1. Tell me about your weaknesses as Behavioral Therapist?
Be honest with yourself. Do play the game and try to think of something that you've been improving or could improve, but be honest. All of us have strengths and all of us have weaknesses. If you find yourself hiding from the truth (like you hate kids but are applying to be a school teacher) question whether you should really be interviewing for this position.
2. Tell us what did you enjoy most about your last position as Behavioral Therapist?
Be positive. Never say, “Oh, I can't really think of anything I liked now you mention it.” (I have been given this answer when interviewing and it kind of reflects badly on the person). Beyond being affirmative and upbeat, try to think of something you liked to do in the position that is part of the new position you are applying for (i.e. “I really liked working with the public” when applying for a Customer Service position).
3. Tell me what Do You Enjoy Most About Being A Therapist?
I enjoy every phase of the therapeutic process. I thrive on the challenge of diagnosing the case, devising and implementing the most appropriate treatment plan and above all I enjoy watching the plan work.
4. Why do you want this job as Behavioral Therapist?
This question is a gift although sometimes it can seem overwhelming.
When preparing for your interview, you should study the job description and make a bulleted list of what aspects really appeal to you and play to your strengths.
5. Tell me A Time When You Had To Face An Obstacle? How Did You Handle It?
I was treating an autistic child using combination technique that utilized pivotal response and incidental teaching methods and the child was responding positively to the treatment. All of a sudden his condition got worse and I was disappointed. I changed the strategy but still could not attain the desired result. On further investigation I found out that the child was being bullied at the school by a new class fellow. I coordinated with the teacher and the issue was finally resolved.
6. Tell us what Do You Think Is The Essence Of An Aba Therapists Work?
An applied behavior analysis therapist assists clients in social skills development, language acquisition, self help strategies and development of daily living skills by applying various behavioral therapeutic interventions. ABA therapists assist patients in changing their behavior with a view to make them more productive, socially active and healthy minded.
7. Tell us do you like to work alone or as part of a team as Behavioral Therapist?
This question waits in your path like a mine waiting to take your leg off, but the answer is not always obvious. Some jobs require you to spend a long time alone on projects. Other companies have a total commitment to the team building idea of running a business. Target your answer depending on (a) what you really, truly prefer and (b) on what the interviewer seems to be looking for (knowing the company culture will give you your answer). Most people answer with a nod to both – they're flexible. Be careful of sitting on the fence. Whatever you answer, sound like you mean it.
8. Do you know What Is The Difference Between A Certificate Program And Certification?
An approved certificate program can provide the coursework necessary to be eligible for certification as a BCBA or BCaBA. A certificate program can also provide education that may be very useful to individuals not pursuing any kind of certification, such as some educators and parents. A certificate program must have the BACB approved sequence of coursework to count toward certification eligibility. Certification by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board is only available for people who already possess a master's or bachelor's degree in a relevant field, completed the required coursework, and who already have, or will be able to obtain, supervised experience in applied behavior analysis.
9. Can you share me a time when you had to face an obstacle? How did you handle it?
I was treating an autistic child using combination technique that utilized pivotal response and incidental teaching methods and the child was responding positively to the treatment. All of a sudden his condition got worse and I was disappointed. I changed the strategy but still could not attain the desired result. On further investigation I found out that the child was being bullied at the school by a new class fellow. I coordinated with the teacher and the issue was finally resolved
10. Tell us what Kind Of Patient-therapist Relationship Do You Avoid When Treating Patients?
It is very difficult not to get emotionally involved with a patient. For most part of the day, a patient is in my care and it is up to me to provide him or her with everything that he or she needs both physically and emotionally. While it is difficult, I try not to get emotionally involved and still maintain compassion and understanding so that I can treat them effectively.
11. Tell me about your strengths as Behavioral Therapist?
Think about this now. Write down what you do best. Become conscious of what you like to do. Don't downplay your positive attributes. The interviewer will only hear about the good things you do if you tell them. If you keep it to yourself you're only doing yourself harm.
12. Basic Behavioral Therapist Job Interview Questions:
☛ What do you do when priorities change quickly? Give one example of when this happened.
☛ Describe a project or idea that was implemented primarily because of your efforts. What was your role? What was the outcome?
☛ What is the riskiest decision you have made? What was the situation? What happened?
☛ Give an example of an important goal that you set in the past. Tell about your success in reaching it.
☛ Tell us about a time when you had to analyze information and make a recommendation. What kind of thought process did you go through? What was your reasoning behind your decision?
☛ Tell us about a time when you built rapport quickly with someone under difficult conditions.
☛ Tell us about the most difficult or frustrating individual that you've ever had to work with, and how you managed to work with them.
☛ There are many jobs that require creative or innovative thinking. Give an example of when you had such a job and how you handled it.
☛ On occasion we are confronted by dishonesty in the workplace. Tell about such an occurrence and how you handled it.
☛ Describe the most challenging negotiation in which you were involved. What did you do? What were the results for you? What were the results for the other party?
☛ Tell us about the most effective presentation you have made. What was the topic? What made it difficult? How did you handle it?
☛ What have you done to develop your subordinates? Give an example.
☛ Describe a situation where you had to use confrontation skills.
13. Why should I hire you as Behavioral Therapist?
Sound like a difficult question? Does it make you feel like crying or just apologising for turning up and followed by a burning desire to jump out the window? Don't do it. The question is so easy! Turn it around. It is offering you a chance to list off several ways that you suit the position, i.e. you like advertising, you're a computer guru, you've got a proven track record in sales behind you. Use the question to identify yourself with the position. Make the interviewer think, “Why wouldn't I hire this person?”
14. Can you name some therapeutic techniques that you like to use most?
I usually decide the techniques after evaluating the case however the ones I use most commonly and have found to be very effective include: pivotal response training, positive reinforcement systems and incidental teaching
15. Explain do You Consider Autism A Retardation?
Definitely not! Some children with Autism have a higher IQ than even the most intelligent of people.
16. Where do you see yourself in five years as Behavioral Therapist?
This question is asking you to think about your future with the company. Prior to your interview, think about and write down your answer to this question. Where do you hope to be with the company in five years. Don't hedge too much, don't say, “Well, it's difficult to say. Five years is a long time away.” Use the question to target the interview. Your answer should be different every time you interview with a different company (unless they are competitors in the same industry with identical corporate structures).
Whenever I am assigned a team task I schedule a daily brief plenary meeting with all team members and a weekly progress development analysis meeting. This enables ample communication and exchange of information regarding the case or cases and the future treatment plans are also chalked out in these sessions collaboratively.
No, they are excellent for educators, parents of autistic children, social workers, special education teachers, health and human services professionals and more. Although these individuals may never pursue certification or work directly in the psychology field, board certified behavior analysis courses help them develop their ability to identify and analyze root causes of performance problems and behavioral issues as well as to develop interventions that address these problems in a systematic way. The concepts learned and the skills developed through applied behavior analysis can be applied for the betterment of many fields.
It should be noted that many parents of Autistic children enroll in ABA and ABA Autism certificate programs. Enabling families to access affordable and competent behavior analysts is an urgent problem because this is not an area in which "do-it-yourself" programming is advisable. Often, however, particularly for persons living far away from services, parents will have to assume major responsibility for their children's intervention programs.
19. Please explain what kind of patient-therapist relationship do you avoid when treating patients?
It is very difficult not to get emotionally involved with a patient. For most part of the day, a patient is in my care and it is up to me to provide him or her with everything that he or she needs both physically and emotionally. While it is difficult, I try not to get emotionally involved and still maintain compassion and understanding so that I can treat them effectively.
20. Tell us what is the basic information you collect while compiling initial case history?
The initial case history data form includes information like the name, age, gender of the patient, his or her medical history, marital and socio economic status, birth order, observable physical and behavioral problems and the like
21. Tell me what Is A Board Certified Behavior Analyst® (bcba®)?
The Board Certified Behavior Analyst is an independent practitioner who also may work as an employee or independent contractor for an organization. The BCBA conducts descriptive and systematic (e.g., analogue) behavioral assessments, including functional analyses, and provides behavior analytic interpretations of the results. The BCBA designs and supervises behavior analytic interventions. The BCBA is able to effectively develop and implement appropriate assessment and intervention methods for use in unfamiliar situations and for a range of cases. The BCBA seeks the consultation of more experienced practitioners when necessary. The BCBA teaches others to carry out ethical and effective behavior analytic interventions based on published research and designs and delivers instruction in behavior analysis. BCBAs supervise the work of Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts and others who implement behavior analytic interventions.
The Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) awards this credential to individuals who have met coursework, degree, fieldwork and examination requirements. To become eligible for BCBA certification by the BACB, applicants must meet one of the following three options:
☛ Option 1 requires an acceptable graduate degree from an accredited university, completion of acceptable graduate coursework in behavior analysis, and a defined period of supervised practical experience to apply for the BCBA examination.
☛ Option 2 requires an acceptable graduate degree, a full-time faculty position in behavior analysis that includes research and teaching, and supervised practical experience to apply for the BCBA examination.
☛ Option 3 requires an acceptable doctoral degree that was conferred at least 10 years ago and at least 10 years' post-doctoral practical experience to apply for the BCBA examination.
22. How do you react under pressure as Behavioral Therapist?
This question is best answered with a concrete example of how you handled a stressful situation from your past work history. Referencing a real example will give greater validity to your answer. For example, you might say, “In my last job I wore many hats and a lot of stress occurred around deadlines. I eased the stress by planning out a schedule which I sent to everybody on my team. That way we all who was responsible for finishing a particular job on time.”
If you can't refer to a specific example where you handled stress – think how you would do so hypothetically. You might say, “I would handle a stressful situation by looking at my workload and seeing if it was reasonable. If I couldn't get the job done in the time required, I might seek help from my co-workers or advice from my manager.”
Or finally, reference a personal example of stress management. For example, “When I was stressed by exams at school, I would break down the tasks I had to do into more manageable components then tackle them one by one.”
It is difficult to provide a standard answer here as each child with autism has different learning abilities and limitations so each child has to be treated according to these. The first thing I do in a situation such as this is to entice the child's imagination so that he or she can determine the fun associated with an extrovert activity. The rest depends on how they react; I just take their cue.
24. Tell us what questions do you have for us as Behavioral Therapist?
Now is your time to get answers to your questions that have come up based on your grueling interview. Steer clear of salary, benefit and other questions that might make you sound pushy or that you are trying to negotiate the terms of a job that hasn't been offered to you yet. Take this time to clarify questions of what hours you will be working, what type of patients they see most of and why the interviewer enjoys working for this hospital or facility.
25. Tell us what are the four basic schedules of reinforcement?
As an ABA Therapist, you know that the four basic schedules of reinforcement refer to the frequency with which a patient receives reinforcement (or a reward) for performing the desired behavior. You can go ahead and answer this question in textbook fashion but have an example handy just in case the interviewer wants you to go into your answer just a bit more.
26. Tell us what Is A Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst® (bcaba®)?
The BCaBA conducts descriptive behavioral assessments and is able to interpret the results and design ethical and effective behavior analytic interventions for clients. The BCaBA designs and oversees interventions in familiar cases (e.g., similar to those encountered during their training) that are consistent with the dimensions of applied behavior analysis. The BCaBA obtains technical direction from a BCBA for unfamiliar situations. The BCaBA is able to teach others to carry out interventions once the BCaBA has demonstrated competency with the procedures involved under the direct supervision of a BCBA. The BCaBA may assist a BCBA with the design and delivery of introductory level instruction in behavior analysis. It is mandatory that each BCaBA practice under the supervision of a BCBA. Governmental entities, third-party insurance plans and others utilizing BCaBAs must require this supervision. The Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) awards this credential to individuals who have met coursework, degree, fieldwork and examination requirements.
The Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) awards this credential to individuals who have met coursework, degree, fieldwork and examination requirements.
Requirements for the BCaBA Certification include:
☛ Degree: BCaBA certification requires a minimum of a bachelor's degree from an accredited university, completion of approved coursework, and a defined period of supervised practical experience to apply for the BCaBA examination. Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements, apply for the credential, and pass the BCaBA examination to become certified at the BCaBA level.
☛ Coursework: Coursework must come from a qualifying accredited institution and cover the required content outlined in the BACB's Fourth Edition Task List and Course Content Allocation documents. Only courses where the applicant was formally enrolled and earned a passing grade (“C” or better for graded courses) are acceptable.
☛ Experience: Applicants must complete experience that fully complies with all of the current Experience Standards. Applicants should carefully review the experience standards with their supervisor(s) before beginning their experience. Applicants must complete experience that fully complies with all of the current Experience Standards. Applicants should carefully review the experience standards with their supervisor(s) before beginning their experience.
27. Tell me what Is The Basic Information You Collect While Compiling Initial Case History?
The initial case history data form includes information like the name, age, gender of the patient, his or her medical history, marital and socio economic status, birth order, observable physical and behavioral problems and the like.
I had the case of a chronically depressed boy aged 11 who was from a broken home and was under care of foster parents. I developed an individualized treatment plan for him which among other techniques included some positive reinforcement methods. The parents were reluctant to practice those at home. I had two detailed sessions with them to explain the treatment and its benefits with special reference to that child's case and eventually convinced them
29. Tell us what do you think is the essence of an ABA therapist's work?
An applied behavioral analysis therapist assists clients in social skills development, language acquisition, self help strategies and development of daily living skills by applying various behavioral therapeutic interventions. ABA therapists assist patients in changing their behavior with a view to make them more productive, socially active and healthy minded.
30. How would you describe your work style as Behavioral Therapist?
This question is perfect for targeting the interview. Knowing what you know about the company and the industry, you should be able to describe your work habits, illustrate them with examples from school or work and tailor them to fit the way the company you're applying for works.
31. Explain me what Is An Applied Behavior Analyst?
An Applied Behavior Analyst is someone who has in-depth knowledge of the field and methods of the study of the science of behavior. Behavior analysis services help people learn new behaviors, increase or reduce existing behaviors, and teach individuals when to use specific behaviors in specific instances. The scope of these services ranges from addressing challenging behaviors of an individual person to changing the behavior of an entire organization or community.
Behavior analysts provide services to individuals, families, group homes, schools, mental health agencies, hospitals, industrial and business settings, and other agencies working with individuals who require intensive behavioral training and / or consultation. Training and consultation are performed in the areas of educational and adaptive living strategies, challenging behaviors, and staff management. Special populations such as individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities have been shown to benefit greatly from ABA services. ABA is also frequently used in the field of education from typical students to students with disabilities.
Behavior analysis professionals are strongly recommended to pursue BCBA® certification by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board. This is the industry standard and is nationally and internationally recognized.
32. Tell us what do you enjoy most about being a therapist?
I enjoy every phase of the therapeutic process. I thrive on the challenge of diagnosing the case, devising and implementing the most appropriate treatment plan and above all I enjoy watching the plan work
33. Tell us what Kind Of People Do You Get Along With Best And Why?
I am a straight forward person and work best with people who word out their expectations of me. However I do have an adaptive personality and usually enjoy positive relationships with my employers, colleagues and clients.
34. Explain me what did you least like about your last position as Behavioral Therapist?
Every one of these questions should be answered honestly but try to steer away from saying anything that sounds too negative or makes a comment on the kind of work you will be doing. If you realize that you disliked an aspect of your old job that is a major component of the new position you're applying for, consider a career change. You'll be a happier person if you find work you like to do.
35. Tell me what do you like most about your current position?
As an ABA Therapist, what makes you want to go to work each day? Perhaps it is the team that you are a part of or, the excitement of a new case every day. Relay to the interviewer what you like best about your current role. Even if you need to dig deep, you should come up with something positive about your current position.
