Compassionate Behavior: Unfiltered

The dirty secret no one in ABA wants to say out loud? Billable hours are running the show. In this unapologetically disruptive episode, we expose the uncomfortable truth about how the relentless push for ABA billable hours is reshaping the quality of care. When productivity quotas outweigh client progress, supervision gets rushed, treatment becomes templated, burnout spikes, and ethical gray zones...

This is the final episode in our three-part series on trauma-informed care in Applied Behavior Analysis, and we’re ending it by saying the quiet parts out loud. We challenge the belief that trauma-informed care is optional, incompatible with behavior analysis, or something we’re already doing by default, and we name the real issues: power, consent, safety, flexibility, and the impact of our choice...

  This follow-up episode continues the trauma-informed care conversation by centering accountability, power, and what actually needs to change inside ABA, not just what sounds good on paper. We’re joined by Leslie Birdwhistell, LCSW and BCBA, a fierce advocate for affirming, accessible care. Leslie is also the founder of My ABA Tutor, an online program that supports caregivers in using practical A...

Trauma-informed care isn’t treated like a buzzword or a checkbox here. It’s messy. It challenges power, routines, and the way “best practice” has been used without asking who gets hurt along the way. What does it really mean to work with behavior when someone’s history includes fear, loss, or chronic stress? What has the field gotten wrong—and what has to change? This first episode about trauma in...

In this raw and unfiltered episode, we dive deep into why disseminating Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) matters now more than ever. Stripping away the jargon and polished talking points, we explore the real-world impact ABA can have—and the real challenges that come with sharing it responsibly. From confronting misconceptions to owning the mistakes and missteps within the field, this conversation...