Whats next ..RBT Certification

[Dkhan]

Hello everyone,

      First of all, I want to apologize if this has been asked before. I am looking for some advice to help my good friend. She is an RBT for a year now and has experience for over 6 months. My question is that no matter how much she is trying there is not enough on her paycheck. She loves this field but how good is the profession when you can't pay the bills. I don't have much knowledge in this line so that's why I am posting this here.      

                I want to know how can you earn more if you like what you do. Yes, I understand experience is one. What about any advance certification that can give her bit of edge. I have been told that RBT Certificates are flooding the market, causing the avg salary to go down. more supply than demand scenario in sort of speak, is this true? 

      Any information would be helpful as I can see she is really passionate about her work but the earning factor is frustrating.

Thank you 

[PsyDuck90]

When you say RBT, do you mean Registered Behavioral Technician? If so, that appears to an entry level position within that field. It requires a high school diploma from what I can tell. If she loves the work and wants to continue in that field, then she most likely would need to go to school to become a BCaBA (bachelor's level) or BCBA (master's level). In mental health, the more autonomy you have, the more earning potential you have. Usually, that autonomy is linked with your education level. 

[Dkhan]

First of all thank you so much for your guidance.

                                              I am reading that BCaBA and BCBA require 1000 and 1500 Hours of experience before you can sit in the exam. Is that true?  I know its a long shot but do you have any idea as what else would you need beside completing the hours before you get to apply to any of these advanced certifications.

 Also, do you require Bachelor's Degree for BCaBA and Masters Degree for BCBA ?? 

 

[PsyDuck90]

I am not super familiar with the requirements, but yeah, I believe the BCaBA is a certification you can get after a bachelor's degree (and you would most likely have internships to help you accrue those hours) and same for BCBA. In regards to specific amounts of hours, I have no idea. I'm in clinical psych. But it typically works that way in the mental health field: you need the degree and a certain amount of supervised hours to get a certain credential. Some of your friend's hours as an RBT may be able to count, but she should look into the rules governing any state/national licensing boards. That's where she can expect to get the most accurate information regarding what all of the credentialing requirements are for different licenses.