Nine ethics principles

1. Do no harm
- Services provided to clients should ensure and focus their client’s safety and privacy. The
therapist should knowingly engage in practices that will not cause harm and not knowingly
engage in practices outside their area of expertise.
2. Respecting autonomy
- RBTs should promote autonomy, independence, and self-sufficiency. Working with a
population that has limited abilities across a wide range sports a great risk for the
population of becoming overly dependent on others for daily living needs. It is the goal of
ABA therapy to help learners and clients to lead independent lives.
3. Benefitting others
- The work does not focus on the RBT, but always on the learner. The client shifts depending
on who the focus of the training or interaction is with. The primary goal of any professional
is to do work that will benefit others in whatever situation or setting that they way work in.
4. Being just
- Do unto others as you would have done unto you. This means that the RBT should treat
their clients as they would themselves, with dignity, respect, and compassion. Try to put
yourself in the shoes of the client to further understand their problems.
5. Being truthful
- Building reputation in any profession requires trust from others. Respected professionals
attain their reputation based on the trust given to them by others.
6. According dignity
- Every client should be treated with dignity and respect as all people should be. Everybody
deserves to be treated with ethical consideration respect and value as a person. This applies
even more so for the most vulnerable members in society
7. Treating others with care and compassion
- This rule extends not just for the patient but also to the parents and siblings of the client as
well. If the ethical principles 2, 3, and 6 are being followed then this principle is
automatically ensured
8. Pursuit of excellence
- The pursuit of excellence includes being up to date with the relevant information,
developments, as well as updated rules and regulations. Never stop growing and expand
your knowledge by attending conferences, seminars, and workshops.
9. Accepting responsibility
- The RBT is responsible for making sure that the proposed treatments are proper, justified
and are worthy of consideration. Exceptions allow the RBT some leverage in communicating
real concerns can be made when red flags or knowledge of clients are present.
1. Do No Harm
 Make sure that the services that we are providing to clients will
maintain their safety and that we are not knowingly engaging in
practices that will cause them harm. Not knowingly practicing
outside one’s area of expertise. Additionally, willfully remaining
ignorant of something, could lead to harm to the client. It is
incumbent upon the RBT to ask questions, to continue training in
order to best support the learner and keep the learner safe.
 It is customary that the first priority is always the client’s safety. A
Psychologist should always know and be self-aware of the things
that could endanger their client. Causing harm to a client
contradicts a Psychologist’s role of helping them.
2. Respecting Autonomy
 Autonomy is the promotion of independence and self-sufficiency.
We are working within a population that often has limited abilities
across a wide range of areas and requires support in a range of
categories and subsequently that puts this population at greater risk
for becoming overly dependent on others for daily living needs.
RBTs should understand that just because we want to keep the
learner under control, it may not be justification for intervening.
Even if this doesn’t make anything easier for ourselves, parents or
other caregivers. We need to do everything we can to promote our
learner’s independence because that is the goal of ABA therapy–to
help our learners lead independent lives.
3. Benefitting Others
 The primary role of the RBT, BCBA and other Professionals is to
benefit others in whatever setting/situation that they may work in.
The work is not about us. Our ego. It is about the learner. Always
the learner. And their family. It can also be the parent or the
teacher, the “client” shifts depending on who the focus of the
training or interaction is with.
4. Being Just
 The “Golden Rule”. Do unto others as you would have done unto
you. Treat others as you yourself wish to be treated. This includes
the learner or the “client”, other professionals and colleagues.
Remember… “If I was in their shoes… I would want ____”
5. Being Truthful
 Well respected professionals attain their reputation based on the
trust placed in them by others.
6. According Dignity
 Each and every client is treated with dignity and respect, and what
this means is that every person deserves to be treated with ethical
 consideration, respect and valued as a person. It is critically
important for the most vulnerable members of our population.
7. Treating Others with Care and Compassion
 If you are following the ethical principles of 2, 3 & 6 this principle
will automatically be ensured. This extends to parents and siblings
of the client as well.
8. Pursuit of Excellence
 Stay current with new developments as well as updated rules and
regulations. Be a lifelong learner. New research is exciting, dig in!
Subscribe to journals! Attend conferences, workshops, seminars!
9. Accepting Responsibility
 You are responsible for making sure that the proposed treatment is
proper, justified and worthy of consideration. (BCBA is/RBT is
responsible for implementing). Red flags however, and knowledge
of client allow RBT some leverage in communicating real
concerns. Further education allows for deeper
questions/considerations. When a treatment fails you must take
responsibility, accept blame, and make corrections to satisfy the
client and other related parties –for the therapist, direct staff, RBT
this means getting the BCBA involved to make change(s).