Everything You Need to Know About a Career as an RBT
The Basics of Being an RBT
Title: Registered Behavior Technician
Role: Provide children with autism direct therapy helping them with communication, socialization, and daily living skills through play-based therapy.
Pay Range: $18 to $22 an hour.
Basic Job Responsibility: RBTs are supervised by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA), who assign specific tasks/goals that each RBT must work on with their clients. Through play-based therapy tactics, an RBT observes and takes notes on a child’s progression with the goals. These notes are used to help the BCBA adjust a client’s treatment plan to make sure the child is progressing and seeing positive outcomes. 8
Requirements, Experience, and Training
Necessary Training
Helping Hands Family (HHF) provides RBTs the necessary training upon starting this role. The program includes intensive training, shadowing, supervision, and the required 40-hour online training course. Once training is completed there is a standard required RBT exam administered. We provide and pay for this all!
Schooling & Experience Requirements
The minimum education needed is a high-school diploma. While a high school diploma is the minimum, the majority of our RBTs are college graduates, some of the more popular majors are social sciences, special education, psychology, early childhood education, and more. There is no one path to becoming an RBT. Another path could be having prior experience in working or interacting with children. This could be in a professional setting, such as a nanny, camp counselor, teacher, or daycare, or a personal setting, like having a younger sibling or being a parent.
The Benefits of Being an RBT
- You have a real opportunity to make a difference! RBTs help children with autism learn to communicate, make friends, express their needs, and develop effective learning techniques. This makes a difference in both the child and family’s lives!
- The demand for RBTs is high. In the United States, the autism diagnosis rate is one in forty-four children. Many of the diagnosed children also have intensive programs that require several hours of treatment each day. Based on need and work hours required, RBT demand is high.
- RBTs have job progression and income! The average salary for a new Registered Behavior Technician is $44,000 per year. This is above the average entry level salary of $30,000. There are also numerous routes to progress your career, such as continuing your education to become a BCBA.
- Being an RBT offers you the flexibility to work in any of our clinic locations. Helping Hands Family has clinics in PA, NJ, NY, MD, and CT. There is opportunity to move to any location within our geography!
How Do You Become an RBT ?
Step 1
Apply on Our Website
Easily apply for an RBT position on the HHF website. The application process only takes a few minutes! There are available RBT positions in PA, NJ, NY, MD, and CT.
Step 2
Complete the Paid Training Program
Helping Hands Family offers a paid intensive training program, which is composed of both live and online sessions. There are also shadowing opportunities with experienced HHF team members!
Step 3
RBT Competency Assessment
The RBT Competency Assessment requires you to demonstrate competency in each area listed on the RBT Task List through interviewing or role-playing.
Step 4
RBT Exam
The RBT Exam has 75 multiple-choice questions related to ABA terminology and theory. Helping Hands Family reimburses new RBT hires for the cost of the RBT Exam!
Quotes from the Helping Hands Family RBTs
“I love working at HHF because every day is a new adventure! I have a supportive, amazing environment that I work in every day. I get to celebrate every success with my entire team.”
Kelsey
RBT, Lehigh Valley
“There is so much potential for growth here at HHF. Since starting, every person has wanted to see me succeed in my field and grow in my position. … There are also opportunities for furthering your education with HHF, which can help you become a BCBA and more!”
Melody
RBT, Toms River
“My favorite part is knowing that I’m making a difference in the kids’ lives. I love hearing the feedback from their parents about how the child is starting to communicate at home or establishing enough social skills to make a new friend. It’s exciting and rewarding to be in this field!”
Megan
RBT, Paoli
Our Training Program Sets Our RBTs Up for Success!
At Helping Hands Family, our direct ABA therapists are required to obtain their certifications as Registered Behavior Technicians or RBT, must complete extensive training in Applied Behavior Analysis, pass a competency assessment administered by a BCBA, and pass the certification exam developed by the Behavior Analytic Certification Board. This rigorous and thorough training process ensures our clients receive high quality, ethical services.
Interested in becoming an RBT?
The Culture at HHF
Our mission is to make autism services personal. We accomplish this by putting our employees in the best situations to serve the children in our clinics. This strategy centers around providing a healthy work environment that promotes collaboration, innovation, education, and dedication. We are committed to helping our employees reach their highest potential.
- HHF is “Great Place to Work-Certified” with 95% of our employees being made to feel welcome.
- The company growth in the last year is unprecedented with a 150% growth in employee count!
- HHF offers upward mobility through education and promotions. Registered Behavior Technicians have been promoted to roles across the company, including BCBAs, Care Coordinators, and Billing Specialists.
RBT Opportunities in Multiple Locations
We have expanded our footprint to five states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, and New York. We have multiple locations in each state. Some locations offer clinic-based, in-home, and in-community services, while other locations only offer in-home and in-community options. We will be opening a clinic in all locations eventually!
MAKE AN IMPACT BY BECOMING AN RBT!
RBTs receive paid training and support throughout the training process!
