Applied Behavior Analysis is a program that can navigate those who desire to help people with behavioural difficulties to study the relationship between learning and behaviour. Being able to dedicate your time and effort to help others alleviate daily struggles and become more independent is the most rewarding thing. I believe that the ABA program will help me become a true professional who can put their expertise to use by performing proper evaluations, helpful care plans and programs.
An ABA program’s purpose is to assist each individual in working on skills and knowledge that will allow them to become more independent and productive in the short and long run. Being a therapist with limited experience and working at a psychiatric hospital can be challenging. With an ABA program, I could delve deeper into the field of behavioural analysis and gain knowledge in the areas where I am weak.
I want to concentrate on teaching skills and changing the behaviours of those who need it. Behavioural learning techniques, such as classical and operant conditioning, are used by therapists to influence a person’s behaviour. I work with people who are bipolar and schizophrenic, and seeing such individuals struggle daily makes me want to help them. I could assist individuals with these difficulties in replacing undesirable tendencies with desired behaviours with persistence and effort. Moreover, in order to help these individuals, I will need to know how to do proper planning and ongoing assessments for those who are mentally disabled. I firmly believe that this is attainable with the ABA program.
After working at a psychiatric hospital for some time, I encountered many people who were desperate to get professional help and needed assistance. However, the most impactful experience I have received is through my friendship with a person with bipolar disorder. My friend is 23 years old and was diagnosed with the condition at 20. While people with bipolar disorder can be viewed as fully functional, such individuals require a lot of care and support.
The first challenge was the first manic phase of my friend after diagnosis. In this situation, I learned that the best way to help them is to be with them, avoiding being patronizing. During my friend’s manic phases, I noticed that they felt isolated, and therefore I tried to be with them even for short periods of time in order not to make them feel isolated from the world. Additionally, in this situation, like many people who struggle with bipolar disorder, my friend tended to do or say things they usually did not mean. At first, some of the moments hurt me, and it took me some time to heal from them. However, now I understand that people with this disorder cannot control their emotions, actions and what they say. It is essential to concentrate on helping in these situations rather than judging.
As a result, having such a close experience with this disorder, I realized that people who require help are closer than we think. While some people understand the challenges of some disorders, others do not know how to behave and how to support their loved ones. I believe that with the ABA program, I will not only be able to help a wider array of people but also spread knowledge.