Care and Ethical Management of Clients

Consumers of applied behavior analysis typically exhibit deficits across many areas of abilities, such as communication, social skills, coping skills, and self-regulation. To provide ethical and effective treatment, behavior analysts must focus on the key areas for improvement and must put aside approaches which are designed to benefit the business. Behavior analysts are expected to work with consumers and their caregivers to help their clients achieve independence and greater access to many sources of reinforcement. This is why the philosophy of the Ethical Behavior Analyst is so important: without the general ethical philosophy, treatment decisions can quickly stray from what is most valuable to the clients themselves. This chapter revolves around providing ethical care to clients and imploring clinicians to ethically manage cases. From initial intake to discharge, maintaining a waiting list for services, and addressing challenges with caregivers and insurance companies, all aspects of a client’s treatment are reviewed.