When working as a BCBA, many people are likely to attempt to influence how you do your job in an incredible number of ways. Unfortunately, a few will likely try to encourage you to do something that is definitely not in the best interest of the children we are serving. This happens for different reasons including budget issues, to satisfy a particular stakeholder, or even leadership’s preference for a particular intervention.
There is a lot of training available on how to professionally handle ethical challenges. These situations are stressful, and can even lead to fear for your job. Today, I’m not discussing how to handle these situations. Others have done that. No matter what you do, these scenarios will be tough. But there is one simple thing you can do that will make dealing with it easier and less stressful.
Start a savings account. If you have some savings in the bank, and you can live without a paycheck for a few months, these situations are much less stressful. If you aren’t afraid for your personal finances, you will handle any ethical dilemma in a much better way than you might have if you didn’t have the savings account. If worst comes to worst, you can take your time to find a new job. Although most of the time leaving a job isn’t necessary, just knowing you have money in the bank will dramatically improve your chances of handling the situation well.
If you don’t have any savings, and you must keep your job, the odds of compromising greatly increase. You will find yourself much more likely to let little things slide. We know how shaping works. Soon, the little things become big things.
Don’t let that happen. Start small and build up your savings. It’s essential for your ethical practice. You can’t focus on clients when you are worried about paying your mortgage or providing for your own kids.
Of course, many people are struggling now, so this advice might be difficult to implement. It just shows another reason why having emergency money is so important. It is essential to start as soon as possible. This is one area that even a small bit of positive behavior change on a regular basis can make a big difference.