The Chicago School offers comprehensive training and education, preparing our Applied Behavior Analysis master’s students to identify and reflect on personal biases, assess patients’ behaviors and triggers, and tailor techniques to each individual. This approach emphasizes the understanding that diverse backgrounds and experiences shape a patient’s behavior and therapeutic needs.
What Is Cultural Competence?
Cultural competence involves understanding, appreciating, and embracing diversity. The American Psychological Association defines cultural competence as “the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with people from cultures or belief systems different from one’s own.”
As part of The Chicago School’s M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis program, diversity is one of the pillars of learning. Graduates are equipped to evaluate the impact of historical barriers to equality and inclusion across diverse populations and advocate for meaningful change by recognizing various cultures, religions, beliefs, and values. Recognizing diverse thoughts, values, and practices lets therapists provide optimal ABA services for patients with differing backgrounds.
ABA Competency-Based Training
The Chicago School understands that each student offers an individualized perspective reflecting their background and upbringing. Individuals seeking treatment need to feel that their values are effectively heard and respected by the ABA therapist for optimal potential in behavioral growth. With the understanding and appreciation of cultural and experiential diversity, The Chicago School promotes inclusivity and cultural competency so our graduates can curate their ABA techniques and interventions for each individual person, understand their values, and understand how their background may play a role in their behaviors.
Concepts and Principles in Behavior Analysis II
This required course enhances students’ application of behavior analysis to individual and societal problems as part of The Chicago School’s M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis degree. It emphasizes radical behaviorism and selections as philosophical frameworks for understanding complex behavior. By reviewing the detriment of radical behaviorism on the patient, this course prepares students to understand the impact of cultural competence and how the lack of aligned values or inclusivity can limit the client’s growth in ABA therapy.
Diversity in Clinical Practice
This Applied Behavior Analysis master’s course teaches students to think critically about diversity, equity, and inclusion, including personal awareness, responsiveness, and biases toward people of different backgrounds. This cultural competency course prepares graduates for the impact such inclusivity and recognition can have on behavioral services by examining cultural diversity using radical behaviorist/cultural-materialist perspectives.
Graduates will be equipped to design interventions grounded in behavioral principles and assessment techniques to achieve meaningful behavior change, tailoring these interventions to each individual’s needs through the application of cultural competency skills.
Professional Ethics and Issues in Behavior Analysis
This ABA course introduces the professional, ethical, and legal considerations in behavior analysis, guided by the field’s ethical standards. Topics include cultural responsiveness and diversity, relationships with consumers and supervisors, transparency in service delivery and informed consent, and the responsibilities of behavior analysts in dissemination research.
The cultural responsiveness and diversity focus in the ethics and issues course teaches aspiring professionals to be aware of and consider the patient’s diverse background and experiences as an influence on their behavior.
Impact of Cultural Competency
According to a study on cultural awareness skills in behavior analysis by Fong et al., therapists can utilize various strategies to understand clients’ cultural preferences and values to provide more accurate behavior analytic services. By developing cultural awareness skills, therapists can adequately understand the priority and severity of the client’s practices and goals and how those values may contribute to current behavior or mental conditions. ABA therapists can tailor their interventions to respect and support the client.
The Chicago School prepares ABA graduates to reflect on their own biases, whether it is religion, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, or other areas of diversity, and learn cultural responsiveness and humility. The range of cultural competency courses and education provides insight into extremism and its negative impact on behavior and mental health if inclusivity is not an active practice. Reviewing clinical practice with radical or rigid therapies not aligned with the patient’s values in their interventions demonstrates hindered behavioral growth and the inability to maximize positive progression.
Pursue a Diversity Inclusive ABA Degree
The Chicago School’s M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis program equips you with the analytical and conceptual skills required to deliver effective and ethical behavior-analytic interventions to diverse clients. Our ABA degree programs include competency-based training, enabling students to reflect on personal biases and adapt their therapeutic services to clients from diverse cultural, religious, and value backgrounds.
Earn your degree from a culturally inclusive institution that prepares you to provide ABA services tailored to clients with a wide range of needs.