A Blemish on the ABA Community - Grad Student Behavior Matters Employee Review

Behavior Matters LLC does not provide employees with meal or shift breaks, even during nine hour shifts- working directly with children with varying support needs and diagnoses. Additionally, the company has policies in place deeming that day of schedule changes to a staffs schedule must be adhered. This means that if a staff member is not scheduled but the time period is within their availability, the staff member is required to come in or it is considered a call out. If the staff member does not see the day of change to their schedule and is either not notified of the change or misses the notification phone call, and does not come in-- this is considered a no call no show. If you are a part time employee but have an open availability on file this means that you are essentially on call for all hours of operation that you are not already working. This is of course all without on call pay. Staff who attempt to self-advocate regarding workplace conditions often experience CEO retaliation, up to being fired with no provided reasoning or notice. The Grad Student program is advertised to be prestigious, however as a grad student there is no support even with bids for guidance, training or requests for role clarification. The program is inept for providing the necessary skills and field practice to be a competent behavioral analyst. During the hiring process, the company makes representations about workplace practices, perks, and clinical standards that are not upheld after employment begins. There have been multiple instances of large staff walk outs, or group terminations across multiple locations, demonstrating their inability to retain staff. Several clinical practices are inconsistent with current research and ethical standards in Applied Behavior Analysis. Practices such as client assent and compassionate care are not incorporated into treatment plans, training, or practice. Supervision of RBTs technically occurs, but is often not clinically or ethically sound, at times you are being supervised through clinic cameras and may not know you are receiving supervision until after. Client treatment goals are not consistently monitored or updated. Parent training is also concerning, as they are rarely conducted. Parents are also rarely informed or educated about their child’s progress, acquired abilities, or newly added treatment targets that weren’t on the initial treatment plan, which is misaligned with ethical standards. The company also lacks facility and toy cleaning procedures, which contributes to the regular spread of illness among clients and staff. Additionally, when children are sick, staff are regularly instructed not, or discouraged from sending them home. In new employment agreements, the contract includes non-compete clauses, effectively restricting staff from deterring or referring clients away from the company. Additionally, some contracts even include significant financial penalties for leaving the company before a specified time frame lapses. Many individual staff members work hard and care deeply about the clients. However, upper management is seriously concerning especially when it comes to the quality of care they provide and regulate as well as employee treatment, work life balance, and well being. I would strongly advise prospective employees and families to not consider this company for services or employment at any branch (California, Alaska, or Nebraska).