Several weeks ago Dr. Gina Green posted an impassioned request to support the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts on Facebook, noting, among other things, that the organization is uniquely suited to advocate for the needs of both practitioners and clients in this unpredictable world of ours. One of the ways that she suggested supporting APBA was to attend the annual conference. Well, her plea worked on me, and I am in the process of making travel plans to New Orleans, where this year's conference is being held. After that, I started thinking about things I could do to encourage my fellow Behavior Analysts to attend as well. As such, I hope to have a future episode or two that highlights the content of the conference itself. Having said that, attending a conference is not only about sitting in a meeting room, dutifully taking notes and obtaining CE units. Let's be honest, it's also an opportunity to travel and see places that one would not ordinary visit on their own. Because this year's event is in the city of New Orleans, I thought that it would be fun to do an episode that highlights some non-clinical or practice-related reasons to attend APBA. In order to accomplish this, I reached out to my new friend and fellow podcaster, Mark Bologna of the Beyond Bourbon Street Podcast, a show that celebrates all that New Orleans has to offer. In this episode, the New Orleans native gives us perhaps the most concise visitor's guide to the city. We talk about everything from how to get to the conference hotel from the airport to local figures of speech. More importantly we spend a lot of time talking about cool places to eat, sightsee, and just hang out. Mark shares places to go not only for new visitors to the city, but he also mentions some very cool restaurants that only the locals know about. All in all, there's something for everyone in this episode (and if you're like me, you'll start to get hungry as Mark describes the local cuisine!). From a resources standpoint, this is perhaps the most content-rich episode I've done to date. There are almost 40 links to resources in these show notes. I listed them in the order in which they appear in the podcast. I have them in a downloadable PDF as well, so please feel free to share this with friends and co-workers who are considering a trip to New Orleans (whether for the conference or not). Here's the PDF (no email address required, actual links below): Session 19 Resource List In closing, I hope I've provided some additional incentive to attend the APBA conference! Session 19 Resources. The links from this podcast, in order of appearance. All typos, mistakes, etc.. are mine, and not Mark Bolongna’s. For more information, check out Mark’s website and podcast at http://beyondbourbonst.com/. He also has an awesome Instagram page, with lots of great pictures of various sights in the New Orleans area (see https://www.instagram.com/beyondbourbonst/). http://www.norta.com/Getting-Around/GoMobile-App RTA (Public Transportation) mobile app http://www.thecolumns.com/ The Columns Hotel http://beyondbourbonst.com/ Homepage for Mark Bologna’s awesome podcast http://flymsy.com/PageDisplay.asp?p1=6016 MSY airport ground transport, Mark suggests Uber too http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/ Tennessee Williams Literary Festival http://sasfest.org/ Saints and Sinners festival http://www.saengernola.com/shows/chris-rock-total-blackout-tour-2017 Chris Rock show http://www.nola.gov/parks-and-parkways/parks-squares/lafayette-square/ Lafayette Square Park http://nola.eater.com/2016/11/18/13654334/top-taco-festival-new-orleans-debuts-march-2017 NOLA Taco Festival http://www.cafedumonde.com/ Cafe Du Monde http://neworleanscitypark.com/in-the-park/morning-call Morning Call (CDM alternative) http://www.gumboshop.com/ the Gumbo Shop http://www.mrbsbistro.com/ Mr. B’s. Bistro http://www.commanderspalace.com/ Commander’s Palace (2-4 week reservations in advance recommended) http://www.antoines.com/ Antoine’s Restaurant (ask for a tour; 2-4 week reservations in advance recommended) http://jacques-imos.com/ Jacques-Imo’s; great local casual food https://www.brigtsens.com/ Brightsen’s Restaurant (known for seafood and duck) http://www.clancysneworleans.com/ Clancy’s restaurant (uptown New Orleans) http://www.katiesinmidcity.com/ Katie’s Restaurant & Bar http://beyondbourbonst.com/new-orleans-language-guide/ The Language of New Orleans - Podcast episode http://www.qandc.com/ Q & C hotel http://www.catahoulahotel.com/ Catahoula Hotel http://bienvillehouse.com Bienville House Hotel http://www.therooseveltneworleans.com/ Roosevelt Hotel http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-photos/msydt-renaissance-new-orleans-arts-warehouse-district-hotel/ Renaissance Hotel http://www.westinneworleanscanalplace.com/ Westin Hotel http://louisianastatemuseum.org/museums/the-cabildo/ Cabildo Museaum http://louisianastatemuseum.org/museums/the-presbytere/ Presbytere Museam http://www.twochickswalkingtours.com/index.html 2 chicks walking tours http://www.bigboytravel.com/louisiana/neworleans/gardendistrictwalkingtour/ garden district walking tour http://louisianastatemuseum.org/museums/the-old-us-mint/ The Old US Mint - History of Jazz museum, free! https://www.preservationhall.com/ Preservation Hall jazz venue http://701bourbon.com/ Cat’s Meow, French Quarter nightclub http://www.patobriens.com/patobriens/default.asp Pat O’Briens, French Quarter Bar/Club http://www.bestofneworleans.com/ The Gambit (free local paper) https://www.facebook.com/kermitruffinsnola/ Kermit Ruffins, local jazz legend http://www.bigsamsfunkynation.com/ Big Sam’s Funky Nation (another local music legend) http://www.houseofblues.com/neworleans New Orleans House of Blues

In Session 18, Manny Rodriguez, Shannon Biagi, and Dan Sundberg join me to discuss their OBM Applied! book series. In this episode we cover the following topics: Why they wrote OBM Applied! Who the intended reader is What sort of outcome a reader can expect The Florida Institute of Technology OBM Certificate program In addition to these, we talk quite a bit about the process of writing itself, which can be applicable to not only writing books, but I would imagine finishing theses and dissertations as well. Shannon, Manny, and Dan were also generous enough to provide a cheat sheet on staying on-task and productive during the writing process. Show notes and the cheat sheet are at www.behavioralobservations.com/Session-18

What does risky sex, drug use, and even indoor tanning have in common? Fortunately Dr. Derek Reed, BCBA-D, joins me in Session 17 to provide a tutorial of sorts on behavioral economics, which helps to explain what these (and many other) "problems of consumption," are influenced by behavior-environment relationships. Derek runs the Applied Behavioral Economics Laboratory at the University of Kansas, and has extensive experience across a wide range of behavior analytic niches. For example, during the interview, he tells the story of how within the first semester of studying Behavior Analysis, he was doing everything from providing services to children in applied settings while also working in an animal laboratory. He also describes some of his research on how people choose to partake in indoor tanning, and explains some of the behavioral economic principles that influence such decisions. Although we get, "into the weeds," as it relates to discussing concepts from the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Derek expertly translates many of these ideas into language that is, in the end, quite accessible. Even if you have no interest in EAB, I believe that there are take-home messages for Behavior Analysts in all settings. To that end, I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Pat Friman returns to The Behavioral Observations Podcast in Session 16. In this episode, we talk about things that we as Behavior Analysts typically avoid, namely things like depression, anxiety, and stress. Specifically, he provides an overview of these concepts using, of course, a behavior-analytic lens. At the same time, Pat also notes that our particular professional jargon can be quite off-putting to some, and goes on to provide great advice for communicating effectively with lay-people. I could go on, but I'll simply say that I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I do. This session of the podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org's ABA Outside the Box CE series. Check it out at bSci21.org/ceus!

Rich Brooks has the distinctive honor of being the first non-Behavior Analyst to come on the show. Don't let that temper your enthusiasm for this episode though. In Session 15, Rich and I talk about the importance of marketing ABA services, mainly from the digital perspective. Specifically, we talk about the following: Options for setting up your own website Optimizing your site so people can find you more easily Considerations for social media use How to work with a website developer effectively Rich is in a good place to provide this advice. He is founder and president of flyte new media (http://www.takeflyte.com), a web design and marketing firm in Portland, Maine. He is a nationally recognized speaker on entrepreneurship, digital marketing and social media. He is a founder of The Agents of Change (http://www.agentsofchangecon.com/), an annual conference and weekly podcast that focuses on search, social & mobile marketing. He is also a regular contributor at SocialMediaExaminer.com, the world’s most popular social media marketing blog. He is the “tech guru” on WCSH Channel 6’s evening news show, 207, and teaches web marketing and social media courses for entrepreneurs at the University of Southern Maine's Center for Continuing Education. 

Finally, special thanks to bSci21.org's ABA Outside the Box continuing education series for sponsoring this show (go to bSci21.org/ceus to learn more) as well as Dr.s Becca Tagg and Megan Miller for their invaluable assistance in preparing for this interview (www.delmarbehavioralhealth.com & www.navigationbehavioralconsulting.com, respectively).

Dr. Mark Dixon joins me in Session 14 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast. Mark is a prolific researcher who has published over 150 peer-reviewed studies. He has published articles on a wide array of topics, including gambling, relational frame theory, and educational interventions for children with Autism. In this episode, we talk about his book, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Children with Autism and Emotional Challenges. This book presents the reader with curriculum of 180 lessons to teach students the various ACT processes in order to foster psychological flexibility. We also talk about how he got into Behavior Analysis, he extends our primer on ACT that began in Session 6 with D.J. Moran’s interview, and then discuses how to use the curriculum in his book. He closes the conversation with some sage advice for students and practitioners. If you want to get the book, Amazon is frequently out of stock. However, Behavior Development Solutions generally has them in stock. Mark also mentions the journal, The Psychological Record, which you can check out here. I should also note that this session of the podcast is sponsored by the ABA Outside the Box CE series, so if you are in need of continuing education, check out bSci21.org/ceus. Finally, if you get value out of this show, please consider taking a few minutes to go on over to iTunes to leave a rating and review.

Session 13's guest on The Behavioral Observations Podcast is Dr. Megan Miller from Navigation Behavioral Consulting. In this episode we talk about a range of issues that are relevant to many practicing behavior analysts, such as providing services over long distances, determining what makes a practice "evidence based," and the practitioner's need for life-long-learning. All in all, it's a fun conversation that I hope you enjoy. I should also add that Megan is active on the various behavior-analytic Facebook groups, so feel free to give her a virtual high-five. I also want to thank all of you who attended the New Hampshire ABA conference on October 1st. I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on practitioner self-care, and gave a brief introduction to one of my favorite topics, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It was a humbling experience presenting in front of many prestigious names in our field, and it was gratifying to meet many listeners who made the trek to Manchester, NH to attend the conference. If you are in the New England area, keep your eyes peeled for the next NHABA conference. You will not be disappointed! This episode is sponsored by bSci21.org's ABA Outside the Box continuing education trainings. I recently participated in "Conversations That Drive Performance," which was excellent. Check it out at bSci21.org/ceus! Lastly, if you have a minute, I would be very grateful if you went to iTunes and provided a rating and review of the show. As of this writing, The Behavioral Observations Podcast has been downloaded almost 50K times. That said, there are currently 33 ratings in the United States' iTunes store. There are no direct tangible reinforcers for having lots of iTunes reviews, but it does help the show get more recognition/visibility, and by extension disseminating free behavior analytic content. If you're not sure how to leave a rating and review, YouTube has you covered. Just click here for a quick tutorial. Thanks for listening!

PS: here are links to other resources we mentioned

• The funny ABA blog Megan mentioned
• Steve Ward's website
• Dr. Mary Sawyer's dissertation

Session 12 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast features an in-depth conversation with Mary Lynch Barbera, BCBA-D. In this episode, we talk about a wide range of topics including, but not limited to,

• Her pre-ABA career as a nurse (which actually involved quite a bit of OBM work!).
• How she learned about behavior analysis, and how her advocacy for her son led her to becoming a BCBA.
• The motivation behind writing her best-selling book, The Verbal Behavior Approach, and creating her e-course, Autism ABA Help: Online Training for Professionals and Gung-Ho Parents.
• What her writing practices are, and how best to avoid, “the curse of knowledge,” when communicating behavioral principles with lay people.
• Her thoughts on some recent workshops from the recent National Autism Conference at Penn State University.

Mary shares tons of resources in this episode, so please check out www.behavioralobservations.com for the Session 12 show notes. She also has generously provided listeners with a $50 coupon for her course. Enter BEHAVIORPOD at checkout to redeem it. To learn more about Mary, be sure to visit her website at http://www.marybarbera.com.

This podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org. bSci21.org is your go-to ABA news site. The companion article for this episode is called, “I” is just a bit of Verbal Behavior, by Dr. Scott Herbst.

In Session 11 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast, I chat with a my good friend Dr. Erin Rasmussen from Idaho State University about her upcoming grant funded study on food insecurity and obesity.

In our discussion we talk about animal models of obesity, behavioral economics and delay discounting, mindful eating, common sense practices for weight loss, and more! There are so many links that go along with this episode that I have decided to put them in a bullet list (apologies to the various teachers who have attempted to teach me how to write).

• Erin’s Health Decision-Making Laboratory website, which discusses her research program
• The movie Harry that Erin referenced
• The iPromptU app
• The Morrison et al. (2014) study on ACT and delay discounting
• The bSci21.org article on Delay Discounting
• The evening news clip that discusses Erin’s project (Yay dissemination!)

This is not only a fascinating program of study, it's a great lesson in dissemination, where animal models of behavior lead to potential treatment applications. I can’t wait for this study’s results!

In Session 10 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast, I speak with none other than Dr. Pat Friman. Pat is the Vice President of Behavioral Health Services at Boys Town as well as a Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska School of Medicine. 

In today's show, Pat tells the story of how he literally wandered into a career in Behavior Analysis as well as the remarkable story of how Boys Town was started and how it serves children and families today. We then talk about his point of view on functional assessment practices, how he interviews parents, his take on what we refer to as, "kids these days," and Behavior Analysts as parents. With regard to the latter, I accidentally broach some of my own parenting struggles, so you might have some fun at my expense (your welcome). 

This session of the podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org. If you're interested in a good article about parenting, check out Zainab Fazal's piece called, "My Kids Won't Stop Fighting! How ABA Can Reduce Sibling Rivalry."

If you enjoyed the show, please take a minute to leave a rating and review in iTunes. It makes the podcast more visible, which helps spread the word of Behavior Analysis.

In this session of The Behavioral Observations Podcast, Manny Rodriguez joins us to give an insider's view into the field of Organizational Behavior Management. Manny is Vice President of ABA Technologies, responsible for Continuing Education, Consulting, and Product Development, with over a decade of experience both in OBM and ABA clinical practice.

In our chat, we talk about how he first got into OBM, what a typical day-in-the-life is like for an OBM practitioner, the similarities and differences between clinical and OBM practice, and what the future of OBM holds. Towards the end of the episode, I encourage him to plug his forthcoming book that he has written with co-authors Dan Sundberg and Shannon Biagi, called OBM Applied! 

To read an excerpt from OBM Applied!, head on over to our sponsor, bSci21.org, and read Manny's article, Engaging the Doers: A Menu for Employee Engagement. 

If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to leave a rating and review on iTunes. Also, stay connected with the podcast by visiting the Facebook page (facebook.com/behavioralobservations), or by following me on Twitter (@behaviorpodcast). 

In this session of The Behavioral Observations Podcast, Dr. Jim Johnston, BCBA-D, joins me for a conversation about the history of contemporary Behavior Analysis. Jim is uniquely equipped to provide this perspective, having held presidential positions in all of our flagship professional organizations (e.g., the Association for Behavior Analysis International, the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts, the Behavior Analysis Certification Board, etc...).

As a young graduate student at Auburn University, I had the opportunity to work in Jim's laboratory at the Institute for Biological Detection Systems, where we conducted federally contracted research on the olfactory capability of explosive and drug detecting dogs (perhaps a story for another podcast). I was also fortunate to have Jim supervise my Master's Thesis, so it is a treat to have him on the podcast for a long overdue chat.

Jim's academic and other professional accomplishments are too great to list here, but Jim's website, www.talkingaboutbehavior.com, offers this summary:

Dr. Johnston received his doctorate from the University of Florida in 1970 and held faculty positions at Georgia State University, the University of Florida, and Auburn University. He has published both laboratory and field research with both human and non-human species on a variety of topics. He has longstanding interests in the area of developmental disabilities and founded the Master’s Program in Applied Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities at Auburn University. He has served as editor of The Behavior Analyst and on the editorial boards of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, among others.

In addition to discussing the development of our field, we talk about the challenges associated with the rapid growth of practitioners and how the 4th edition of Strategies and Tactics for Behavioral Research is coming along. Jim concludes with some sage advice for new practitioners.

This podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org, which is an ABA news site that connects our science to everyday applications. If you get a chance, go check out some of the thought provoking stories that are available over there.

Finally, if you enjoy the show, please head over to iTunes and leave a rating and review. Ratings and reviews really help the show to stand out from all the other podcasts out there. 

Dr. Greg Hanley returns to the Behavioral Observations Podcast, and in this episode we talk about best practices for functional analyses and function-based treatment. 

For additional resources on these topics, check out Greg's website, www.practicalfunctionalassessment.com. Greg also has an online CE training on these topics, and to learn more about this, check out this post at www.behavioralobservations.com. 

Greg has generously offered to return to the podcast to do some Q & A, so if you have questions about these topics, go to the contact page and let me know what's on your mind. 

Finally, this podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org, which is an ABA news site that connects our science to everyday applications. If you get a chance, go check out some of the thought provoking stories that are available over there. 

In Session 6 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast, Dr. D.J. Moran, BCBA-D joins me to provide an overview of one of my favorite topics in Behavior Analysis: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). D.J. has been a practitioner of ACT for over 20 years; applying these concepts across a range of applications that include supporting children and parents with Autism, providing therapy in mental health settings, and more recently, using the ACT model to help corporations improve their safety and leadership initiatives. He’s also a fellow podcaster to boot!

In this podcast, D.J. tells us how he first encountered ACT, describes the core features and concepts of the ACT model, and discusses how ACT can help support caregivers of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

While D.J. is the author of many peer reviewed articles and chapters, listeners to the podcast would do well to check out his book, Building Safety Commitment, which provides one of the most accessible blueprints of the ACT model I have seen. Even though the book is about behavioral safety, one can easily transfer the ACT concepts to school, clinic, and home settings.

As D.J. notes in the podcast, listeners who want to learn more about ACT should head over to contextualscience.org, the internet home of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. Joining the ACBS provides access to a wealth of resources for all things ACT.

If you enjoy this show, please leave a rating and review in iTunes. It only takes a minute and it ensures that the message of Behavior Analysis stands out amongst all the other podcasts that are out there.

Finally, The Behavioral Observations Podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org. I encourage listeners to check out bSci21.org as Todd Ward (another ACT expert) and his contributing writers continue to publish great articles that discuss Behavior Analytic principles and applications in a fun and accessible format.

Session 5 of the Behavioral Observations Podcast features an in-depth conversation with Dr. Todd Ward, BCBA-D. Todd is the President of bSci21.org Media, which encompasses the Behavior Analysis news site, bSci21.org, as well as the online magazine, BAQuarterly.com. 

In this interview, Todd tells us the story behind the creation of bSci21.org and what it's like to run a news website, manage the work of contributing writers, etc... in the niche world of Behavior Analysis. He  tells a few fascinating stories along the way, and concludes with some sage advice for practitioners at all experience levels. 

This session of the Behavioral Observations Podcast is indeed sponsored by bSci21.org, so please take a moment to go check out all the great articles that Todd and his merry band of contributing writers publish over there. 

If you enjoy this episode, please head on over to iTunes and leave a review and rating. Doing so really helps this podcast stand out amongst all the others that are out there. Also, if you have suggestions for future guests or topics, please go to the contact page of behavioralobservations.com and drop me a line. Finally, if you're interested in receiving an occasional newsletter, click on the large red button on the homepage to sign up for that. 

In Session 4 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast I sit down with Dr. Amanda Kelly, BCBA-D, a.k.a., the Behaviorbabe. In this episode, I learn how to properly greet a local in Hawaii, how the licensure laws are playing out across the 8 islands of that state, what it’s like to practice in the midst of volcanos and intermittent water availability, how she developed her online persona, and what not-to-do on social media as a behavior analyst. I also lose count of how many jobs Amanda currently has. If you want to learn more about Amanda, I recommend following her on Twitter (@behaviorbabe), liking her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/behaviorbabe), and checking out her website (www.behaviorbabe.com). For aspiring BCBA’s who are looking for exam prep assistance from Amanda, check out www.globalautismproject.com.

This podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org. bSci21.org is an ABA news site that discusses Behavior Analytic concepts in a fun, non-academic format. If you have a chance, head on over to this site to check it out. You will not be disappointed!

If there are topics or guests that you want to hear on the show, please go to www.behavioralobservations.com and click the Contact tab at the top of the page. If you have a minute, please leave a rating and review in iTunes as it really helps to disseminate this show amongst the thousands of podcasts that are out there.

Thanks for listening!

Matt

I am thrilled to share this conversation that I had with Dr. Jon Bailey in the fall of 2015. Dr. Bailey's contributions to the field of Behavior Analysis are many, but he is perhaps best known as the preeminent authority on ethics in clinical practice. In this session of the Behavioral Observations Podcast, we discuss how he became a Behavior Analyst, how his interest in Ethical practice was shaped, and the general state of the field of ABA. 

We also talk about one of his more popular books, Ethics for Behavior Analysts, 2nd Edition, as well as some of the revisions that he has in store for the 3rd edition. 

Dr. Bailey invites behavior analysts to contact him if they have ethical questions. His website is http://www.baileyburch.com/, so if you need to reach out to him, you can go there and click the, "contact," button.

This session of the Behavioral Observations Podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org. BSci21.org is an ABA news site with hundreds of articles connecting behavior analysis to our world in a non-academic format.  Check them out at bSci21.org.

Finally, if you like the show and have a minute to spare, please click here to leave a rating and review in iTunes. 

Thanks for listening and enjoy the show!

Hi Folks, in today's episode I have a conversation with my good friend, Steve Lawyer. Steve and I met as first year graduate students at Auburn University way back in the day. Nowadays, he is the Director of Clinical Training at Idaho State University. In today's episode we have a fun conversation about Science and Pseudoscience, and the implications for ABA practice. 

This podcast is sponsored by Behavioral Science in the 21st Century, an ABA news site with hundreds of articles connecting behavior analysis to our world in a non-academic format.  Check them out at bSci21.org

For more information about this podcast, please check out www.behavioralobservations.com

In the first episode of the Behavioral Observations Podcast, we chat with Greg Hanley from Western New England University. We find out about how being a terrible painter and having poor grades set Greg off on a path to being a prolific contributor to our field. In all seriousness, Greg talks about the development of the Interview Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA) procedure, and patiently walks me through how to set up and conduct this type of assessment. 

If you are interested in more information on this, please check out Greg's website, www.practicalfunctionalassessment.com, where you will find lots of resources on this subject.

This podcast is sponsored by Behavioral Science in the 21st Century, an ABA news site with hundreds of articles connecting behavior analysis to our world in a non-academic format.  Check them out at bSci21.org.

For more information about the Behavioral Observations Podcast, please visit www.behavioralobservations.com. Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/behavioralobservations or on Twitter @behaviorpodcast.