Recommended Practices for Individual Supervision of Aspiring Behavior Analysts

Sellers et al. (2016) wrote a how-to paper for BCBA supervisors. They listed five must-do steps when guiding trainees who are earning fieldwork hours.

The paper came out right after the BACB tightened supervision rules. It gave busy supervisors a clear game plan instead of vague advice.

The team did not run an experiment. They built a checklist: set goals, give performance feedback, use behavioral skills training, assign structured tasks, and push professional growth.

These five moves map straight onto the new BACB rules. The paper shows how to weave each one into weekly supervision.

Garza et al. (2018) turned the same five steps into ready-made forms. They give you goal sheets, BST checklists, and feedback slips you can print today.

Irwin Helvey et al. (2022) flipped the lens. They told trainees, "Here is how to ask for the five things Sellers wants supervisors to give you." Same practices, new voice.

Hajiaghamohseni et al. (2021) surveyed 317 BCBAs and found wide swings in what supervisors actually do. The more concrete the guideline, the more likely people followed it. This backs Sellers’ push for a clear script.

MSáez-Suanes et al. (2023) looked at every supervision paper ever and said, "Most are opinion pieces like Sellers; we now need experiments." The review puts the 2016 paper in the "good advice, needs data" bucket.

You now have a short, evidence-linked recipe for supervision. Use the five steps as your session skeleton, grab the Garza forms to save time, and share the Irwin Helvey trainee hand-out so your supervisee meets you halfway. In a field where everyone wings it, this gives you a standard that still feels doable.