Understanding Trainee Supervision Experiences in ABA Fieldwork

Supervision during ABA fieldwork shapes both immediate client outcomes and the long-term competence of future BCBAs. Yet we rarely ask trainees directly about their experiences. A recent study did exactly that—surveying trainees about what helped, what got in the way, and whether they felt prepared for independent practice. The findings offer practical guidance for supervisors and clinical leaders who want to build systems that develop real skills, not just accumulate hours.

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

This study asked what ABA trainees say their supervision was actually like during fieldwork—what parts helped most and what got in the way. The researchers also explored what factors shaped supervision activities, such as client needs, trainee skill gaps, or workplace demands.

This matters because trainees often deliver services while they train. Their supervision affects both current client support and the trainee’s future practice as a BCBA. Weak or unplanned supervision may result in trainees finishing their hours without learning the skills they need to practice safely and with good judgment.

The study also examined whether trainees who felt “prepared for the job” were more likely to report covering the full Task List during fieldwork. This link matters for clinical leaders because meeting the minimum hours is not the same as getting the needed practice. If a clinic wants better outcomes and less staff burnout, it needs a supervision system that builds real skills—not just signed forms.

This paper is useful because it centers trainee voice, which is a form of social validity for your supervision process.

What did the researchers do to answer that question?

The researchers used an online survey targeting people who finished BACB fieldwork hours in the previous five years (roughly 2019–2024). Of 304 people who opened the survey, 137 were included in the final sample after removing ineligible or incomplete responses. Most respondents were in the U.S., held a master’s degree, and were already BCBAs when they took the survey. Many completed hours during the COVID-19 period, and most had both individual and group supervision.

The survey asked how often certain supervision practices occurred and how helpful each felt for learning. Individual supervision items included client-centered discussion, live modeling, role play, immediate feedback, and written feedback on work products. Group supervision items included case discussion, ethics and professionalism discussion, peer feedback, and modeling or rehearsal.

The survey also asked what influenced supervision activities and what barriers trainees faced—such as supervisor workload, poor supervision design, competing job duties, and limited chances to do unrestricted activities.

The researchers mainly reported descriptive results. They also tested a few relationships, including whether feeling prepared was related to covering all Task List competencies. Open-ended responses were grouped by common themes.

Because this study relied on memory and self-report rather than direct observation, the findings can guide improvement efforts but do not prove that one supervision method causes better outcomes.

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

Treat competency coverage as an active plan, not a hope. Trainees who said they covered all competencies were much more likely to feel prepared for the job. This doesn’t mean forcing every trainee through every skill the same way—setting and client needs will limit what’s possible. It does mean tracking what the trainee has actually practiced, identifying what’s missing, and building a realistic plan to fill gaps.

Start supervision with a clear map of skills and a schedule, even if you keep it simple. Many trainees reported that client needs strongly drove their activities, which makes sense in real service delivery. But a large group also said their own learning needs did not strongly influence supervision. You can balance both by choosing client-relevant activities that also build trainee skills—having the trainee draft assessment sections, write a teaching plan, or prepare caregiver training tied to current goals.

Use the practices trainees rated as most helpful, and notice what was missing. Trainees rated client-centered discussion, focused observation with a clear purpose, live modeling, and immediate oral feedback as very helpful. If your supervision is mostly talking about cases without watching behavior and practicing skills, you’re likely leaving growth on the table.

In day-to-day work, this can look like a short observe-and-coach loop during a session: agree on one target skill, observe it, then give immediate feedback tied to a clear standard.

Add behavioral skills training elements on purpose, especially modeling and rehearsal. Some trainees reported that modeling and role play were not used much, even though these are core tools for teaching clinical skills. You don’t need long role plays. Rehearse a two-minute conversation for giving RBT feedback, or practice explaining a behavior plan change to a caregiver. Then repeat until it’s clear and respectful.

Don’t skip written feedback just because it takes time. Many trainees rated written feedback on work products and observed performance as beneficial, but it didn’t happen often. A practical approach: use short written notes with three parts—what went well, what to change next time, and one clear next step. This supports trainee dignity by reducing vague criticism and giving a concrete path forward.

Use group supervision for what trainees found most helpful: ethics, professionalism, and case discussion. These were both common and highly rated. If your group supervision becomes mostly presentations or projects, it may feel less useful for skill building. Keep groups focused on real decision points—consent, assent, goals that matter to the learner, treatment tradeoffs, and how to respond when a plan isn’t working.

Plan for barriers as if they will happen. Many trainees said they did. The strongest barriers were supervisor workload, poor supervision design, limited administrative support, competing job duties, and limited chances for unrestricted activities.

If you’re a clinical leader, this is a staffing and systems problem, not only a trainee problem. Build protected supervision time. Decide who covers the caseload when supervision requires observation and rehearsal. Make sure trainees have real access to unrestricted tasks like assessment work, report writing, and caregiver coaching.

Be careful with unpaid unrestricted hours as a hidden risk to quality and retention. Some trainees reported that most unrestricted work was unpaid, which shaped their experience. Even if your setting can’t bill for everything, you can reduce harm by being transparent upfront about what’s paid, limiting after-hours demands, and choosing learning tasks that fit inside the workday when possible. This supports fairness and reduces pressure to rush through important learning.

Don’t overread the study when making policy decisions. This was a voluntary online survey with self-report, and the sample may not match your trainee population. It did not measure client outcomes or directly observe supervision behavior.

Use it as a warning-sign dashboard: if your trainees report many barriers, limited modeling, and weak access to unrestricted work, you have reasons to improve your system. Then use your own clinic data, trainee feedback, and clinical judgment to decide what to change first.

Works Cited

Čolić, M., Ninci, J., Huntington, R. N., Bristol, R. M., Taylor, G., & Araiba, S. (2025). An investigation of trainees’ supervision experiences in applied behavior analysis fieldwork. Behavior Analysis in Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-025-01132-2