Let's talk about the professional development conversation that makes everyone uncomfortable: you're not actually good at everything, and pretending you are isn't helping anyone. I know, I know. You're a certified behavior analyst. You passed your exam. You have a caseload. You're doing the work. But if we're being really honest - and that's what this whole series has been about - there are parts of your clinical skillset that are solid, parts that are adequate, and parts tha

There's a moment that happens to every behavior analyst, usually around 2 AM when you can't sleep: you realize the intervention you've been implementing with complete fidelity for the past month isn't working. The data doesn't lie, and what it's telling you is that despite your best efforts, you're not helping this kid. And then comes the spiral: Did I choose the wrong procedure? Is my functional assessment wrong? Am I missing something obvious? Should I have seen this coming

I've sat through hundreds of intake meetings. I've conducted them, I've supervised them, I've reviewed recordings of them. And here's what I can tell you: most of us are doing them wrong. Not catastrophically wrong. Just... incompletely wrong. We're asking the questions we're supposed to ask, filling out the forms we're supposed to fill out, and somehow still walking away without the information we actually need. You know what I'm talking about. You get three sessions in and

Let's be honest about something most ABA professionals won't say out loud: sometimes you realize you've been winging it. Not in a reckless way, but in that "I've done this a thousand times so I'm just going to trust my gut" kind of way. And then one day, you're sitting with data that doesn't make sense, or a parent asks you a question you should know the answer to, and you think... wait, when did I stop being intentional about this? If that hits close to home, you're not alon