From Newly-Minted to Confident Practitioner: ACSS 6

Several weeks ago Dr. Gina Green posted an impassioned request to support the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts on Facebook, noting, among other things, that the organization is uniquely suited to advocate for the needs of both practitioners and clients in this unpredictable world of ours. One of the ways that she suggested supporting APBA was to attend the annual conference. Well, her plea worked on me, and I am in the process of making travel plans to New Orleans, where this year's conference is being held. After that, I started thinking about things I could do to encourage my fellow Behavior Analysts to attend as well. As such, I hope to have a future episode or two that highlights the content of the conference itself. Having said that, attending a conference is not only about sitting in a meeting room, dutifully taking notes and obtaining CE units. Let's be honest, it's also an opportunity to travel and see places that one would not ordinary visit on their own. Because this year's event is in the city of New Orleans, I thought that it would be fun to do an episode that highlights some non-clinical or practice-related reasons to attend APBA. In order to accomplish this, I reached out to my new friend and fellow podcaster, Mark Bologna of the Beyond Bourbon Street Podcast, a show that celebrates all that New Orleans has to offer. In this episode, the New Orleans native gives us perhaps the most concise visitor's guide to the city. We talk about everything from how to get to the conference hotel from the airport to local figures of speech. More importantly we spend a lot of time talking about cool places to eat, sightsee, and just hang out. Mark shares places to go not only for new visitors to the city, but he also mentions some very cool restaurants that only the locals know about. All in all, there's something for everyone in this episode (and if you're like me, you'll start to get hungry as Mark describes the local cuisine!). From a resources standpoint, this is perhaps the most content-rich episode I've done to date. There are almost 40 links to resources in these show notes. I listed them in the order in which they appear in the podcast. I have them in a downloadable PDF as well, so please feel free to share this with friends and co-workers who are considering a trip to New Orleans (whether for the conference or not). Here's the PDF (no email address required, actual links below): Session 19 Resource List In closing, I hope I've provided some additional incentive to attend the APBA conference! Session 19 Resources. The links from this podcast, in order of appearance. All typos, mistakes, etc.. are mine, and not Mark Bolongna's. For more information, check out Mark's website and podcast at http://beyondbourbonst.com/. He also has an awesome Instagram page, with lots of great pictures of various sights in the New Orleans area (see https://www.instagram.com/beyondbourbonst/). http://www.norta.com/Getting-Around/GoMobile-App RTA (Public Transportation) mobile app http://www.thecolumns.com/ The Columns Hotel http://beyondbourbonst.com/ Homepage for Mark Bologna's awesome podcast http://flymsy.com/PageDisplay.asp?p1=6016 MSY airport ground transport, Mark suggests Uber too http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/ Tennessee Williams Literary Festival http://sasfest.org/ Saints and Sinners festival http://www.saengernola.com/shows/chris-rock-total-blackout-tour-2017 Chris Rock show http://www.nola.gov/parks-and-parkways/parks-squares/lafayette-square/ Lafayette Square Park http://nola.eater.com/2016/11/18/13654334/top-taco-festival-new-orleans-debuts-march-2017 NOLA Taco Festival http://www.cafedumonde.com/ Cafe Du Monde http://neworleanscitypark.com/in-the-park/morning-call Morning Call (CDM alternative) http://www.gumboshop.com/ the Gumbo Shop http://www.mrbsbistro.com/ Mr. B's. Bistro http://www.commanderspalace.com/ Commander's Palace (2-4 week reservations in advance recommended) http://www.antoines.com/ Antoine's Restaurant (ask for a tour; 2-4 week reservations in advance recommended) http://jacques-imos.com/ Jacques-Imo's; great local casual food https://www.brigtsens.com/ Brightsen's Restaurant (known for seafood and duck) http://www.clancysneworleans.com/ Clancy's restaurant (uptown New Orleans) http://www.katiesinmidcity.com/ Katie's Restaurant & Bar http://beyondbourbonst.com/new-orleans-language-guide/ The Language of New Orleans - Podcast episode http://www.qandc.com/ Q & C hotel http://www.catahoulahotel.com/ Catahoula Hotel http://bienvillehouse.com Bienville House Hotel http://www.therooseveltneworleans.com/ Roosevelt Hotel http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/msydt-renaissance-new-orleans-arts-warehouse-district-hotel/ Renaissance Hotel http://www.westinneworleanscanalplace.com/ Westin Hotel http://louisianastatemuseum.org/museums/the-cabildo/ Cabildo Museaum http://louisianastatemuseum.org/museums/the-presbytere/ Presbytere Museam http://www.twochickswalkingtours.com/index.html 2 chicks walking tours http://www.bigboytravel.com/louisiana/neworleans/gardendistrictwalkingtour/ garden district walking tour http://louisianastatemuseum.org/museums/the-old-us-mint/ The Old US Mint - History of Jazz museum, free! https://www.preservationhall.com/ Preservation Hall jazz venue http://701bourbon.com/ Cat's Meow, French Quarter nightclub http://www.patobriens.com/patobriens/default.asp Pat O'Briens, French Quarter Bar/Club http://www.bestofneworleans.com/ The Gambit (free local paper) https://www.facebook.com/kermitruffinsnola/ Kermit Ruffins, local jazz legend http://www.bigsamsfunkynation.com/ Big Sam's Funky Nation (another local music legend) http://www.houseofblues.com/neworleans New Orleans House of Blues

28 Dec 20161h 7min

In Session 18, Manny Rodriguez, Shannon Biagi, and Dan Sundberg join me to discuss their OBM Applied! book series. In this episode we cover the following topics: Why they wrote OBM Applied! Who the intended reader is What sort of outcome a reader can expect The Florida Institute of Technology OBM Certificate program In addition to these, we talk quite a bit about the process of writing itself, which can be applicable to not only writing books, but I would imagine finishing theses and dissertations as well. Shannon, Manny, and Dan were also generous enough to provide a cheat sheet on staying on-task and productive during the writing process. Show notes and the cheat sheet are at www.behavioralobservations.com/Session-18

19 Dec 20161h 5min

What does risky sex, drug use, and even indoor tanning have in common? Fortunately Dr. Derek Reed, BCBA-D, joins me in Session 17 to provide a tutorial of sorts on behavioral economics, which helps to explain what these (and many other) "problems of consumption," are influenced by behavior-environment relationships. Derek runs the Applied Behavioral Economics Laboratory at the University of Kansas, and has extensive experience across a wide range of behavior analytic niches. For example, during the interview, he tells the story of how within the first semester of studying Behavior Analysis, he was doing everything from providing services to children in applied settings while also working in an animal laboratory. He also describes some of his research on how people choose to partake in indoor tanning, and explains some of the behavioral economic principles that influence such decisions. Although we get, "into the weeds," as it relates to discussing concepts from the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Derek expertly translates many of these ideas into language that is, in the end, quite accessible. Even if you have no interest in EAB, I believe that there are take-home messages for Behavior Analysts in all settings. To that end, I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

8 Dec 20161h 11min

Pat Friman returns to The Behavioral Observations Podcast in Session 16. In this episode, we talk about things that we as Behavior Analysts typically avoid, namely things like depression, anxiety, and stress. Specifically, he provides an overview of these concepts using, of course, a behavior-analytic lens. At the same time, Pat also notes that our particular professional jargon can be quite off-putting to some, and goes on to provide great advice for communicating effectively with lay-people. I could go on, but I'll simply say that I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I do. This session of the podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org's ABA Outside the Box CE series. Check it out at bSci21.org/ceus!

23 Nov 20161h 7min

Rich Brooks has the distinctive honor of being the first non-Behavior Analyst to come on the show. Don't let that temper your enthusiasm for this episode though. In Session 15, Rich and I talk about the importance of marketing ABA services, mainly from the digital perspective. Specifically, we talk about the following: Options for setting up your own website Optimizing your site so people can find you more easily Considerations for social media use How to work with a website developer effectively Rich is in a good place to provide this advice. He is founder and president of flyte new media (http://www.takeflyte.com), a web design and marketing firm in Portland, Maine. He is a nationally recognized speaker on entrepreneurship, digital marketing and social media. He is a founder of The Agents of Change (http://www.agentsofchangecon.com/), an annual conference and weekly podcast that focuses on search, social & mobile marketing. He is also a regular contributor at SocialMediaExaminer.com, the world's most popular social media marketing blog. He is the "tech guru" on WCSH Channel 6's evening news show, 207, and teaches web marketing and social media courses for entrepreneurs at the University of Southern Maine's Center for Continuing Education. Finally, special thanks to bSci21.org's ABA Outside the Box continuing education series for sponsoring this show (go to bSci21.org/ceus to learn more) as well as Dr.s Becca Tagg and Megan Miller for their invaluable assistance in preparing for this interview (www.delmarbehavioralhealth.com & www.navigationbehavioralconsulting.com, respectively).

18 Nov 201649min

Dr. Mark Dixon joins me in Session 14 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast. Mark is a prolific researcher who has published over 150 peer-reviewed studies. He has published articles on a wide array of topics, including gambling, relational frame theory, and educational interventions for children with Autism. In this episode, we talk about his book, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Children with Autism and Emotional Challenges. This book presents the reader with curriculum of 180 lessons to teach students the various ACT processes in order to foster psychological flexibility. We also talk about how he got into Behavior Analysis, he extends our primer on ACT that began in Session 6 with D.J. Moran's interview, and then discuses how to use the curriculum in his book. He closes the conversation with some sage advice for students and practitioners. If you want to get the book, Amazon is frequently out of stock. However, Behavior Development Solutions generally has them in stock. Mark also mentions the journal, The Psychological Record, which you can check out here. I should also note that this session of the podcast is sponsored by the ABA Outside the Box CE series, so if you are in need of continuing education, check out bSci21.org/ceus. Finally, if you get value out of this show, please consider taking a few minutes to go on over to iTunes to leave a rating and review.

31 Okt 20161h 4min

Session 13's guest on The Behavioral Observations Podcast is Dr. Megan Miller from Navigation Behavioral Consulting. In this episode we talk about a range of issues that are relevant to many practicing behavior analysts, such as providing services over long distances, determining what makes a practice "evidence based," and the practitioner's need for life-long-learning. All in all, it's a fun conversation that I hope you enjoy. I should also add that Megan is active on the various behavior-analytic Facebook groups, so feel free to give her a virtual high-five. I also want to thank all of you who attended the New Hampshire ABA conference on October 1st. I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on practitioner self-care, and gave a brief introduction to one of my favorite topics, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It was a humbling experience presenting in front of many prestigious names in our field, and it was gratifying to meet many listeners who made the trek to Manchester, NH to attend the conference. If you are in the New England area, keep your eyes peeled for the next NHABA conference. You will not be disappointed! This episode is sponsored by bSci21.org's ABA Outside the Box continuing education trainings. I recently participated in "Conversations That Drive Performance," which was excellent. Check it out at bSci21.org/ceus! Lastly, if you have a minute, I would be very grateful if you went to iTunes and provided a rating and review of the show. As of this writing, The Behavioral Observations Podcast has been downloaded almost 50K times. That said, there are currently 33 ratings in the United States' iTunes store. There are no direct tangible reinforcers for having lots of iTunes reviews, but it does help the show get more recognition/visibility, and by extension disseminating free behavior analytic content. If you're not sure how to leave a rating and review, YouTube has you covered. Just click here for a quick tutorial. Thanks for listening! PS: here are links to other resources we mentioned The funny ABA blog Megan mentioned Steve Ward's website Dr. Mary Sawyer's dissertation

19 Okt 20161h 1min

Session 12 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast features an in-depth conversation with Mary Lynch Barbera, BCBA-D. In this episode, we talk about a wide range of topics including, but not limited to, Her pre-ABA career as a nurse (which actually involved quite a bit of OBM work!). How she learned about behavior analysis, and how her advocacy for her son led her to becoming a BCBA. The motivation behind writing her best-selling book, The Verbal Behavior Approach, and creating her e-course, Autism ABA Help: Online Training for Professionals and Gung-Ho Parents. What her writing practices are, and how best to avoid, "the curse of knowledge," when communicating behavioral principles with lay people. Her thoughts on some recent workshops from the recent National Autism Conference at Penn State University. Mary shares tons of resources in this episode, so please check out www.behavioralobservations.com for the Session 12 show notes. She also has generously provided listeners with a $50 coupon for her course. Enter BEHAVIORPOD at checkout to redeem it. To learn more about Mary, be sure to visit her website at http://www.marybarbera.com. This podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org. bSci21.org is your go-to ABA news site. The companion article for this episode is called, "I" is just a bit of Verbal Behavior, by Dr. Scott Herbst.

15 Sep 20161h