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Behavioral specialist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Thomas Uhle,
Dr. Julie Alonzo Ph.D.
Behavioral specialist example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical behavioral specialist skills. We ranked the top skills for behavioral specialists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 10.4% of behavioral specialist resumes contained mental health as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a behavioral specialist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 behavioral specialist skills for your resume and career

1. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how behavioral specialists use mental health:
  • Interfaced with existing county mental health/developmental service systems, assessing and evaluating behavioral, social, and emotional support plan processes.
  • Provide functional assessment and behavior support plan to adolescent and adult population with co-occurring developmental delays and severe mental health diagnoses.

2. Autism

Here's how behavioral specialists use autism:
  • Supervised implementation of treatment plans for consumers ages 3-18 with various diagnoses, primarily consumers identified with autism spectrum disorders.
  • Provided training for elementary school teachers and parents on providing appropriate needs for emotionally disturbed children and children with Autism.

3. Applied Behavior Analysis

Here's how behavioral specialists use applied behavior analysis:
  • Provided methods in applied behavior analysis in a forensics facility for sexually violent predators.
  • Provided behavioral modification services that focus on parent training and intensive Applied Behavior Analysis.

4. Crisis Intervention

Here's how behavioral specialists use crisis intervention:
  • Provided crisis intervention and assisted families in understanding the implication and complexities of medical situation and its impact on one lifestyle.
  • Provided behavior modification, counseling, and crisis intervention services to adolescents with chronic mental illness in an intensive-level public school.

5. Rehabilitation

Here's how behavioral specialists use rehabilitation:
  • Advised and supervised members of a behavioral health rehabilitation team regarding the appropriate clinical approach for various children.
  • Assisted in the therapeutic rehabilitation of students with emotional disturbances and behavior disorders in a school setting.

6. Social Work

Here's how behavioral specialists use social work:
  • Provide detailed documentation of issues that arise during bunk life Coordinate social worker activities and establish parent contact as necessary.
  • Communicate any difficulty with camper's behaviors, report injuries/incident to Camp Director and Social Worker.

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7. ABA

ABA, an abbreviation for applied behavioral analysis, is a scientific behavior study.

Here's how behavioral specialists use aba:
  • Provided in-home early intervention Developmental Intervention and ABA services for children with developmental disabilities/delays ages birth-3.
  • Established and maintained data measurement and collection systems for students receiving ABA Interventions.

8. Behavior Analysis

Behavior analysis is a scientific approach that seeks to comprehend people's behavior.

Here's how behavioral specialists use behavior analysis:
  • Facilitated effective behavior analysis interventions and supported program implementation.
  • Utilized technology in behavior analysis to assist in the continual development and monitoring of the classroom behavior management system.

9. Patients

Here's how behavioral specialists use patients:
  • Observe patients and strategically prepare and manage clinical analysis of individuals and their progress in conjunction with formulated behavior goals.
  • Maximize clinical time for counseling services and establish an environment that is conducting to successfully treating patients.

10. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how behavioral specialists use community resources:
  • Maintain information on available community resources, make appropriate and timely referrals for services and provide ongoing coordination of needed services.
  • Located and identified community resources as specified by family needs; provide linkages and identified community resources.

11. Developmental Disabilities

Here's how behavioral specialists use developmental disabilities:
  • Assisted adults with Developmental Disabilities in a residential setting teaching daily living skills, personal management, and stress management techniques.
  • Formulated, designed and oversaw behavior management programs for autistic individuals with developmental disabilities, ranging from Profound to Mild.

12. Data Collection

Data collection means to analyze and collect all the necessary information. It helps in carrying out research and in storing important and necessary information. The most important goal of data collection is to gather the information that is rich and accurate for statistical analysis.

Here's how behavioral specialists use data collection:
  • Train and supervise back-up behavioral specialists on program implementation, data collection, treatment documentation, and behavior management interventions.
  • Provided behavioral support services; functional analysis, motivational assessment, data collection/analysis, development and implementation of behavior support plans

13. Behavior Management

Here's how behavioral specialists use behavior management:
  • Presented behavior programs to the Human Rights and Behavior Management Committees and actively participated in Team meetings and Psychology Department meetings.
  • Create and implement a comprehensive behavior management plan with the youth/family and stake- holders to support adaptive functioning in a community setting

14. Intervention Techniques

Here's how behavioral specialists use intervention techniques:
  • Assisted clients in transitioning safely home by implementing behavioral management and behavioral intervention techniques.
  • Provided physical intervention techniques in response to aggressive and self-injurious behavior students.

15. Family Therapy

Here's how behavioral specialists use family therapy:
  • Provide individual family therapy to children/adolescents/families with ASD, on caseload at a frequency specified in the Comprehensive Treatment Plan.
  • Provided assessment, designed and implemented behavior modification plans, and conducted individual and family therapy in the home setting.
top-skills

What skills help Behavioral Specialists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on behavioral specialist resumes?

Dr. Thomas Uhle

Teacher Education Program, Miami Dade College

An outstanding resume would show evidence of ongoing professional development and membership in professional organizations. It is important that teachers remain current on topics such as educational technology, exceptional student education, and educational neuroscience. Additionally, having certifications and qualifications in multiple areas is beneficial. In the Exceptional Student Education K-12 Bachelor's Program at Miami Dade College, for example, our graduates exit our program having passed their State Professional Exam, their ESE K-12 State Certification, a Reading endorsement, and a TESOL endorsement. They attend professional development programs and are encouraged to join professional organizations during their program. A resume that shows that level of experience in the field looks quite impressive, even for a recent graduate.

What behavioral specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Julie Alonzo Ph.D.Dr. Julie Alonzo Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Research Associate Professor; Director D.Ed. Program, University of Oregon

Cultural competency, knowledge of social emotional learning, and familiarity with the tenets of Response to Intervention (RTI) are all skills that will help enhance educators' competitiveness. If a graduate needs to take a gap year, there are many ways to ensure that they continue to develop these skills. They might serve as a mentor to an at-risk student (many schools have active mentor programs), teach in an after-school tutoring program (these can be set up for remote or in-person instruction), or work on improving their knowledge of the different languages spoken by families in the community where they are hoping to work. Enhancing one's knowledge of anti-racism teaching practices will help make a graduate more effective as an educator as well as more competitive in the job market.

What type of skills will young behavioral specialists need?

Dr. Thomas Dearden Ph.D.Dr. Thomas Dearden Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Sociology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Indeed, the way we work is changing. The skills that young graduates will need are diverse. Transferable skills and soft skills will certainly be marketable. These include traditional crafts such as communication, but I also think the world expects more empathy from its employees. Young graduates with an understanding of racism, sexism, and environmental responsibility will become increasingly important.

What hard/technical skills are most important for behavioral specialists?

Kacie Blalock Ph.D.

Associate Professor; Director, Master of Counseling, Louisiana State University at Shreveport

It is important that counselors are able to effectively take notes and summarize progress, interpret assessments, memorize and recall information, and keep clear yet concise records.

List of behavioral specialist skills to add to your resume

Behavioral specialist skills

The most important skills for a behavioral specialist resume and required skills for a behavioral specialist to have include:

  • Mental Health
  • Autism
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Rehabilitation
  • Social Work
  • ABA
  • Behavior Analysis
  • Patients
  • Community Resources
  • Developmental Disabilities
  • Data Collection
  • Behavior Management
  • Intervention Techniques
  • Family Therapy
  • Compassion
  • Foster Care
  • Clinical Supervision
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Substance Abuse
  • CPR
  • Mental Illness
  • BSC
  • IEP
  • Behavior Issues
  • Eating Disorders
  • Behavioral Data
  • Functional Behavior Assessments
  • Intellectual Disabilities
  • Group Therapy
  • Early Intervention
  • Therapeutic Interventions
  • Group Sessions
  • Behavior Problems
  • Crisis Situations
  • Direct Supervision
  • CPI
  • Individual Therapy
  • ADHD
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Behavior Modification
  • Graphing
  • Behavioral Programs
  • Medicaid
  • Anger Management
  • Independent Living
  • ISP
  • Classroom Management
  • Program Monitoring

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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