A Practical Guide to ABA Internships
ABA internships give you real-world experience working directly with clients while building the supervised fieldwork hours required for BCBA certification. They typically run several months to a year, fall under either the Supervised Fieldwork or Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork track, and are a practical way to start accumulating your required 1,500 to 2,000 hours. Not all internships are paid, but many are.
You didn’t start down the path to becoming a behavioral therapist without thoughts in your head of sitting down with autistic clients, adults recovering from strokes, or individuals navigating addiction issues and helping them find workable solutions. ABA is an intensively hands-on profession. That means hands-on training is a core part of becoming an ABA professional.
Practicums and fieldwork are an integral part of the training of applied behavior analysts. You won’t find internships specifically mentioned anywhere in the BCBA fieldwork requirements, however. The BACB (Behavior Analyst Certification Board) doesn’t particularly care whether you get your required supervised field experience through an internship or by some other route, but internships are one possible way to accumulate supervised fieldwork hours.
That said, you definitely need plenty of real-world experience prior to landing a career in ABA, and internships are a great, low-risk, high-reward way to get some hours under your belt.
What is an Applied Behavior Analysis Internship?
An internship is a field training experience that puts you in the role of a behavior technician or trainee working under the supervision of a BCBA in a real-world environment, treating actual clients and dealing with all the challenges of a practical work setting. Everything from the diverse array of cases you’ll encounter to mundane things like learning to love stale coffee and navigating office dynamics will help you get a real sense of what work is like as a licensed ABA professional.
Internships are a kind of job, but they’re only offered for a set period of time, typically less than a year, and almost always at least several months. To meet BCBA certification requirements and any state licensure requirements where applicable, you must be supervised by a qualified BCBA supervisor during your internship hours.
Learn More About State-by-State Licensure Requirements
You’ll also need to qualify to participate in treatment, even though you’ll be supervised every step of the way. That includes signing a formal supervision contract, documenting your experience, completing a minimum number of supervisory contacts per month as defined by BACB fieldwork standards, and committing to the BACB ethics standards.
ABA Internships May Be More Structured Than Other Fields
Because ABA internships go hand-in-hand with BCBA certification requirements, they’re often a bit more formal than internships in other fields.
The BACB recognizes two different ways to meet supervised fieldwork requirements, and an internship will typically make up part of the total:
- Supervised Fieldwork: A minimum of 2,000 hours, with a minimum number of supervisory contacts per month as defined by BACB fieldwork standards, and at least 5 percent of your total hours happening under direct supervision.
- Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork: A minimum of 1,500 hours, with a minimum number of supervisory contacts per month as defined by BACB fieldwork standards, and at least 10 percent of your total hours happening under direct supervision.
In both cases, group supervision is allowed, but at least 50 percent of your total supervised time has to be one-on-one with your supervisor.
Your activities and duties during an internship are broad. You may conduct assessments of clients who are candidates for behavioral intervention, design and implement behavior-reduction and skill-training programs, write behavior and treatment plans, communicate with other caregivers and multidisciplinary team members, and oversee behavioral systems and performance management.
None of these has to be completed in a single internship or field experience. You can mix and match positions to meet the cumulative requirements for certification.
How long is a typical ABA internship?
Most internships in ABA last for less than a year. They’re almost always at least several months long, though, to give you the benefit of getting familiar with your role and actually absorbing some valuable lessons while you’re on the job. An internship will contribute to the 2,000 total supervised fieldwork hours (or 1,500 concentrated hours) required for BCBA certification.
Do ABA interns get paid?
Some ABA interns do get paid for the work they perform during their internship. There’s no hard and fast rule, however. Some placements offer a salary, while others are offered entirely in exchange for the learning and experience you’ll gain along the way.
What is the difference between an internship and a practicum?
A practicum is a field experience that’s considered part of your for-credit coursework. You almost always take part in practicum experiences for no pay, since they’re part of your schooling, and the time commitment is usually fairly low, only a few hours each week.
Internships are more commonly structured like full-time positions and may be salaried. But there’s no rigid line between practicum and internship. Depending on the college you attend, you might find that internship experiences are considered a kind of practicum.
What’s the difference between an internship and an externship?
An internship is a relatively long-term, embedded placement in an ABA therapy role that allows you to perform real work in behavior analysis. Internships offer supervised training in the actual daily tasks of behavior analysis by putting you in a role for several weeks or months and letting you work directly with clients to put your classroom training into practice.
Externships are more about observing the possibilities of a particular job or setting. They’re observational in nature, meaning you primarily observe rather than perform direct clinical work, and they typically just shadow another therapist as they perform their role. They’re usually much shorter than internships, ranging from days to weeks. Externships aren’t as common in ABA settings as in other professions.
How to Find Applied Behavior Analysis Internship Opportunities
Before you can get all those benefits out of an applied behavior analysis internship, you have to find one.
Your first stop should be your master’s program advising staff. It’s their job to make sure you get connected with the right kinds of field experience to qualify you for graduation and to develop real-world expertise in your areas of interest. They’ve been handling those placements for years and probably have solid working relationships with just about every ABA service provider in your area. Chances are, some of them are even graduates of the same program.
Your professors are your most natural support system when you are looking for ABA internships.
You’re even likely to get recommendations from them if you have a lead on a particular opportunity.
Looking For Applied Behavior Analysis Internships On Your Own
Other internships might be something you decide to hunt down yourself. Whether you’re looking for post-graduate supervised experience or just want to find a different setting than those offered through your university, it’s always possible to get proactive.
Many internships are posted by employers, either on their own websites or on major job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn. The BACB also maintains a job board where ABA-specific postings appear regularly. A focused search should turn up options in your area.
If you come up dry, you still have options. You can essentially create your own internship opportunities through volunteerism. There aren’t many ABA employers who couldn’t use an extra set of hands. If you can make it work for little or no pay, which isn’t uncommon for internships anyway, you have a solid pitch to make to possible internship sites.
Because every ABA professional’s training includes supervised field experience, there’s a culture of accommodation that makes it easy to ask about internship options even if nothing is posted. Every organization in the field understands that future BCBAs depend on supervised experience for licensing and certification. They went through the same process.
How To Make The Most of Your Behavior Analysis Internship
Two thousand hours of fieldwork may sound like a lot, but you’ll find it seems to flash by. There’s so much to learn, so much to experience, and so many systems to get familiar with that you’ll be wishing your internship was twice as long.
It’s important to hit the ground running when you show up for your ABA internship. You can do that by being prepared before that first morning you walk in the door.
- Study the organization you’ll be interning with. Learn as much as you can about their processes, their clients, and their systems. If a manual is available, devour it before you show up.
- Get off on the right foot with your co-workers. These are the people you’ll be learning from, not just your supervisor. They want to share their experience and expertise with you, so learn their names, be respectful, and don’t be shy about bringing in coffee for the team.
- Show up with the right attitude. You’ll be coming straight out of master’s-level coursework in ABA, and you might suffer from the common malady of the recently educated: thinking you know it all already. Shelve that impulse. Be humble, be open, be an eager student.
- Write down your goals. You’re checking some boxes to qualify for your BCBA, but it’s perfectly fine to have your own goals outside the requirements. Do you want to learn about a particular intervention approach? Are you interested in new assessment techniques? Figure out what you want from your experience, and don’t be shy about asking your supervisor and co-workers to help you meet those goals.
- Be flexible. No matter what your expectations are, a day in ABA therapy is going to shake them up. You’re dealing with clients with various behavioral profiles, so don’t be surprised when things don’t go according to plan. Each day offers learning opportunities, even when they aren’t the ones you were expecting.
An internship can be a whirlwind of absorbing new ideas, connecting theory to everyday practice, and just trying to stay on your feet in a very new environment. But there’s one other key to internship success that you should never lose sight of.
Don’t forget to put patients first during your internship experience!
Although the internship is definitely about developing your skills as an ABA professional, never forget that every patient you see has their own needs and hopes that they’re bringing in the door each day. Your training and experience goals always come second to getting each patient the best possible care you can offer.
What you’ll find over the course of your internship is that developing a patient-first attitude might be the biggest lesson of all in becoming a successful behavioral therapist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as supervised fieldwork for BCBA certification?
The BACB recognizes two tracks: Supervised Fieldwork (minimum 2,000 hours, at least 5 percent direct supervision) and Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork (minimum 1,500 hours, at least 10 percent direct supervision). Both tracks require a minimum number of supervisory contacts per month as defined by BACB fieldwork standards, and at least 50 percent of your supervised time must be one-on-one with your supervisor. Internships can contribute to either track.
Do I need a specific degree before starting an ABA internship?
Most ABA internships that count toward BCBA certification require you to be enrolled in or have completed a qualifying graduate program. Undergraduate students may find a Registered Behavior Technician position a better entry point before pursuing a graduate-level internship.
Can I complete my fieldwork hours across multiple internships?
Yes. The BACB allows you to accumulate your supervised hours across multiple positions and settings. You don’t have to complete all your hours in one placement, which gives you flexibility to gain experience in different practice areas and client populations.
Is there a difference between an ABA internship and an RBT position?
There can be significant overlap. Some RBT positions are structured specifically to help candidates accumulate BCBA fieldwork hours under appropriate supervision. The key distinction is whether the supervising BCBA is signing off on your hours in a way that meets BACB documentation requirements.
Where is the best place to search for ABA internships?
Start with your graduate program’s advising office, since they often have established relationships with local ABA providers. Beyond that, check job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn using search terms like “ABA intern,” “behavior technician,” or “BCBA fieldwork.” The BACB’s own job board is also a useful resource specifically for behavior analysis positions.
Key Takeaways
- Internships count toward BCBA fieldwork hours under the Supervised or Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork tracks, making them one practical path to meeting certification requirements.
- Formal supervision is required regardless of whether your experience comes through an internship or another route, including a signed contract, documented hours, and BACB ethics adherence.
- Your graduate program advising staff is often your best starting point for finding placements, but job boards and direct outreach to ABA providers are also effective strategies.
- You can accumulate hours across multiple positions, giving you flexibility to explore different settings and client populations before certification.
- A patient-first mindset isn’t just good ethics. It’s the foundation of becoming an effective behavioral therapist.
Ready to find a program that supports your path to BCBA certification? Explore accredited ABA master’s programs that offer fieldwork placement support and meet BACB coursework requirements.
