Certification

Up until the end of 2022 the standard for certification in ABA in Switzerland was provided by the BACB®. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board is a USA-based organization responsible for regulating and overseeing certification in behaviour analytic profession by awarding certification for various levels of training and experience. Through this they guarantee a minimum quality, standard of training and expertise among professional behaviour analysts.

Professionals that hold certification from the BACB have completed a theoretical training, worked under supervision and received direct supervision hours from another certified behaviour analyst. They have successfully passed a graduate level coursework and examinations as well as a final multiple choice board examination. Additionally, practical evaluation of their work by a qualified supervisor must also be passed. They are also required to comply with the rigorous BACB standards of professional and ethical conduct at all times.

The BACB awards certification for four grades of experience and training: Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). If a BCBA also holds a qualifying doctoral degree in behaviour analysis or has published qualifying research, they are awarded the title BCBA-D.

The four levels of certification vary in the required prerequisite diplomas to become certified (high school diploma, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree), as well as in the intensity and depth of training, and in the requirement for maintaining certification.

However, per 1st of January 2023 the BACB no longer offers international certification. ABA professionals working and living in Switzerland can obtain all requirements for a certification, i.e. get the university training, the work experience and the supervision hours, but they cannot longer sit for the BCBA exam or receive a certification.

Currently there are no national or international standards for ABA practice in Switzerland. There are several initiatives going in the direction of setting standards for ABA in Europe (e.g. the EuroBA project – www.euroba.org). Also ABA Switzerland is working on creating standards and eventually a certification for ABA in Switzerland. Lastly a couple of international organizations have sprung up in the past years offering an alternative to the BACB certification, most notably the IBAO (www.theibao.com). At this point no available certification has any form of formal recognition in Switzerland.