Understanding RBT Perceptions of Compassionate Supervision

Supervision shapes how Registered Behavior Technicians experience their work—and whether they stay in the field. A recent study examined how compassionate RBTs perceive their supervision by Board Certified Behavior Analysts, revealing a consistent pattern: technical guidance scores well, but relational support often falls short. For clinical leaders aiming to reduce turnover and strengthen team culture, these findings offer a practical starting point.

What is the research question being asked and why does it matter?

This study asked a straightforward question: How kind and supportive do RBTs feel their BCBA supervision is? The focus was on “compassionate” supervisor behaviors—meaning the BCBA notices stress or problems, shows understanding, and takes real steps to help.

This matters because supervision is more than training on procedures. RBTs do hard work, often with clients who show aggression, self-injury, or property destruction. When supervision feels cold, rushed, or one-sided, staff may feel isolated, burn out, and leave. When it feels respectful and human, staff are more likely to stay, keep learning, and deliver better care.

The key finding: RBTs rated the relationship parts of supervision lower than the technical parts. BCBAs were often seen as caring about client progress and confidentiality, but less consistent at checking in, sharing power, and owning mistakes. If your goal is stable, ethical services, how you supervise day to day is part of treatment quality.

What did the researchers do to answer that question?

The researchers used an online survey adapted from an earlier tool that asked parents about their relationships with behavior analysts. They rewrote the items so RBTs could rate their BCBA supervisors. The final survey included 42 items about supervision behaviors plus 13 background questions.

A total of 205 RBTs completed at least part of the compassion sections, and 177 finished the whole survey. Participants worked in many settings—mostly clinics, then homes and schools. Many reported working with challenging behavior often, including aggression and self-injury occurring daily or multiple times per day.

RBTs rated each statement from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The authors treated average scores below 4.0 as areas worth targeting for improvement. They also checked whether scores differed by setting, client age, and frequency of severe behavior. They did not find meaningful differences, suggesting the concerns were fairly common across contexts.

Important limits: this was a non-random, volunteer sample recruited through referrals and social media, so it may not represent all RBTs. The study relied on perceptions, not direct observation of supervision. And participants were not verified beyond self-report.

How you can use this in your day-to-day clinical practice

Use these results as a supervision self-check, not a scorecard. The lowest-rated items were not about ABA procedures. They were about whether the BCBA asks if the RBT is okay with how things are going, whether the BCBA seems to have “their own agenda,” whether the BCBA compromises during disagreements, and whether the BCBA admits mistakes. If you want to change something based on this study, focus on the small routines that show shared control and real listening.

Add a short, repeatable check-in to every supervision contact. The lowest-rated item was essentially, “Do you ask if I’m happy with how things are going?” Build this in: ask how sessions have felt, what’s hardest right now, and what the RBT wants to go differently next week. Then follow up to show you remembered. The action step isn’t the question alone—it’s changing something when the RBT raises a concern, even if the change is small.

Plan for disagreements ahead of time. RBTs scored compromise low and felt BCBAs often have their own agenda. That often happens when changes are announced instead of discussed. Set a rule that every program change includes a two-way conversation: what problem are we solving, what options exist, and what would make implementation realistic? Compromise doesn’t mean giving up clinical judgment. It can mean picking between two acceptable options, adjusting the order of teaching steps, or agreeing on what data would convince both of you a plan is working.

Treat owning mistakes as an ethical behavior, not a personality trait. One of the lowest items was BCBAs acknowledging their own mistakes. In practice, mistakes happen: a target was too hard, a behavior plan increased escalation, or feedback came out harsh. A simple repair script can prevent long-term damage—name what you did, name the impact, and state what you’ll change. This builds trust and models how you want RBTs to handle their own errors. If you worry about authority, remember that unclear power dynamics often create more fear and less honesty, which can hide risk.

Keep what BCBAs were rated higher on, but don’t assume it covers the relationship gap. RBTs rated confidentiality, caring about client progress, and teamwork with other providers fairly high. Continue those practices, but notice that “I care about the client” is not the same as “I care about you.” In this study, “The behavior analyst cares about me” was notably lower than several client-focused items. A practical change: include one concrete support for the RBT each month that isn’t performance feedback—help planning for a hard routine, practicing a safety response, or adjusting staffing requests with leadership.

Pay attention to language. One item in the “problems” section scored above 4.0: “The behavior analyst uses too much technical jargon that I don’t understand.” This suggests many RBTs experience jargon as a barrier. Your training may not be landing the way you think. In supervision, use plain words first, then add technical terms. Ask the RBT to restate the plan in their own words, and treat confusion as a signal to improve your teaching.

Don’t overgeneralize these findings. This study doesn’t prove that compassion causes retention or better outcomes. It doesn’t tell you exactly which behaviors will change burnout. And it doesn’t tell you what any one RBT needs. What it does give you is a clear list of supervision behaviors that many RBTs rate as weaker than expected. The practical application: measure yourself on these behaviors, teach them to new supervisors, and build structures that make respectful check-ins, shared planning, and repair after mistakes more likely—even on busy weeks.

Works Cited

Kristiansen, S. V., Tereshko, L. M., Dyer, K., Keleher, C., Radzilowicz, N., Melton, B., & Weiss, M. J. (2025). Enhancing supervision through compassion: Registered Behavior Technicians’ perceptions of their supervision by Board Certified Behavior Analysts. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-025-01137-x