Earlier this summer I had the chance to chat with Dr. Kelsey Ruppel, who is a Senior Consultant and the Director of Operations at FTF Behavioral Consulting. After I stopped getting tongue-tied in the introduction, we were able to cover a wide variety of topics, including:

• How she got into ABA.
• Pro-tips for remote consultation.
• A quick review of the Preschool Life Skills curriculum.
• Her research on addressing emerging problem behaviors, i.e., the development of the BALANCE program.
• More pro-tips: How to speed up the Skills-Based Treatment Process.
• What Kelsey plans to talk about at the upcoming Stone Soup Conference.
• And what is meant by the term, "Gray Reinforcement."

In short, this interview has tons of practical tips for everyday BCBA's, and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Here are some links to what we discussed:

• An Evaluation of “Balance”: a Home-Based, Parent-Implemented Program Addressing Emerging Problem Behavior (Ruppel et al., 2021).
• Session 145 with The Consultants for Children (Lessons from Implementing the PFA Process).
• Preschool Life Skills: Recent Advancements and Future Directions (Fahmie and Luczynski, 2018).
• Prevention of problem behavior by teaching functional communication and self-control skills to preschoolers (Luczynski and Hanley, 2013).
• Free resources and downloads re: all things Practical Functional Assessment, Skills Based Treatment, and more!
• The Stone Soup Conference (save at registration using coupon code: PODCAST).
• Not included in the interview, but just as exciting, Kelsey will keynote the New Hampshire ABA 2021 conference on 9/11/2021. Link is here, and you can save at registration by using coupon code Matt2021.
• The FTF on-demand courses. As an FYI, Early-adopter and above tier Patrons can get a 20% discount on the 10-hour PFA/SBT course, the BALANCE course, and the Stereotypy course.
• And here are some bluetooth earpieces in case anyone is interested (note: Amazon affiliate link).

This episode is brought to you with the support of the following:

• The 2021 Stone Soup Conference! I challenge you to find a better CEU value in any virtual conference out there. With pod faves like Drs. Linda LeBlanc, Dithu Rajaraman, Jim Moore, Kerri Milyko, and more, there's something for everyone at this event. Use promo code PODCAST to save even more at checkout! Click here for additional details.
• The 2021 New Hampshire ABA Conference! If you're in New England on September 11th, 2021, take the short drive to beautiful Concord, NH to attend this year's event. If you're not local to the region, don't worry, the event is available virtually as well! This year's program features both clinical and business tracks, a free lunch, an afternoon ice cream social, oh, and there will be great talks too, including Drs. Kelsey Ruppel, Paulie Gavoni, Byron Wine, Peter Gerhardt, Antonio Harrison, and more! Go to NHABA.net, and click the conference tab for details. While you're there, use the promo code Matt2021 to save at checkout.
• If you like what you hear on the Behavioral Observations Podcast, you can support the show by either joining the Patreon group, which provides numerous benefits (ad-free podcasts, members-only events, discounts on cool stuff, and more!), or by considering the BOP for your continuing education needs.

Sara Litvak and Dr. Ellie Kazemi return to the podcast - this time together - to catch us up on what's new with the Behavioral Health Center of Excellence, or BHCOE for short.

Specifically, we discuss how the BHCOE has grown since Sara last checked in with us, how Ellie joined up with the organization as their Chief Science Officer, how the BHCOE determines quality standards, documentation guidelines for clinical records, ethical marketing practices, why the BHCOE is the "nicest place to complain to," and much more. We close the show by talking about what newly-minted BCBAs should look for when selecting an employer.

If you'd like to learn more about what the BHCOE does, head over to BHCOE.org.

Here are some links to resources, etc... we discussed:

• Sara's first appearance in Session 62 of the podcast.
• Ellie's first appearance in Session 88 of the show.
• BHCOE's most recent Annual Report.
• BHCOE's position statement on the use of Non-Compete Agreements in ABA.
• BHCOE's guide to ethically marketing your ABA practice.
• BHCOE on Instagram.
• BHCOE on Facebook.

This show is brought to you by the following sponsors:

• Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings, including their brand new 8-hour Supervision Course, as well as their RBT offerings over at behavioruniversity.com/observations.
• I also want to let you know that Behavior University is also a huge supporter of the 2021 Stone Soup Conference! I challenge you to find a better CEU value in any virtual conference out there. With pod faves like Drs. Linda LeBlanc, Dithu Rajaraman, Jim Moore, Kerri Milyko, and more, there's something for everyone at this event. Use promo code PODCAST to save even more at checkout! Click here for additional details.
• HRIC Recruiting. Barb Voss has been placing BCBAs in permanent positions throughout the US for just about a decade, and has been in the business more generally for 30 years. When you work with HRIC, you work directly with Barb, thereby accessing highly personalized service. So if you're about to graduate, you're looking for a change of pace, or you just want to know if the grass really is greener on the other side, head over to HRIColorado.com to schedule a confidential chat right away.
• Lastly, if you get a chance, check out the BOP CEU offerings as well as the benefits of joining our Patreon group.