From Theory to Practice
Books won’t teach you everything
My first job out of college was that of a Registered Behavior Technician. This job entailed working with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder. I graduated with a degree in Psychology, so I anticipated the job would be a piece of cake. I’ve read and written countless papers and presentations for ASD; all I would have to do is follow the procedures, right?
Wrong.
During my new hire orientation, I was abruptly pulled from the room and led to a meeting where multiple social workers and psychologists were awaiting me. In front of them were three dense looking files. I later found that these files’ contents were an extensive 30-page treatment plan that I would need to adhere to and memorize.
They sat me down and proceeded to inform me that I was then assigned three high profile cases. These cases were of the highest priority as clients had mild to severe ASD, abuse/neglect cases, and a range of other environmental issues due to their geographical location and lower socioeconomic status.
This was the real deal.
No longer was I in the comfortable cushion of the classroom sitting back, eyes glazed after an hour of the professor rambling. I was now responsible for the well-being and development of another human being. My work as the frontline for psychologists/social workers was to be nothing short of superb.
My responsibility was to utilize a specified psychological practice known as Applied Behavioral Analysis. Meaning I was to decrease negative behavior and increase positive behaviors. I would record each behavior in a log in accordance with the treatment plan. While any behaviors are occurring, I would be analyzing the scene for data on why the event is taking place.
Then, I would take notes, coordinate with teachers and/or family members around me to address the situation at hand. Often I would have to manually cultivate an environment conducive to the well-being of the client. All this, and then I would relay all notes and data logs of thirty-minute intervals of a typical 4–6 hour session daily.
Did I mention that all this information could be used as evidence in court? The role’s undertaking was far more than I ever could have anticipated, but, the lessons it taught me will last a lifetime.
These are the top two lessons I gained from this experience.
Trial By Fire
“The road to success is paved with stones of failure.”
In starting this position, I knew I was taking a significant risk. I battled intense imposter syndrome; I could not help feeling like a fraud only minutes away from being found out and banished from my job. I began to recognize I was playing into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
When starting anything new, it’s not uncommon to be hesitant in fear of looking totally and completely incompetent. However, if you want to truly be excellent at what you do, you’re going to make mistakes in the process.
Obviously, we want to mitigate any excess in failure and streamline the learning process. So here are some tactics I used to simplify the learning curve.
- Come prepared. Do your due diligence and allow yourself to succeed.
- Ask questions when you do not understand something fully.
- Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Come to any new role with a student’s mentality. You are going to fail one way or another and make some bad decisions, but the act of indecision and delegating more responsibility to coworkers is irresponsible.
Effective Communication
I was required to file daily reports detailing the contents of the day down to thirty-minute intervals. This included incidents, behaviors, and any factors that could have implications for the client. My data would then be utilized to build reports of improvement or decline.
Some of my clients were completely non-verbal. This means they could not communicate, and the client I had did not know sign language either. I spent most of the day with this client and was able to pick up subliminal cues or translate gestures after some time.
Now here comes the tricky part. I had to translate the subliminal cues and gestures to teachers, counselors, parents up to clinical psychologists. Most of the time, I walked a tightrope because I communicated with parents about a topic as sensitive as their children. It was all about delivering the right message they needed with care and compassion.
If I happened to misinform a parent, teacher, or social worker, my failure to communicate effectively could have consequences that reached far beyond myself.
How does this translate?
Everything you say or do has a consequence, good or bad. A poorly phrased email can cause people to unsubscribe to your email campaign.
Poor tonality with a customer can cause you to lose valuable business.
Ineffective communication between management and employees can inadvertently cost the company.
Only so many books, lectures, or tutorials will show you how to do quality work.
I had all the theoretical framework to excel in this position but often found that it was utterly meaningless if I was not able to apply it. Had I not communicated dilemmas effectively with my superiors and co-workers I would have handicapped myself and hurt my client in the process. My range of responsibility forced me to adapt quickly. I stumbled my way to success.
Quality work is done by putting your feet to the fire and risk failing to find what works. Do your homework, come prepared, and make the adjustments when necessary. Don’t be afraid to ask questions because ultimately work like anything else is a learning process.
Learn how to communicate effectively. Poor communication can be the fundamental difference between a successful business or a failing one. This is something within everyone’s reach and requires a tremendous amount of accountability. Crafting your message to fit the recipient is a tactic everyone can improve.
The devil is in the details.
