March 1 was Employee Appreciation Day! We are celebrating our team members all month long by sharing their stories. Meet Stephanie Habermehl, Clinical Supervisor at Applied Behavioral Services’ Dayton campus.
What is your favorite thing about working here?
I love that I get to provide educational and behavioral services to children in a small group or one-on-one setting. This allows for an individualized focus to target Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals and behavior reduction.
What keeps you coming to work each day?
I love being able to have face time with my clients daily! Seeing their progress and independence build over time is incredibly rewarding to be a part of.
How do you make an impact on students’ lives?
I make an impact by being present and consistently following through, which helps build trust.
Last year, we rolled out our BetterTogether guiding principles. Which one of our values resonates with you most personally and why?
Collaborative! In our field of work, it is incredibly important for service providers, schools, and families to collaborate, so the needs of the child are met. This ensures everyone is on the same page and continuity of care occurs across all settings.
What does a “day in the life” look like for your role?
My days consist of providing support to staff and students. I respond to behavior support calls by utilizing antecedent and consequence strategies to help reduce maladaptive behaviors. I help support in classrooms by modeling and providing feedback to Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) about their implementation of programming and provide behavior management techniques. Some days I also attend parent or IEP meetings.
Can you talk a little bit about your career trajectory and what led you to where you are now?
I started my career in applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy in 2020. I worked as an RBT in Columbus for about a year before I transitioned to work at ABS Dayton. I worked as a therapist there for a year and a half and attended Ball State’s Master’s ABA program online. Once I graduated, I earned my BCBA certification in September 2022 and went to Trumpet Behavioral Health and provided medical ABA under an insurance model. I then returned to ABS Dayton as a BCBA in May 2023 and have been working as a clinical supervisor. My hope is to one day open my own ABA clinic that provides both educational and behavioral services to children and young adults.
What has been your proudest moment or accomplishment in your role?
My proudest moment in my role as a BCBA has been effectively creating multiple schedules of reinforcement for a client to help target behavior reduction and promote schedule completion. We reduced aggression and property destruction by 80% from the first quarter to the second quarter and the client continues to consistently complete tasks. Additionally, I am currently collaborating with another BCBA to help potty train a client of ours. We have been successful in not only reducing the maladaptive behaviors that occurred during his toileting routine, but they also will now keep a clean brief without tearing it off and will use the bathroom while sitting on the toilet. Parents have said behaviors have reduced at home too!