Behavior Analysts’ Training and Practices Regarding Cultural Diversity: the Case for Culturally Competent Care

Beaulieu et al. (2019) sent an online survey to Board Certified Behavior Analysts across the United States. They asked how much cultural-diversity training each person had received and how skilled the person felt working with diverse families.

The survey also asked BCBAs to rate the importance of more training. The goal was to see whether today’s practitioners are ready to give culturally competent care.

Most respondents said cultural diversity is important. Yet the same people reported receiving little to no formal instruction on the topic.

Despite the training gap, BCBAs rated themselves as moderately skilled. The mismatch suggests confidence is not tied to actual coursework.

Arango et al. (2023) extend these results. They argue that ethics-code compliance cannot reveal what you do not know. Feeling competent, the paper warns, can hide blind spots.

Leland et al. (2019) give a concrete fix. Their transgender-affirming self-assessment shows how targeted tools can fill specific gaps the survey uncovered.

Bayley et al. (2023) and Liddon et al. (2024) used the same survey method on different topics. Both found that daily clinic pressures, not bad intentions, block better training. The pattern suggests the cultural-diversity shortfall is part of a wider training squeeze.

You may feel culturally competent, but if your formal diversity training is thin, you risk missing client values that shape behavior. Add a humility check to your next supervision meeting: ask your supervisee to complete the TGNC self-assessment from Leland et al. (2019) and discuss one action they will take with their current client. Five minutes now can prevent weeks of cultural mismatch later.