Write an essay that will serve as your statement to your state ethics board regarding the ethical dilemma presented in the case scenario and the approaches you took to try to resolve the dilemma.
Scenario:
You obtained your Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) certification 3-months ago. You went from working as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), as you accumulated your required supervised fieldwork hours, to a position as a BCaBA with the same company. Suddenly, you had more authority to make decisions regarding your clients’ treatment programs, as well as an increased case load.
Shortly after you took on your new role as a BCaBA, you met with the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who is supervising you to discuss expectations regarding your new position. During the meeting, your supervisor said that the company manager has a requirement that you request 10-hours per week of one-on-one therapy for each new client the company serves when submitting your requests for hours to your clients’ insurance providers. Your supervisor also told you that you will be training RBTs to implement the behavior intervention plans (BIPs) so that you can oversee as many clients as possible.
From your experience working with your current clients, you realized that not every client requires 10-hours of applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy per week and you asked, “What if each new client does not require that many therapy hours?” Your supervisor responded that it is an unwritten company policy. Suddenly, you were faced with an ethical dilemma and you had to decide how best to handle the situation.
