Episode 23: What Happens When Someone Reports You to the BACB (And Why I'm Actually Grateful)

Sarah gets raw about an experience most BCBAs dread: being reported to the BACB Ethics Department. In this deeply personal episode, she walks through the three-week emotional roller coaster of responding to an anonymous ethics complaint about her supervision program - the immediate panic, the spiral of worst-case scenarios, and ultimately, the perspective shift that made her grateful for the whole experience.

This isn't just about what happened; it's about what it means to lead a movement, accept that not everyone will support you, and give yourself permission to show up authentically even when it makes people uncomfortable.

In This Episode Sarah Discusses...

• The moment she got the BACB email and her immediate emotional spiral (spoiler: even with all her coping skills, she was terrified)

• The anonymous ethics complaint: concerns about supervision for stay-at-home moms, multi-state licensing claims, and unrestricted hours

• Why she wishes the person had reached out directly first instead of going straight to the BACB

• How this experience confirmed she's on the right path - "This just means I'm doing everything aligned with my soul"

• The exhausting energy of women tearing each other down in the field (and why she's creating a different space)

  
  

Quotes from This Episode

"I wish the person would've sent me a message, would've sent me an email, would have somehow tried to contact me to express their concerns first, and then I would've loved to have a conversation."

"If you want to be someone that makes a change, that leads a movement, you have to be okay with other people not liking you and not supporting you."

"Just because I am a behavior analyst and super analytical in the workplace doesn't mean I can't go home and manifest things and talk about how I believe in the universe and karma."

"I'm so sick of us having to fit into this perfect little box because I don't fit into a perfect little box, and for so much of my life I tried to fit into this little box and it never felt right."

"If there's gonna be a problem, I can complain about the problem or I can create a solution. And the solution is Permission for More."

Resources Mentioned:

• Permission for More - New community launching soon

• Mindset calls for overcoming limiting beliefs

• CEUs for behavior analysis outside autism

• Health coaching CEUs

• A space to talk about big dreams without judgment

  
  

Connect With MBB

FREE CEUS: ⁠https://mindbodybehavior.co/ceus⁠

Mind Body Behavior RECLAIM Retreat:

⁠https://mindbodybehavior.co/appointment-page-3564-2536-1477-4221⁠

32 CEU Board Approved Health Coaching Program:⁠ ⁠⁠https://mindbodybehavior.co/board-certified-health-coach⁠

BCBA Supervision Program Outside ASD:⁠ ⁠

⁠https://mindbodybehavior.co/bcba-supervision⁠

Email: sarah@mindbodybehaviorllc.com

Social Media: @sarahburby @mindbodybehavioranalysts