Standard 1.09: Personal biases and challenges
RBTs recognize that their own biases or personal challenges, such as health conditions or legal, financial or relationship problems, can affect their work. When that may happen, they take steps to deal with it and document those steps.
What it means in practice
Everyone goes through hard periods. The standard doesn't ask you to be free of problems; it asks you to notice when a bias or personal challenge may affect your services and to act before clients are affected.
The code gives examples of appropriate steps: making an action or care plan, telling your supervisor, not working with clients until the issue is resolved, and reporting to the BACB. Which steps fit depends on the situation, and the standard requires that you document what you did.
Some challenges also trigger self-reporting under 3.04, which the RBT Handbook spells out. For example, a physical or mental health condition or substance use disorder that directly affects your ability to practice safely must be self-reported if you have no active, effective care plan. A condition is not reportable if you have an active, effective care plan and you and your care provider have decided it is unlikely to affect your work. Legal charges are among the events the code lists for self-reporting within 30 days, and the handbook details which events must be reported and which need not be.
Scenarios
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| During a hard divorce you are sleeping badly, and you have missed data and arrived late several times. | Tell your supervisor what is happening and work out a plan together, such as a temporary schedule change, time off or more support. Write down the steps you agree on. |
| A new medication makes you very drowsy, and one of your clients runs toward the parking lot without warning. | Don't work with clients while you can't keep them safe. Tell your supervisor, step back from sessions until the problem is resolved, and document it. Check the handbook's self-reporting criteria to see whether you need to report to the BACB. |
| You find yourself irritated and judgmental every time you work in a home whose political views differ sharply from yours. | Recognize the bias, talk it through with your supervisor, and keep your conduct professional. If you can't stay objective, your supervisor may reassign the case. Document the steps you take. |
| You are charged with a misdemeanor over the weekend. | Legal charges are among the events the code says to self-report to the BACB within 30 days (see 3.04). Check the handbook's self-reporting section, and self-report if you are unsure. Inform your supervisor and employer as required, and document these actions. |
Practice questions
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Question 1An RBT has a personal health condition that is making it hard to safely carry out physical prompts. What should the RBT do?
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D: Tell the supervisor and take steps to address it. When personal challenges may affect services, RBTs take steps such as telling the supervisor and document those steps (Standard 1.09).
- A: Handing a procedure to the caregiver is not the RBT's decision.
- B: Changing the prompt type is a plan change.
- C: Skipping prompts changes the plan without direction.
Task E.2 · RBT Ethics Code 1.09
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Question 2An RBT is going through a difficult divorce and notices they are distracted and making errors during sessions. What does the RBT Ethics Code direct them to do?
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A: Take steps such as telling the supervisor or making a plan, and document them. Standard 1.09 says that when personal challenges may affect their services, RBTs take steps to resolve the issue, such as making an action or care plan, reporting to the supervisor, or not working with clients until it is resolved, and they document these actions.
- B: The code asks RBTs to act when personal challenges may affect services, not wait.
- C: Sharing personal details with caregivers does not resolve the issue and blurs professional boundaries.
- D: Leaving without notice abandons commitments; the supervisor should be involved.
Task F.2 · RBT Ethics Code 1.09
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Question 3What is implicit bias?
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C: Attitudes or stereotypes we hold without realizing it. Implicit biases are attitudes or stereotypes that influence our understanding, actions and decisions without conscious awareness. Because they are not obvious to us, identifying them takes deliberate self-reflection and feedback.
- A: Openly stated prejudice is explicit bias, not implicit bias.
- B: Disagreeing about goals is a difference of opinion, not a bias.
- D: Implicit bias is in a person's reactions, not in a written plan.
Task F.10 · 40-hour curriculum section G · RBT Ethics Code 1.09
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Question 4An RBT realizes they praise boys in a social skills group for speaking up but redirect girls who do the same thing. What should the RBT do?
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D: Discuss it with the supervisor and ask for feedback. Identifying a personal bias is the first step. The RBT brings it to the supervisor, who can observe, give feedback and arrange training so the plan is applied the same way for every client.
- A: Treating the same behavior differently by gender is inequitable.
- B: Withdrawing services from a group adds harm instead of fixing the bias.
- C: The difference is in the RBT's behavior, so the RBT addresses it with the supervisor.
Task F.10 · RBT Ethics Code 1.07 · RBT Ethics Code 1.08 · RBT Ethics Code 1.09
Answer every question to see your score.
Where it sits in the code
Standard 1.09 is in section 1, General Responsibilities, of the RBT Ethics Code (2.0). On the exam it relates to task F.10 Cultural humility and responsiveness. Read the official text for the exact wording.
Related standards: 1.07 Cultural responsiveness, 3.04 Self-reporting to the BACB, 2.01 Do no harm and mandated reporting.