Behavior Specialist

Samaritans at Last is looking for contract Behavior Specialists to work with our intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) programs! They will work with both programs and individual teams to complete assessments, develop and update behavior support plans and crisis intervention plans. Part of their role will be to train direct support staff and caregivers to ensure that behavior supports are provided to participants using positive practices and the least restrictive interventions. The behavior specialist will work with our different types of ID/A programs across several locations, making this a very mobile job requiring the ability to travel. Bilingual (English/Spanish) abilities are a plus.

You’d enjoy being a Behavior Specialist with Samaritans at Last if you:

• Desire the potential for career growth within the organization.
• Want to work with people who truly care about the people we serve and that strive to make a difference every day
• Align with our values: person centered, passion for service, innovation, collaboration, and authenticity
• Are engaging
• Are organized

Essential Functions

• Conduct comprehensive assessments of behavior for participants identifying antecedents, potential functions of behavior, possible environmental factors and analyze assessment. findings to design behavioral support plans.
• Collaborate with participants, their family and service team to develop behavior support plans that include positive practices and least restrictive interventions.
• Develop individualized, comprehensive behavioral support plans consistent with the outcomes identified in the participants’ service plans.
• Implement activities and strategies identified in the participant’s behavior support plan including providing direct behavioral support, education and coaching to help ensure interventions are implemented with clinical integrity.

Requirements

Education and Experience:

Behavioral specialists must meet the professional education or licensure criteria in one of the following three sets of requirements:

• Master’s Degree or higher in Psychology, Special Education, Counseling, Social Work, Education, Applied Behavior Analysis or Gerontology.
• Candidates working towards a related master's degree will be considered.
• Must have a bachelor’s degree and work under the supervision of a professional who has a master’s degree in Psychology, Special Education, Counseling, Social Work, Education, Applied Behavior Analysis or Gerontology, or who is a licensed psychiatrist, psychologist, professional counselor, social worker (master's level or higher) or who has a Pennsylvania Behavior Specialist License.

In addition to the education and licensing criteria above, behavioral specialists must also meet the following standards:

• Two (2) years of experience working with individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and/or autism diagnosis.
• Some amount of experience working with adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and/or autism diagnosis.
• Experience as a behavior specialist is required.
• Candidate needs to have ODP FBA training/certification and a Positive Behavior Supports training.
• Autism training is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Understanding of the elements of a variety of approaches and techniques including: Everyday Lives, Charting the Life Course, Applied Behavior Analysis methods, Person-centered Planning, principles of Trauma-Informed Approaches and Positive Behavioral Support. Knowledge of principles and methods of habilitation, behavior management, safety techniques and programming planning principles. Prior training in, and ability to use, evidence-based procedures and techniques e.g., modeling, prompting, and fading, shaping, chaining, Premack principle, conditioned reinforcement, and differential reinforcement. Ability to develop and adjust behavior support plans addressed to meet the needs of the individuals served. Knowledge of basic concepts in family therapy and group work. Knowledge of pertinent community resources and facilities. Demonstrated excellent organizational and oral/written communication skills

• This position requires the ability to travel during the course of a normal workday to successfully carry out the expectations of this position including attending offsite meetings, providing services in the community, and providing service oversight and supervision. Therefore, employee will need to drive their personal vehicle and/or an agency owned vehicle to meet these expectations. Employee is expected to drive in a safe manner at all times, meet eligibility criteria outlined in our Motor Vehicle Policy, be available and willing to drive during work schedule, and successfully pass the agency’s substance abuse screening at any time during employment. There may be limited exceptions, which should be identified and worked through with supervisor.

Job Type: Contract

Pay: $27.57 - $50.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Work Location: In person

Salary : $28 - $50