Richard Foxx's 1985 concept of behavioral artistry was not a peripheral flourish in the behavior analytic literature — it was a direct challenge to the field to examine what distinguished its most effective practitioners from merely competent ones. The traits Foxx identified — compassion, persistence, optimism, humor, the capacity to celebrate victories despite hardship, and the refusal to quit when others would — are not soft attributes that exist alongside clinical skill.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Florida Association of Behavior Analysis
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Join Free →Being a superhero takes more than strength. It takes compassion, persistence, optimism, and humor. It takes celebrating victories despite hardships and knowing that when others say quit, you'll keep going. Captain America, Thor, and Aunt Man, they're are all superheroes, but even more, they're behavioral artists. This presentation will explore how Marvel's superheroes are prime exemplars of Foxx's theory of behavioral artistry (1985) by diving into the research, definitions, and history of the term. In his 1985 lecture, Richard Foxx outlined several traits that distinguished behavior technicians from behavioral artists. He argued that these distinguishing factors made the difference in whether a behavior change program proved successful or not. These features have added to the growing body of work around compassionate care in behavior analysis. Recent studies demonstrate that Foxx's skills of behavioral artistry can be taught to a behavior technicians, special education teachers, and master's students in behavior analysis. This workshop will provide a practical dive into how practitioners can obtain and then train the skills of behavioral artistry through a summary of three contemporary studies and hands on modeling of the teaching interaction procedure. Public Service Announcement: This presentation will not teach you how to fly, throw a hammer, or take you to the Quantum Realm. It will teach you an evidence-based strategy to train and obtain soft skills critical to maintaining a pro-social and therapeutic environment leading to being a more successful and compassionate behavior analysis, supervisor, and clincician.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 3 | Supervision |
| COA | 3 | — |
| FL MH/PSY | 3 | — |
Dr. Amy Bukszpan is the founder of Bukszpan Behavior Consultants and head coach of Banana Champs Performance Coaching and Behavioral Consulting. Amy is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst- Doctorate Level & Licensed NY State Behavior Analyst as well as a certified endurance coach and certified endurance nutrition coach. Amy received her doctorate in Applied Behavior Analysis from the Institute of Behavioral Studies at Endicott College. Her research emphasizes compassionate care in staff and athlete training, focusing on behavioral artistry and rapport building to increase client outcomes and to improve job and training quality and enjoyment for employees and athletes. Amy has published chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals and texts. Amy is an avid ultra runner & puppy lover.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
224 research articles with practitioner takeaways
195 research articles with practitioner takeaways
183 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.