What is the main reason we come to work each day? I believe it’s because we want to see the children make progress. Of course, I understand that it is a “synthesized contingency.” For example, few of us could afford to come to work if we didn’t get paid or receive other benefits. Still, seeing the children make progress is crucial. I believe that without effective programming, few people will be able to continue in this type of job over the long haul.
Now, one problem is that this benefit comes with emotional reactions. When things are going well, I feel great and extremely positive about our work. But if we have one of those days, suddenly, I feel sick and can barely make it to work. It may be that I go to extremes, but I think this is common. Learning to handle these feelings is critical for success in a field like ours. Parents often feel this too. They can be excited by one great session, and then depressed after witnessing one that doesn’t go great.
It is easy to take the positive approach when you are not the one working with the child day in and day out or are not the parent of the child. In my experience, supervisors tend to forget what it is like to have a tough session and are sometimes dismissive of staff and parents who are upset.
Yes, the vast majority of clients are going to make excellent progress in therapy based on applied behavior analysis. One of the biggest obstacles is handling the emotions that come from an occasional problematic session. Overlooking this issue can be a major cause of failure. I’ve often argued that this is so important it is necessary to have a plumber on call.