To become a Behavior Therapist....?

Question

Would my best option be to get a MA in Special Ed? I am interested in observing children's behavior and determining ways to modify it. Mostly, autistic children. OR is a MA in Educational Psychology a better route? I am currently in an undergraduate Psychology program and think I should switch to Education.

Answer 1

First off, I absolutely agree that you should switch from psych to ed.  Why?  Because you can get a job with a teaching degree; you cannot with a psych degree.  

To answer your question, you need to find out what the licensing requirements are for what you want to do.  You will have to research this out with schools and licensing boards in your state.  Ask questions like, "What education and licensure do I need in order to do ... ?"  Or find people doing what you want to do, and ask them for advice on what is needed.  

Since I don't know where you live, I can't do any of this research myself.  The requirements are different in different parts of the U.S. and world.  For instance, you might just need a bachelor's and some extra training in one place; in another you may need a master's in education with a specialty; in another you may need a graduate degree in clinical social work or psychology.  In yet another, you may need more than one degree.

Find these things out.  But I heartily recommend if you want to work in educational settings with children, that you start with a bachelors in education.  For most therapy-type jobs you will need a graduate degree anyway (in psych or social work), and the combination of degrees (ed + counseling) will be greatly to your advantage.

Answer 2

You do not need to be certified in special ed (most times) in order to be a behavior analyst, even in a school district. But, it helps. You can get a masters level certification in the field of applied behavior analysis... sometime they fall under MS.Ed or M.Ed. You have to check the program. But, there are several schools with an applied behavior analysis track in either the school of education or school of psychology. And, after you complete the requirements and credits, you can sit for the BCBA exam, which are the only credentials in the field.

Do not go the ed psych route unless you want to work in schools and administer educational and psych evals. You really need to have an understanding of applied behavior analysis. So, check the different tracks in your school... and ABA usually falls under SPED, PSYCH, or even MS degree program (TEMPLE, for one).

Answer 3

IF you want to work in schools I would recommend getting a Masters in School psychology and a PPS credential to work in schools. To work in the field as a behavior analyst or behavior specialist the certification in the field is a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) at the masters level. Information about programs and certification are here http://www.bacb.com.

I recommend that you get the BCBA certification in conjunction with a special ed. teaching credential or a school psychology credential as it will open a lot more doors for you. You can get a Masters and the BCBA certification without one of the other credentials but that will limit your long term possibilities. Do it right the first time :)