behavior technician

registered behavior technician

board certified behavior analyst

scheduler

site director

Lighthouse Kids Centers for Autism

This may be a really good role for some people, but for me management made it impossible to look forward to coming to work.  There are so many people to report to, from BCBAs, to the site manager, to the regional manager and HR, etc., and every day they bombard you with new information and instructions that are often unclear, sometimes contradictory, and carry penalties for not being carried out properly.  Employee input is valued when it comes to helping the kiddos, which is awesome, but when it comes to building morale among the team or making improvements in the workplace environment, it is more often than not shot down.  There are a lot of organizational changes happening, and this gave people a general sense that if you don’t lay low, you’ll be fired.  Management denied this, but I personally still did not feel comfortable.  Pay is great for the work, but the hours are not. You are pretty much capped at 30 hours a week and you get about one day’s worth of PTO a month.   The hours of the center work well if you have children and have to work around a school schedule; however, it is hard to run errands (banking, getting car fixed, visiting government offices, etc.) or make doctor’s appointments outside of these hours, and the attendance policy is pretty unforgiving if you have to deal with an emergency with short notice. The training here is pretty great and all the BTs and RBTs are incredibly talented and supportive people who give their all to this work, so if you love working with kids and want to do so with a bit of a pay bump from early childhood education and you don’t mind having to follow stricter guidelines, this could be a very great place to work! Personally, I prefer a bit more room for creativity and independence and a less invasive management approach, so it didn’t work for me.

A typical day at work for Lighthouse Kids looks like back to back sessions, no Flex Time, a one hour break (or two 30 minute breaks), visibly ill clients, and pretty much figuring everything out for yourself (behavior plan wise). There is no support, compassion, leniency, or empathy given to RBTs where needed. The amount of supervision I lacked is embarrassing on behalf of the BCBAs at Lighthouse. You need help with behaviors? Good luck getting it! At least good luck getting it without being made to feel stupid. 

The workplace culture at Lighthouse is HORRENDOUS. Coworkers (other RBTs) are great for the most part. Most of the issues come from management. Policies will be put in place without employees being made aware, employees are forced to use PTO before UTO, no sick pay (and you must use your PTO when you are sick). There are no sanitation policies in place, so toys and high touch areas are rarely cleaned. They say ‘flex people’ are suppose to be cleaning the toys and rooms, but it simply isn’t happening. In turn, causing illness to run rampant through the clinic (then employees are punished by having to use their PTO when they are sick and cannot help it). I find it funny that punishment procedures are not used on children because they are ineffective, yet…they’re attempting to use them on their employees. I have never been as sick as I was when I was working here. It’s also extremely frustrating that you have to ‘prove’ every single time you are sick by sending in a doctors note or some other ‘proof’. 

Also, the amount of times we were forced to work when there were either 1-2 or no working toilets in the building I cannot even count. There was one instance in which we were told to ‘do our business over the last persons’ because we could not flush the toilets. But it would’ve costed them too much money to close down the rest of the day.

I feel a sense of relief after my decision to leave this job. The numerous negative reviews certainly helped me gain perspective. I initially aspired to become a BCBA, but my experience here made me realize that this path was not right for me. Some days, working with the clients was rewarding, but those days were few and far between, especially since I had clients whose extreme behaviors affected me both physically and mentally. I began to dread going to work and often left feeling exhausted.
I can relate to those who have departed feeling disheartened and bitter. The focus seems to be more on generating revenue by taking on additional clients, despite the high turnover rate among RBTs.
The training provided is inadequate! I observed this with many of the new employees. You can inundate someone with information, but nothing truly prepares them for the reality of working independently after just two weeks. It was disheartening to see many new hires leave after they genuinely tried to navigate the difficulties. Ultimately, I prioritized my well-being over this stressful environment.
A word of caution: this field is challenging! While working with children may seem appealing at first, the reality of facing intense situations without any consistency led me to give up. Management may say what you want to hear, but there is a lack of follow-through. It feels like you're constantly walking on eggshells, and I refuse to accept intimidation from upper management. You promote ethical conduct, yet it's essential for you to engage in some self-reflection. If this troubles you, it might indicate that you are part of the problem.

Caution: If you're not RBT registered, be ready to put in the effort. Before you can begin working, you must complete the 40-hour RBT training course. It can be quite overwhelming and time-consuming. The training process is intense! A lot of information is presented to you all at once. Regardless of what the company claims, you do not receive additional training through shadowing! At least not enough to feel confident in managing high-pressure situations. There is a complete lack of consistency in care! Stop hiring numerous individuals and expecting them to excel in this role! You are setting yourself up for failure and high staff turnover!

The BCBAs are fantastic to collaborate with and very supportive. Another concern is that the compensation is not adequate for those holding a bachelor's degree, especially considering the stress associated with this role. They truly need to acknowledge that completing four years of college is a significant achievement and that working with children requires a lot of effort. Earning between $18 to $20 an hour feels like an insult. If you want to retain quality team members across the company, you need to offer better pay! This penny-pinching approach is absurd! Additionally, it's advisable to keep to yourself and focus on your work. Kindly refrain from participating in personal discussions or sharing your views in the presence of fellow team members. This can cause more misinterpreted conversations than you think. 
 If you are not inclined to work with children aged 2 to 6, then this role may not be suitable for you. Please regard this as a caution.

A typical day involved showing up, doing the bare minimum to keep kids alive, and pretending it was ABA. There was no real focus on therapy, minimal guidance from nearly all BAs, and it was obvious they were overworked by a CEO who clearly has no understanding of ABA or the intricacies of the field.

I didn’t learn anything valuable here. I only learned I needed to stop caring about quality of services if I wanted to make it through the week.

Management was completely clueless. Most seemed more concerned with kissing up to the CEO than actually supporting staff or clients. People in higher positions had no idea what was going on day-to-day or what clients truly needed. Everything was centered around profit, not care.

There was no meaningful collaboration. While most coworkers were pleasant, many didn’t know what they were doing, and there was no leadership to guide anyone toward better practices.

The hardest part was letting go of my desire to bring positive changes to clients’ lives. The company’s policies prevented real ABA from happening, turning it into nothing more than an insurance-funded daycare.

The only good part was getting to know the kids and their personalities. Beyond that, there was nothing rewarding about this job.

I’ve worked in ABA for over a decade, and this company drove me to leave the field entirely. I know several others who have had the same experience. The CEO has no business being in this profession, and it’s clear his only goal is profit. This company is a perfect example of why ABA as a whole is failing — greed over quality, every time.



The clinic has a lot of potential. The children are a joy to work with and make the job meaningful and fun. My fellow technicians were supportive, kind, and inclusive—easily one of the best parts of the job.

Unfortunately, there have been significant challenges since the change in management. Decisions that directly impact staff are often made without input from the team, which has led to a noticeable decline in morale and communication. Many employees have been punished for expressing their feelings and feel very unsupported and unheard in the environment.

One particular concern I raised regarding a child’s safety was not taken seriously, which was troubling. Safety and open communication should always be top priorities in a clinic setting.

There is also heavy surveillance which would be great if it was used properly. It can feel very controlling and contribute to a lack of trust. A more visible and involved leadership presence might help rebuild staff confidence and improve day-to-day operations.

I truly hope the organization can return to the positive workplace it once was by listening to staff feedback and prioritizing a culture of safety, support, and collaboration.


When I first got here, LOVED it. Management listened, I felt supported, it was great. Over the course of a few months, it’s gone downhill. The CEO/shareholders do not care about the employees or kids. Every single employee here has SO much passion for this, meanwhile, for the higher ups, this is nothing but lucrative business venture. The clinic is rampant with illness, lice/covid/RSV, happening weekly…and we never shut down to clean. If you call out sick, you get immediately threatened with your job. Kids come sick, and rarely get sent home. It’s unethical. You will be a child with severe aggressions, and are expected to watch another persons kid while they run to the bathroom because they sent all the flex employees home to save a buck. They lied about PTO rules, throwing a wrench in the plans/finances of every employee there. We have almost weekly meetings, basically telling us what we are all doing wrong, keeping morale low. Also, the pay is astronomically low for the work you are doing. It costs over $100/hr for a kid to be here, meanwhile you get paid maybe $20. 

Don’t get into ABA unless your heart is in it. Your pockets may be full, but your heart is empty. 

Overall, I have a very good experience working for Lighthouse. I feel as if I am heard when I voice my opinions and needs and feel as if the BCBAs are there to provide me support. I will note there has been several times that I had asked for help with a child and their behaviors and help did not come- however this does not mean support was not given. The BCBAs enjoy challenging the RBTs to grow and learn more in their role and sometimes that means taking a step back- which has been reiterated to us numerous times. However, if a serious problem is occurring, of course someone will be there if needed. The work life balance of this job can be challenging as an RBT, but I feel as if they provide many opportunities to increase this balance if wanted. My biggest complaint is compensation- I feel as if we should be earing double than what we do now at least. Despite this I think the other staff members are fun, work well as a team, and really help make the day more enjoyable and go by faster. If it wasn't for the compensation I would stay with this company as long as I could. 

I worked for the company for 2 years. When I first began the clinic was a nice place and benefits and full time were available. Over my time there, benefits quickly started being taken away and rules were changed often. The management was more concerned about business than the children's progress. Toward the end of my time at Lighthouse, the BCBAs pulled together and began telling staff that we should not be asking for help and they are not meant to be a bandaid for our problems. They threatened to start watching the cameras to decide if an RBT truly needed help. I felt sorry for new staff starting in the field and this being the clinic they were introduced to. Like many companies, compensation was not enough and I barely saw a raise in my 2 years there. It always felt like walking on eggshells when in the clinic. I personally began to lose my passion for the job that I have been doing for 3 years and I would not recommend to anyone in the ABA field. 

Lighthouse Kids is a new company. There are going to be changes as the company grows and learns from it's growth, and any mistakes.

A workplace culture is what you make it. Every single employee has a hand in making the climate and culture. Negative people will create a negative climate and positive people will make a positive climate. 

Management works hard to listen to employees to make changes. They sent out culture surveys so they could grow, learn, and make changes. I've never felt like I wasn't heard or that I wouldn't be advocated for, if I asked or needed it.

Compensation is also the best in the area, benefits and all. I would be hard pressed to find another company that values the work I do, listens to me, and provides the same or better compensation and benefits.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Behavior technician 69 salaries reported	$21.41 per hour
Registered behavior technician 6 salaries reported	$22.83 per hour
Board certified behavior analyst 1 salary reported	$85,000 per year
Scheduler 1 salary reported	$21.00 per hour
Site director 1 salary reported	$21.00 per hour

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