Association for Behavior Analysis International

The year 2020 thrust applied behavior analysis into an uncharted intersection of clinical practice, public health, and sociopolitical evolution. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Two days later, COVID-19 was declared a U.S. national emergency. Already vulnerable individuals served by the behavior analytic community found their worlds turned upside down and inside out, routines violently disrupted, and many were suddenly cut off from essential behavioral health treatment. Practitioners were furloughed, laid off, or altogether let go. Many others chose unemployment, terrified of contracting COVID-19. On May 25, a nation already gripped by health and economic fear and uncertainty exploded in protest, sparked by the death of George Floyd. Unified like never before, our nation demanded reformation of the inequity and fundamental flaws in the criminal justice system and in our society as a whole. Using a behavioral systems approach guided by the Stockdale Paradox (Collins, 2001), cognitive-diversity hypothesis (Miller, Burke, & Glick, 1998), and simple notion of kindness, a small, privately owned agency utilized professional networks, local and state resources, and sheer determination to persevere, pivot, and redefine its commitment to its clients, staff, and our science.

Prerequisite skills/competencies: behavior systems; business strategy; corporate culture; diversity in the workplace; ethics; leadership/management; supervision.