Portal Submission:

Relevant background: “A former supervisee of mine reached out because she is not currently working for an ABA company but wants to maintain her certification. We no longer work for the same company and I am not listed as her supervisor on the BACB website, nor do I intend to. I am just wondering if I can do her competencies. However, she is not working for an ABA company so I would also not be able to mark her off as demonstrating skills with a client. I'm not sure if there is a way for her to get recertified without clients or an official supervisor. Any info is appreciated.”

Possible solutions: I don't know if I could complete competencies with a hypothetical client or if there is a system for RBTs to maintain their certification when not in the field. Any info is appreciated.

Credentialing: Reporter is an LBA

Committee Input (e.g., considerations for pathways forward, potential barriers, potential solutions):

Based on the information provided, it does not appear that the submitter meets the necessary criteria to complete this RBT’s renewal competency. Per the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, the Responsible Assessor and the RBT must either be employed by the same organization or under a contractual supervisory relationship. The Committee would also like to remind the submitter that an RBT MUST have a listed supervisor in order to practice as an RBT, so if the RBT mentioned above is still providing behavior analytic services, they should contact their current responsible supervisor(s) listed on the BACB’s website to complete their renewal.

The Committee would recommend the submitter clearly remind the RBT of the expectations regarding supervision to ensure all are being met. If the RBT is not currently practicing and is trying to maintain the credential, the Committee recommends the RBT explore pursuit of Voluntary Inactive Status through the BACB until such time as they are practicing and have a Responsible Supervisor.

The Committee commends the submitter for recruiting feedback to ensure they are in alignment with expectations for Responsible Supervisors and would also like to recommend pursuing additional knowledge in these areas as is outlined in the BACB’s BCBA Handbook and Section 4 of the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts. Increasing fluency and familiarity with these standards will ensure best practice decision making and ensure adherence to all related ethics codes and Arizona statutes. Possible resources to explore are included below.

Ethics Codes (specific standards that could apply to support/oppose):

• 1.01 Being Truthful
• 1.02 Conforming with Legal and Professional Requirements
• 1.03 Accountability
• 4.01 Compliance with Supervision Requirements
• 4.03 Supervisory Volume
• 4.04 Accountability in Supervision
• 4.11 Facilitating Continuity of Supervision
• 4.12 Appropriately Terminating Supervision
• A.R.S. § 32-2091 (12)(c)(j)(q)(z)(dd)

Additional Resources:

• BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (08/2024)
• BACB BCBA Handbook (08/2025)
• BACB RBT Handbook (08/2025)
• Arizona Behavior Analyst Licensure Statute A.R.S. § 32-2091
• Council of Autism Service Providers’ ABA Practice Guidelines (Version 3.0)