BCBA Supervision Resource Library

One of the requirements for earning board certification in behavior analysis is the successful completion of fieldwork hours. For most, this means 2,000 hours of experience, 5% of which are supervised. Explore more of the fieldwork requirements in this article.

High-quality fieldwork supervision is arguably the biggest piece to ensuring that we are thoroughly preparing our trainees for a behavior analyst role. However, behavior analysts and trainees alike encounter many in the supervision process. For supervisees, a key concern is the quality of supervision they receive. Many struggle to accrue unrestricted hours, with their supervisors prioritizing restricted work and being less invested in assigning unrestricted responsibilities. Supervisors often report barriers in accessing resources, progressing supervision, and finding opportunities for trainees to accrue hours.

This article will provide supervision resources for both the BCBA who is providing supervision and the supervisee who is receiving or seeking supervision.

Please note that this is in no way an all-encompassing list of resources.

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Are you exploring open RBT, BCBA, or mid-level supervisor positions? Take a look at the open roles posted on the ABA Job Board!

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Start with the basics

For both supervising BCBAs and those who are pursuing fieldwork supervision, I highly recommend thoroughly reviewing the following BACB resources.

BCBA Handbook: This goes over all aspects of pursuing BCBA certification from eligibility pathways to fieldwork requirements, fieldwork activities, exam information, and more. Keep this bookmarked for easy access as you'll likely need to reference it on numerous occasions (I can't tell you how many times I have!).

Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts: BCBA applicants and certificants are required to know and abide by this code. Trainees should expect fieldwork supervision to consist of ongoing ethical discussions. As such, before taking on supervisees, BCBAs are recommended to brush up on the code.

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Remote supervision

Those pursuing fieldwork hours may not have access to a BCBA in their current place of employment. Or they may struggle to accrue unrestricted hours with only one supervisor—this is especially common when working in a BT/RBT role. These trainees rarely experience a shortage in restricted hours but desperately need unrestricted tasks to develop the competencies of a BCBA and meet certification requirements. As such, many hopeful behavior analysts turn to remote supervision to accrue more hours.

If you're searching for a remote BCBA supervisor, check out this database of remote BCBA Supervisors who offer fieldwork supervision!

Are you a supervisor who offers remote supervision? Sign up to be included in our BCBA Remote Supervisor Database!

Are you a new BCBA providing supervision? Don't forget the new requirement for consulting supervision! All BCBAs who provide supervision within their 1st year as a BCBA must have a consulting supervisor with 5+ years of experience as a BCBA.

Supervision Introductory Meeting Guide

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BCBA-specific supervision resources

Here’s a curated list of BCBA-specific supervision resources, including books, articles, and continuing education courses, that can enhance your supervision practices:

BCBA Supervision & Mentorship Books

Building and Sustaining Meaningful and Effective Relationships as a Supervisor and Mentor

BCBA Fieldwork Supervision Curriculum

BCBA® Fieldwork Supervision Curriculum E-Book

Explore the curriculum

Supervision CEUs

Expand your competencies in supervision practices by taking continued education courses. 3 supervision CEUs per two-year period are required for BCBAs providing supervision.

• CEUniverse

• Behavior University

• DoBetter Collective 

• CEUs by Study Notes ABA 

• Special Learning 

• CentralReach

Supervision-related articles

The behavior analytic literature on supervision continues to expand. Here are several article suggestions.

• Towards a Competency-Based, Ethical, and Socially Valid Approach to the Supervision of Applied Behavior Analytic Trainees 
  

• Acceptability and Feasibility of Virtual Behavior Analysis Supervision 
  

• Supervision Behaviors of Board Certified Behavior Analysts with Precertification Candidates
  

• The Softer Side of Supervision: Recommendations when Teaching and Evaluating Behavior Analytic Professionalism  
  

• Board Certified Behavior Analysts Supervisory Practices of Trainees: Survey Results and Recommendations 
  

• Designing A Successful Supervision Journey: Recommendations and Resources for New BCBA Supervisors  Note: Here's a CEU related to this article
  

• Enhancing Supervisory Relationships with values and committed action training
  

• Taking Full Responsibility: The Ethics of Supervision in Behavior Analytic Practice

Resources for both BCBAs and Trainees

BCBA Task List Competency Tracker : Track your OR your supervisee's progress toward the items on the 6th Edition TCO. The TCO consists of skills and concepts that are expected of a behavior analyst, and therefore, monitoring one's competencies through the task list is beneficial.

Ethics for Behavior Analysts: An excellent read for both current and aspiring BCBAs. This book may be used to guide the ethical discussions in supervision meetings.

The Practical ABA Practitioner: Another great read for both current and aspiring analysts.

2027 Eligibility Updates: An overview of upcoming changes to BCBA certification eligibility.

Who Can Count as a Fieldwork Client: Clarification on who trainees may use as clients for fieldwork. Remember: All fieldwork activities must be client-specific!

Essential Fieldwork Activities: An overview of the most important activities that fieldwork should encompass.

Resources for Trainees

The Behavior Analyst Trainee Workbook: An in-depth workbook that includes tons of content, unrestricted activity ideas, and reflection prompts.

Understanding BCBA Fieldwork Hours

How to Get Unrestricted BCBA Hours

Ripley Fieldwork Tracker: Free online resource for tracking your hours!

Are You Getting a Quality Fieldwork Experience?

Choosing a fieldwork site: How to decide where to pursue supervised fieldwork.

How to Track BCBA Fieldwork Hours

An overview of the documentation required for fieldwork hours.

An overview of the eligibility criteria for becoming a BCBA

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