Choosing the Best ABA Companies to Work for in California

After dedicating years of your life to training and study, you don’t want to settle for just any employer. ABA professionals are hardworking individuals who deserve to feel respected, valued, and fairly compensated for their work.

Whether you’re a certified ABA professional actively searching for a new job or a college student weighing your career options, Therapeutic Pathways will provide the support, encouragement, and professional development opportunities to advance your career so you can help countless families.

Keep reading to learn what you should look for in an employer and why Therapeutic Pathways is one of the best ABA companies to work for in California (and in the rest of the country, but we don’t like to brag).

Qualities to Look for in an ABA Employer

Ethics

Providing high-quality ABA therapy is impossible without a clear, communicable system for ethical monitoring and supervision. Treatment centers that implement ethical practices help improve client care and support a work environment where employees are treated with dignity and respect.

Treatment centers that do not foster systems of ethical conduct place their clients and employees in an undesirable position: clients won’t receive the level of care that they need and deserve, and employees are more likely to exhibit undesirable behavior, introducing the risk of professional disciplinary action.

Ethics plays a huge role in decisions regarding autism intervention: which skills need to be addressed, how the client should be treated during intervention, and how to best support each client’s right to dignity. The field of ethics isn’t limited to college lecture halls and tedious compliance training – it’s a constant, living part of ABA and is treated with the utmost importance by high-quality providers.

When you’re looking for your next job in ABA, consider the extent to which an organization expects employees to engage in ethical conduct and how they actively support those expectations.

While looking for a position at an autism treatment center, ask or poke around online to find out if they:

• Receive regular ethics training – Regular training (at least once per year) is helpful in teaching employees how to deal with relevant ethical issues that are likely to arise in therapeutic settings.
• Use positive ABA methods – Some autism treatment centers rely on outdated therapy models that suppress undesirable behaviors rather than empowering clients to adapt their behavior to something more desirable. It’s important to work for a company that uses positive reinforcement and other evidence-based methods of treatment.
• Encourage and expect feedback – Feedback isn’t a one-way street, and as an employee, you shouldn’t feel afraid of retribution for voicing concerns over a client’s treatment. The best ABA companies to work for in California are open to feedback and ideas. They help forge new avenues by listening to employees and actually implementing changes based on their thoughts.

Support

Ask an employee about their favorite part of working at Therapeutic Pathways and you’re likely to get one of two answers: helping children and feeling supported by other employees and supervisors.

Support comes in many forms, but you’re set if you can find an employer who provides emotional, financial, and mental support. As you’re vetting autism treatment centers, consider the following:

Does the team structure suit you and your work?

Everyone has different learning and communication styles, and when you feel comfortable utilizing your strengths at work, you’re more likely to lend support to fellow employees and have that support returned.

Do you work better in a team or individually?

Some therapy centers like Therapeutic Pathways place a strong emphasis on cooperation among clients’ teams, including Behavior Technicians, Board Certified Behavior Analysts, and other ABA professionals.

However, there are also positions at Therapeutic Pathways that do offer more one-on-one interaction. If you prefer to work alone, it’s best to find an employer who will support this preference and provide alternative options.

Does the employer value learning and offer ongoing education to employees?

As an ABA professional, your education doesn’t end with your degree or certification. The best way to provide high-quality therapy is to know the latest methods and strategies and be on top of current research in the field.

To this end, Therapeutic Pathways offers Continuing Education Units, encourages participation in conferences and webinars, and mentorship opportunities from the internal clinical support team.

Does the employer provide opportunities for growth?

ABA professionals should never be satisfied with complacency. Instead, they should set their sights on the future and plan accordingly. The best ABA company is the one that encourages employees to apply for higher positions, promotions, or expansion of their current role or responsibilities.

As an evidence-based autism treatment center, Therapeutic Pathways offers countless opportunities for employees to advance in their careers and become the best ABA professionals they can be.

Join One of the Best ABA Companies to Work for in California

Therapeutic Pathways owes its success to its employees. Our employees are our greatest resource, and we’re grateful to have the opportunity to provide exceptional benefits for those who choose to work with us.

Some of the benefits we extend to employees include:

• Health, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance Benefits
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Paid Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• On-the-Job Training
• Free Continuing Education Units
• Industry Conference Allowance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Tuition Reimbursement
• 401(k)
• Life Insurance

For more information about working at Therapeutic Pathways, check out our Careers page for a listing of open positions. We can’t wait to hear from you!