Behavioral Health InternAt — BRACOST Inc.

This internship position will offer a hands-on learning experience in applied behavior analysis (ABA) with a board and care home facility. The student will operate under the direct supervision of the facility's BCBA. The intern will learn to identify, track, and address a variety of behaviors. The intern will split their time between clinical observation and assisting with direct care to implement behavioral plans or staff education. This intern position is located entirely within one residential home serving four adult men (ages 25-45) with developmental disabilities, providing a highly focused and consistent learning environment. 

Tasks:

Expectation: 10-12 hours/week)
Weekly tasks schedule

Week 1: Orientation & Context
- Complete literature review of the house Behavior Support Plans (BSPs) and basic adult ABA concepts.

Week 2: Shadowing & Observation
- Job shadow the BCBA during direct resident sessions and documentation. Review and practice using blank data sheets while observing the residents.

Week 3: Rapport & Pairing
- Focus on pairing (building rapport) with the four residents. Shadow BCBA during data analysis and graphing.

Week 4: Data Collection (Intro)
- Begin taking supervised ABC data during sessions. BCBA provides de-identified work samples of progress notes for review.

Week 5: Drafting Documentation
-Continue direct data collection. Begin drafting practice progress notes for sessions observed, using the BCBA's templates.

Week 6: Reinforcement Delivery
- Learn and practice applying specific reinforcement schedules (praise, tokens, preferred activities) under BCBA supervision.

Week 7: Staff Collaboration Plan
- Participate in weekly house staff meetings as an observer. Collaborate with the BCBA to identify a topic for staff education.

Week 8: Staff Education Prep
- Design visual aids, handouts, or quick-reference behavior guides for the residential staff. Practice presenting the material to the BCBA.

Week 9: Co-Facilitating & Practice
- Co-facilitate the staff education session with the BCBA. Independently run a structured routine activity with the residents, applying the behavior plans.

Week 10: Independence & Wrap-Up
- Independently draft final progress notes and behavior graphs. Conduct final direct support sessions under distant supervision.

Training:

- Mandatory General Employer Orientation: An initial walkthrough covering facility-specific policies, emergency protocols, house rules, safety procedures, and HIPAA/confidentiality compliance.
- Literature Reviews & Concept Testing: The student will be assigned specific reading materials (e.g., the residents' Behavior Support Plans, basic ABA concepts, and articles on adult developmental disabilities). They will complete quick knowledge-check discussions with the BCBA to ensure comprehension before working directly with clients.
- Job Shadowing: The student will shadow the BCBA during direct resident sessions, documentation sessions, and staff interactions to observe real-time clinical decision-making.
- Task & Work Samples: Before starting any new task (such as taking ABC data or drafting a progress note), the BCBA will provide high-quality, de-identified work samples as a template. The BCBA will thoroughly explain the why and how of the task beforehand.
- Hands-on Skills Training: Small-scale, interactive training sessions covering topics like pairing/rapport building, implementing reinforcement schedules, and utilizing verbal de-escalation strategies.
- Weekly Mentorship Meetings: Scheduled, 1-hour weekly meetings between the BCBA and the student to review the student's progress toward their 3 learning objectives, discuss clinical cases, and provide constructive feedback.
- Staff Education Collaboration: Under supervision, the student will be trained on how to translate complex behavioral data into simple, actionable steps for the direct-care staff.

Learning Outcome:

1- Demonstrate the ability to correctly implement individualized behavior support plans for at least 3 out of 4 male residents.
2- Independently draft clinical progress notes and update daily behavior tracking graphs for the residents
3- Co-facilitate at least one staff education meeting with the BCBA