Behavior Analyst Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a behavior analyst. Feel free to use our behavior analyst job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a behavior analyst.
Who is a Behavior Analyst?
A Behavior Analyst is a professional in the field of science who deals with the impact of various behaviors of individuals on society. They may also be called Applied Behavior Analysts and their work exposes them to a broad spectrum of individuals. Their core responsibility is to help improve the lives of special individuals with mental health challenges, autism, emotional issues, developmental disorders, and other behavioral challenges.
Behavior Analysts are well equipped with practical applications of the science of psychology as they identify harmful behaviors in their clients and help profer the adequate changes they need to ensure that their caregivers and the society at large are not affected by these harmful behaviors. This, therefore, implies that they work directly with people who find it challenging to adapt to normal human behavioral traits. Behavior Analysts can carry out their duties by carefully observing their clients, finding out the reasons behind their challenges, and by applying strategic treatment measures to ensure the change or management of certain traits exhibited by these patients or clients. They also provide training for their patient’s caregivers to ensure effective treatment and management. They develop treatment strategies based on the individual needs of their patients. Behavior Analysts to be consistently checking on their patients to note improvements and also know when to withdraw or increase treatment. They also evaluate environmental factors that may be the cause of various behavioral disorders. This helps them develop treatment strategies according to the special needs of each patient.
A good Behavior Analyst is tactful in expressing compassion towards their patients even as they maintain professionalism. He or she chooses management activities according to the preferences of their clients. In this field of science, desired behaviors are divided into several components which the Behavior Analyst uses in teaching or managing the patient in bits until the patient can exhibit one of the components, Behavior Analyst then connects them to the next components until they can exhibit them as a single desired behavior. They make train their patients at the clinic, home, or school. Behavior analysts, their patients to get naturally adapted to their environment or individuals around them before commencing their management plan. The patient’s interests and natural inclinations the behavior analyst ignite favorable responses from them. This process helps the patients put into practice what they have learned in their everyday life. The basic function of behavior analysts is to help improve the living conditions of individuals with special needs.
The treatment approach used by behavior analysts is categorized into two namely: natural environmental training and discrete trial. The natural environmental training process happens in natural surroundings or environments like schools, the patient’s homes, or clinics. In this category, the Behavior Analyst does not commence treatment or management plans immediately, rather they observe the patient’s interest in the environment as this guides the treatment plan of each patient. Discrete trial training occurs after the patient has successfully adapted to his environment, the behavior analyst now exposes them to specific tasks, and upon completion, they help the patient combine all the tasks into a desirable behavior as mentioned earlier. Behavior Analysts are professionals and as such, there is a need to continually improve in your career path as a behavior analyst through constant exposure to and also acquiring as many certifications as required in this field. The work environment for behavior analysis varies from the client’s location which may be an organization or the client’s home to the office of the behavior analyst.
Behavior analyst has a wide range of job opportunities as they may work in any place that offers the opportunity to change the lives of people facing challenges in developing normal behavioral traits. It is the responsibility of a behavior analyst to always review his or her treatment and management plans to ensure they are updated and in line with the standard methods approved by the right authorities. Behavior Analysts are careful with every detail concerning their patients’ health from the start of treatment to the end and they are also good at keeping records of strategies employed in the treatment and also the prescriptions made for the patient as this may help them during subsequent treatment. A behavior analyst is frequently interacting with other health practitioners like the Doctors and Medical laboratory Scientists to ensure proper diagnosis and adequate tests are run on the patients’ samples as this helps the progression of their treatment, therefore there is a cogent need for them to be good in communicating with the basic language used in their work environment.
Behavior Analyst Job Description
Below are the behavior analyst job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a behavior analyst job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a behavior analyst include the following:
- Managing individuals diagnosed with behavioral disorders such as autism, paranoia, mental health issues, and related problems
- Studying environmental factors that to behavioral health and creating awareness for the people to ensure those factors are properly taken care of
- Developing treatment strategies based on the specific needs of their patients to get the desirable responses in their patient’s behavioral health
- Providing training for the patient’s caregivers to ensure effective treatment and management plan is followed accurately
- Examining their patient’s preferences and skills to ascertain the right treatment for them
- Monitoring the patient’s improvement rate to enable them to know the appropriate time for management plan changing or termination
- Recognizing potential behavioral crises and proffering the solutions accurately
- Keeping updated and carefully specified patient files and records
- Reviewing treatment plans, and training methods for patients and caregivers to ensure that their treatment and management procedure are in order and up to date
- Formulating, evaluating, and implementing Behavioral therapy standards in mentally disturbed patients with an emphasis on their specific challenges
- Developing specific training materials that are compliant with the standard methods provided by the appropriate authorities
- Examining the patients’ health history and state and also running physical examinations and the required diagnostic testing
- Updating internal and external policies and procedures to align with regulatory and legal obligations as well as improvements in the clinical process to ensure that management and operational processes are improved
- Discussing the treatment plans of patients with them and explaining the need to be religious in taking their training and medications to both patients and their caregivers
Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences will form the basis to apply for a Master’s in Behavior Analysis or Applied Behavior Analysis
- The required State, Federal, or International licensing
- Training reports from the clinic where you served as an intern. Behavior Analyst under the supervision of experienced Behavior Analyst, otherwise called Chiefs
- D. certifications in the field of Behavioral Sciences or Behavior Analysis
- Get an area of specialization in your Profession: You could be required to pick an area of specialization within your field as a behavior analyst. Determine the aspect of Behavior analysis that appeals to you the most, then take the responsibility to advance in your chosen Behavior analysis specialty
- Minimum of 3years of working experience in any field of the health sector
- Personal medical evaluation reports on your mental health and other vital health investigation reports. If you are positive for any mental health issues, you may be disqualified or your application kept pending until you are fully recovered
Essential Skills
- Detail Oriented: This is an essential skill in the work of a Behavior Analyst as they are expected to be careful in their choices of treatment plans. Behavior Analysts watch over the patient’s progress from the commencement of treatment and management procedures to the time of healing. Their work exposes them to several clients or patients and such it is pertinent that they are careful with the details of each patient to ensure specific and effective treatment
- Compassion: This is more of a virtue than a skill but a successful Behavior Analyst makes good use of this virtue in understanding the needs of his patients while maintaining professionalism. The work of the Behavior Analysts connects them with individuals struggling to live the normal life, without compensation it may be difficult to understand these people as their behavior may upset the seemingly normal or healthy individuals
- Passionate and diligent in service: As a Behavior Analyst, you are expected to be passionate and diligent in your work, having in mind that the health of your patients is tied around the choices you make in their treatment plans and how you choose to execute their training
- Good Time Management: A behavior analyst is not supposed to be sluggish in carrying out his or her activities. You must work with time to ensure your patients are withdrawn from treatment at the appropriate time
- Great Leadership skill: Behavior analysis puts you ahead of your environment as it gives you thorough research and finds out issues in the society that may be a leading cause for some behavioral challenges. You must be able to guide your patients throughout their treatment stages and also provide training for their caregivers to ensure effective treatment and management
- Empathy: The job of a Behavior Analyst is a delicate one as it deals directly with individuals with special needs. Empathy is the skill every successful behavior analyst applies when assessing the patient as it helps them deduce the next effective line of action to apply in the treatment procedures
- Record Keeping: The Behavior Analyst keeps track of the treatment plans and sometimes prescriptions made during treatment as this may help them in some recurrence cases, i.e if a patient starts manifesting symptoms of the disorders after treatment, this record will help the Behavior Analyst deduce the possible cause of recurrence and also the appropriate treatment
- Good Communication Skills: As a Behavior Analyst, you must communicate effectively in the common language of your work environment because the job puts you in direct contact with people and you must address the needs of your patients either through speaking or writing and sometimes you may need to be good in sign language as some patients may either be deaf, dumb or both
- Medical Expertise: The ability to understand medical terms and procedures is referred to as medical knowledge. Behavior Analysts use this expertise to identify the specific needs of patients and make the appropriate diagnosis and treatment
How to Become a Behavior Analyst
- Get a Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and further your Master’s in Behavior analysis or if possible get a first Degree in Behavior Analysis or Applied Behavior Analysis
- After graduation, go through the required years of internship to obtain work experience and acquire the required certifications for that
- Aces the required Licensing Examinations and apply for work in any health organization of your choice
- Obtain Success as a Behavior Analyst Following your entry-level position: There are many levels in the career paths of Behavior analysis to pursue. As an entry-level Behavior analyst, it may take 2-3 years to advance to the next level of rating. At each level of advancement in your career path, you may need about 2 years of exposure at each level. To develop your Behavior analysis career path, you may need an advanced degree such as a Master’s Degree in a related field, extra schooling, or special certifications
Where to Work as a Behavior Analyst
A behavior Analyst has a broad spectrum of job opportunities, this is because their clients vary from individuals with mental disorders to emotional disturbances. They may work in places listed below:
- Academic institutions or schools
- Hospitals or clinics
- Development and research industries
- Center for mental health awareness
- Health Organizations both non-profits and profits for example WHO
- The home in some cases
- Organizations that the assistance of a Behavior Analyst in either counseling staff on the right behavioral approach to work or other needs
Behavior Analyst Salary Scale
Salaries in Behavior Analysis or any related work depending on education, career path, and, qualifications. Obtaining advanced certifications, degrees and other credentials is an added advantage as it makes it more likely for employers to pay you better than your counterparts. The compensation website PayScale states that the average annual salary for a behavior analyst is close to $62,100.