Ethics of Supervision

The supervision of professionals in the field of be-havior analysis is multifaceted. The BACB® Professional andEthical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysis providesguidance for effective supervisory practices, as supervisionimpacts both the supervisee and the consumers. The purposeof this article is (1) to discuss rationales and consequencesrelative to supervision issues, (2) to provide directions forprofessional development in each of the seven identified su-pervisory areas within the code, and (3) to set the occasion forcritical discourse relative to supervision. Case examples areused to illustrate each of the seven supervisory subcompo-nents of theBBehavior Analysts as Supervisors^section ofthe Code. A rationale is provided for each component, as wellas a discussion of possible undesirable consequences resultingfrom not following the rule. While the code provides clearexpectations of the desired behavior, this article explores moreof the subtle nuances inherent in each section of the supervi-sion code, with the goal of achieving a better understanding ofthe Code and enhancing supervisory skills.

Sellers, T. P., Alai-Rosales, S., & MacDonald, R. P. (2016). Taking Full Responsibility: the Ethics of Supervision in Behavior Analytic Practice. Behavior analysis in practice, 9(4), 299–308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0144-x