“I Was Never Trained for This”: The Silent Struggle of School-Based BCBAs

Written By Meghan Edwards

The moment it hit me…

It was my first month supporting a school as a BCBA.
I had a clipboard, a caseload, and a whole lot of enthusiasm.

But by 10:00 AM, I’d already been asked to:

  • Write a BIP for a student I hadn’t even observed yet

  • “Fix” a para who was struggling with a nonverbal student

  • Explain why I couldn’t just pull data out of thin air for an IEP meeting happening in 30 minutes

And I remember thinking:

“This can’t be what being a BCBA is supposed to feel like.”

The truth is—schools are a different world.
They don’t follow clinic structures. They aren’t always prepared to collaborate.
And the systems you do try to build?
They often feel like they’re getting erased by lunch duty, teacher absences, or crisis calls.

Why the School Setting Feels So Different

Unlike clinic or home-based settings, schools run on their own systems—bells, staffing issues, IEP timelines, untrained support staff, and constant fires to put out.

You’re expected to…

  • Write legally sound FBAs and BIPs

  • Train entire teams

  • Fix every behavior problem in the building

  • Oh, and somehow document everything

…without a roadmap.

If you’ve ever thought:

“Maybe I’m just not cut out for schools.”
Let me stop you right there.

You’re not failing—you were just never trained for this setting.
And you’re not alone.
I’ve mentored dozens of school-based BCBAs who were drowning in the same way I was.

Because we’ve been taught clinical best practices…
But not how to translate them into the messy, beautiful, unpredictable world of school.

The Real Problem

BCBAs in schools are often:

  • Isolated with no team to lean on

  • Unsupported by admin who don’t fully understand our role

  • Unsure how to adapt clinical best practices to real-life classrooms

This leads to burnout, frustration, and imposter syndrome—fast.

You don’t have to figure it out alone…

That’s exactly why I created The Behavior Lounge—a mentorship space designed specifically for school-based BCBAs who want to lead with confidence, clarity, and collaboration.

In the Lounge, we cover the actual skills no one teaches you:

  • Coaching staff without resistance

  • Writing BIPs that get used (not shelved)

  • Navigating ethics and IEPs in schools

  • Creating systems so you stop reinventing the wheel

  • Being seen and valued on your team

You don’t have to white-knuckle it through the school year.
The support you’ve been looking for is here.

You’re not a bad BCBA.
You’re not too green, too overwhelmed, or too late.
You’re just in a role that asks for a lot—with very little guidance. Ready to stop feeling like you're making it up as you go?
Click here to join us in The Behavior Lounge.

Meghan Edwards
Next

Adapting the RBT Task List for the School Setting (Without Losing Your Mind)