When you hand your child to a therapist for several hours a week, you want to know who is checking the work. At Hope Center for Behavior Change, every child's program has layers: the person who works with your child, the person who writes the plan and watches the work, and a clinical director who reviews every plan before it goes to your insurance. This page explains each layer, how it compares with the minimum rules every ABA provider must follow, and how you reach each person when you have a question.
Who works with my child, and who is in charge of the plan?
Three roles shape your child's program at Hope Center:
- The Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) delivers your child's sessions. This is the person your child spends the most time with, at home, at school, at daycare, in the community or at one of our centers.
- The Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) assesses your child, writes the treatment plan, reviews it as your child learns, supervises the RBT every week and leads your weekly parent training.
- The clinical director, Aisha Albright-Jourdan, MSW, LCSW, BCBA, reviews every treatment plan before it is submitted to insurance.
The BACB, which certifies behavior analysts and RBTs, describes the RBT as a paraprofessional who works "under the direction and close supervision" of a supervisor who is responsible for all the work the RBT performs. Florida does not issue its own license for behavior analysts; state law recognizes national certification instead (Fla. Stat. 393.17). So the credentials to look for are BCBA and RBT. Our team page introduces the people behind the programs, and BCBA vs RBT vs BCaBA explains each credential in more depth.
How does Hope Center's structure compare with the BACB minimum?
Every ABA provider in Florida that uses RBTs has to meet the BACB's supervision rules. The table below sets those minimums next to how Hope Center runs its programs. The BACB rules come from the RBT Handbook (updated June 2026).
| Question | BACB minimum for every provider | At Hope Center |
|---|---|---|
| How much supervision does an RBT get? | At least 5% of the hours the RBT provides services each calendar month | BCBAs supervise RBTs every week. Ask your BCBA how supervision time is planned for your child's hours. |
| How is supervision done? | At least two face-to-face, real-time contacts a month; phone or email does not count | Weekly supervision by the BCBA who writes your child's plan |
| Does the supervisor watch sessions? | The supervisor must observe the RBT working in at least one contact a month; in person is preferred, live video is allowed | Ask your BCBA when they will observe your child's sessions and how they share what they saw |
| Who writes the treatment plan? | A behavior analyst designs the intervention and summarizes it in writing (Ethics Code 2.14) | A BCBA writes and reviews every plan |
| Is there a second review? | Not required by the BACB | The clinical director reviews every plan before it goes to insurance |
| Who signs off for the family? | Informed consent before assessments and interventions (Ethics Code 2.11) | You review and sign the plan before it is submitted |
| Who can parents contact? | No BACB rule | You can text or call the RBT, the BCBA or the front desk |
The BACB minimum is a floor, not a target. Insurance plans can also set their own supervision expectations. For a full explanation of supervision amounts, see how much BCBA supervision your child should get.
What does weekly supervision actually involve?
The BACB lists the kinds of things supervision can include. Your BCBA may use some or all of them in a given week:
- Setting clear expectations for how each part of your child's program should be run
- Watching the RBT work with your child, then coaching and giving feedback
- Modeling how to handle a hard moment or teach a new skill
- Reviewing session notes and data sheets
- Checking whether the plan is working and changing it when the data say it is not
The Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts adds that supervisors monitor performance with observations and data, give timely feedback, and build an improvement plan when problems come up (Code 4.08). Supervisors are also accountable for the work their RBTs do as part of the supervisory relationship (Code 4.04). In plain terms: the BCBA is responsible for what happens in your child's sessions, even on days they are not in the room.
For you, weekly supervision means a few practical things. Questions you raise with the RBT reach the BCBA quickly. A strategy that is not working can be changed without waiting for a six-month report. And the person who wrote the plan sees how it plays out with your child.
How is my child's treatment plan written and reviewed?
Here is how a plan moves from first assessment to approval at Hope Center:
- Assessment. Once your insurer approves the assessment request, a BCBA meets your child at home or at one of our centers. The assessment takes 2 to 4 hours, in one or two sessions. You also complete online questionnaires.
- Writing. The BCBA writes the treatment plan, which can take up to two weeks.
- Clinical director review. The clinical director reviews every plan before it goes to your insurer. A second set of experienced eyes checks the goals, the strategies and the requested hours.
- Your signature. You read the plan, ask questions, and sign it.
- Submission and approval. We submit the plan to your insurer. Services usually begin 3 to 5 business days after approval.
- Ongoing review. Once sessions start, the BCBA keeps reviewing the plan and discusses goals and progress with you in weekly parent training.
The full start-up timeline, with what speeds it up and what slows it down, is in how fast ABA can start at Hope Center. If you want to understand what is inside the plan you are signing, read inside an ABA treatment plan.
How do I reach each person on my child's team?
You can text or call your child's RBT, your BCBA or our front desk. Each one is the right first contact for different questions.
| Contact | Good for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Your child's RBT | Day-to-day session questions | "How did today go?" "She did not sleep well, so she may be tired." "Can we start 15 minutes late on Thursday?" |
| Your BCBA | The plan, goals, strategies and progress | "This strategy is not working at bedtime." "Can we add a goal for the dentist?" "I want to understand this graph." |
| Front desk, 561-337-8865 | Scheduling, insurance, paperwork and anything you are not sure where to send | "My insurance changed." "I need a copy of a form." "Who should I talk to about this?" |
RBTs are trained to pass questions about their services to their supervisor (RBT Ethics Code 2.06), so you do not need to worry about going to the "wrong" person. If you raise a plan question with the RBT, it should reach the BCBA. You can also email office@hopecenteraba.com.
What if I have a concern about my child's RBT or BCBA?
Start with your BCBA, who supervises the RBT and can change how sessions run. If the concern is with the BCBA, or it is not resolved, it goes to the assistant clinical director, and then to the executive director. Our page on sharing feedback or a concern at Hope Center walks through each step and what to include. For safety concerns, the outside options open to every Florida family are explained in how to raise a concern about an ABA provider.
How can I check my child's team's credentials?
You can look up any BCBA or RBT in the BACB's Certificant Registry. For an RBT, the registry shows who is listed as their supervisor, and it shows in red text when an RBT has no supervisor on file and may not practice. Our clinical director also holds a Florida LCSW license, which you can check through the Florida Department of Health's license lookup. Step-by-step instructions are in how to verify a BCBA or RBT in Florida.
Questions to ask on your first call
Whether you choose Hope Center or another provider, these questions tell you a lot about how a program is supervised:
- Who will write my child's plan, and who will deliver sessions?
- How often will the BCBA supervise the RBT, and how often will they observe my child's sessions?
- Does anyone review the plan before it goes to insurance?
- How do I reach the RBT, the BCBA and the office between sessions?
- How often will we meet for parent training, and what will we cover?
- Who do I go to if I have a concern?
At Hope Center the short answers are: a BCBA writes it and an RBT delivers it; weekly supervision; the clinical director reviews every plan; text or call any of us; weekly parent training; and your BCBA first. Anything more specific to your child, such as how many hours of supervision your plan includes, is a good question for your first call.
Ready to meet the team?
If you would like to talk about how your child's program would be supervised, request a free consultation and benefits check or call 561-337-8865. You can also ask to meet your child's assigned staff before services begin. Our new families page explains each step from the first call.