A study on Behavior Analysts’ Perceptions of Compassionate Care and Therapeutic Relationships

Abstract

Compassion is a core competency that determines the qualitative distinctiveness of ABA practitioners, and it is considered essential for ensuring that practitioners’ technical interventions are meaningfully accepted and sustained by both caregivers and children. This study examined behavior analysts’ empathy, their perceptions of compassionate care, and their educational experiences related to therapeutic relationships. To this end, an online survey was conducted with XXX ABA practitioners and trainees in South Korea, using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and survey items developed by LeBlanc et al. (2020). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0. The results of this study (to be completed) are expected to shed light on the current status of ABA professionals’ emotional and relational competencies and provide empirical foundations for the systematic training and curriculum development of compassionate care skills.

Keywords: compassion, empathy, therapeutic relationship, behavior analyst, Jefferson Scale of Empathy, emotional competency, training experience