Applied Behavior Analysis Within A Mental Health Model

We offer services in two distinct but related clinics, our Mental Health and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) clinics.  When people think about therapy and mental health, images of sitting on a couch and working through your life's problems often come to mind.  There is value in this model, especially when evidence-based, behaviorally-driven practices such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) are used.  We do this along with diagnostic assessments within our Mental Health Clinic.   In reality, the difference between Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and these other behavioral interventions comes down to theories and techniques used to drive change and understand human behavior despite similar roots in psychology.  ABA places a focus on an individual's interaction with their environment and works with individuals and their systems of support to change the environment to help teach new skills, encourage the use of prosocial and adaptive behaviors, and discourage the use behaviors that may limit an individual's ability to access the environments that give them the greatest opportunity for reinforcement.  ABA places a stronger focus on immediately observable behavior change and teaching precision than many other behaviorally-oriented therapies.  Further, there is a focus on utilizing real-time data-based decision making to help adapt and guide treatment as you go along.   In fact, when done well, each treatment case can be viewed as it's own single-case research design.

What to Expect if I'm Referred to the ABA Clinic

ABA service models can vary greatly based on individual needs and environmental systems. Behavior analysts utilize baseline data (observational measures collected before treatment is implemented) to help set goals and let us know if treatment is effective.  Sometimes we can make a great treatment plan with just a little bit of data and other times, we need more specific information about individual skills and behaviors.  We have developed an ongoing assessment process that helps balance gathering high quality assessment data to drive treatment recommendations and resources allocation.  The flowchart below outlines this process. *Not available in mobile view.