, everyone seems very positive and really motivated to help . As time goes on you learn not only will they not come to help when called but they will then take your concerns and use them to gas light you in a monthly meeting.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day at LAC is clocking in before your scheduled time in order to be prepared for your client . During this time changes may happen you may be scheduled another client in which it is your responsibility to be prepared for changes you were not made aware of . As the day goes on you are expected to pair your 1on 1 learner up with another tech in order to get bathroom breaks while management sits and gossips not only about staff but families served in the community. Your lunch time comes and your clients guardian is late for pick up you are to wait with your client so management can continue to sit and gossip and may only be slotted what time is left for your scheduled lunch break , which means if you only have 2 mins to eat you should plan for that because “ you are an adult and things happen” . The end of the day comes and you are expected to clean off of a daily chore list .

LAC is absolutely amazing!! Not only are they doing amazing work with the kiddos they service, but the people that work there are seriously some of the best people on the planet!! I fell in love with the atmosphere during my interview and I have to say that months later, I love LAC even more now than I did then! Everyone that works there is so supportive and positive, they make working there so much fun! While it can be a tough job, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing all the hard work pay off when the kiddos master new skills! The management team is by far the best I have encountered. It's very collaborative and I always feel like my input is valued and I am encouraged to "think outside the box" when it comes to finding ways to reach these children. Most work places claim to be a "team" and to work together, but I have never felt it the way that I do at Lighthouse. There are always people offering assistance and making sure that you are good. Therapists there help each other and work together to get the kids to where they need to be and it's such an amazing thing to be a part of!! I would absolutely recommend LAC to anyone looking for a rewarding career, or anyone with a child with Autism. I honestly don't think I will ever leave, even if I just stay on as a therapist till I retire. :)

To be clear, the main staff were generally very nice to work with, but the management had very high expectations for brand new workers.  It’s certainly a difficult job, you really have to know how to work with kids to work here, and I guess I didn’t because I was fired immediately after training because I wasn’t at their level. That’d ve more understandable if, during training, they made it more clear what I had to improve on, how to do so, and that I had better be at the level of a senior employee by the end of the three weeks or I’d be fired. Also, they hardly worked on trying to prevent inappropriate behaviors. The ABA was only used to teach the kids letters and numbers and stuff. In some cases I understand, but in others, it felt like they were using the autism center as a preschool. 

My biggest problem? Corporate. I didn’t recall getting a W-2, so when tax season came around, I requested one through the only HR email I had. They asked me for my information, which I gave, then stopped responding to my emails. I tried calling the main payroll office, which hung up on my phone instantly. I tried main HR, which only got me voicemails. No one at all seems to work at their corporate office, so good luck if you have a genuine problem. When I called the center I worked for, who hired me, they didn’t have access to my information. Why not? I worked there. You have taxes to file too. I got a new HR email, and they won’t respond to me either. At this point I’m glad I got fired because if something really bad happened to me or a child there, apparently nothing could get done about it. 

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