The intersection of compassionate care and parent training in applied behavior analysis represents a critically important area of professional development. Behavior analysts work closely with families, and the quality of the practitioner-parent relationship significantly influences treatment outcomes, caregiver follow-through, and overall family well-being.
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Join Free →Compassionate care and therapeutic relationships have been the subject of applied behavior analytic (ABA) research over the last few years, specifically looking at parent and practitioner interactions (Rohrer et al., 2021; LeBlanc et al., 2020; Taylor et al., 2019). Melton and colleagues (2023) provided a conceptual analysis that distinguished between empathic and compassionate responses within a radical behavioral framework. This distinction highlighted a need for behavior analytic practitioners to discriminate between when empathic or compassionate responses are appropriate. This distinction will be applied to the role of motherhood and the need for behavior analytic practitioners to cultivate greater compassionate care skills when interacting with the stakeholders, or caregivers, of their clients. The contingencies of motherhood will be explored, specifically the related stressors when a child has a disability (Davis & Carter, 2008). A decision-making model will be reviewed to support practitioners in cultivating their soft skills to generate greater therapeutic alliances with the families they work with.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
Dr. Eilís O’Connell-Sussman is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in New York. For over a decade, she has worked in the behavior analytic field as an educator and clinician across various populations and environments. She holds a PhD from Endicott College and currently serves as the Thesis Coordinator for the Institute of Applied Behavioral Science (IABS) at Endicott College. Her grant-funded, awarded, and published research focuses on the early development of language from a behavior systems perspective within infant-caregiver interactions. Dr. O'Connell-Sussman is committed to research that creates positive outcomes for families, mothers' mental health, and children.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
239 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.