Saturday 24 December 2016

Facts About Behavior Intervention Specialist

By Anthony Roberts


Behavior intervention specialists are practitioners in the field of psychology who specialize in facilitating positive and healthy behavior through the elimination of destructive and negative conduct. Usually, they work with communities, groups, or individuals. They aim at replacing disruptive, negative, and harmful behaviors with positive ones. A behavior intervention specialist needs to understand the condition of the client first before offering help.

In this job, workers have to interact with both individuals and groups so that they can facilitate healthy function in the setting being considered. This form of help targets behaviors that make functioning in public or private settings problematic. These behaviors usually make it problematic for people to function well in various settings such as counseling centers, schools, workplaces, and health agencies among others.

Behaviors that need intervention usually depend on client populations under consideration. For example, in school settings, come of the factors that cause disruptive behavior include learning disabilities, emotional stress, and medical conditions among several others. The same factors do not apply to adult populations where disruptive behavior is caused by factors like substance abuse, physical disabilities, mental disorders, or emotional disorders. To be in a position to provide the kind of assistance needed, one must have a lot of understanding of psychological and behavioral issues.

Behavioral intervention as a field draws knowledge from various fields. The fields include counseling and education, community health, social work, and psychology. The wide knowledge puts practitioners in a position to with various client populations in different occupation settings. Support systems, which include schools, workplaces, friends, and families play a major role in determining the success of this method. Support groups assist to adjust, implement, and monitor the plans.

The help offered by these specialists starts by first understanding the kind of difficulties one is facing in functioning normally in their daily life. The expert applies knowledge from the various disciplines when conducting this assessment. The process may involve the use of interviews, observation, psychological tests and other methods of collecting information. Once enough information has been collected, an intervention plan is formulated based on the kind of problem one is facing.

The reason why the plan is used in the first place is to achieve change in behaviors. Progress in the plan is checked using strategic goals. As the client interacts in their daily life, they are monitored to assess progress. Plans can be overhauled or modified if they prove to be ineffective. Referrals are made to appropriate professionals if there is need.

To become a behaviorist, one needs to obtain a bachelor degree in applied behavior analysis. Alternatively, one may obtain a related degree in counseling, early childhood education, social work, or psychology. A bachelor degree is usually enough for one to obtain certification with the BACB, the certification body in the US.

Having a master degree is necessary for becoming a board-certified behavior analyst. Before certification, one has to provide proof of coursework, experience, and education. One must also pay a certification fee and pass the certification exam administered by the BACB.




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