In her role as a trainer for ABS in Rancho Cucamonga, Alma Chavarria provides 40 hours of training to every new Behavior Technician joining that location. Her training work directly contributes to patient care as she is helping to train all the new RBTs being added to the company as ABS continues its rapid growth. But according to her colleagues, Alma is not just leading your average training session – she’s going above and beyond in making what some might call mundane enjoyable and engaging for everyone.
Stacie Romero, who nominated Alma for Support Spotlight, says, “[Alma] creates the training to not just provide them with the necessary information and understanding of our company and what the position entails, but she makes every training day fun. She gets the new hires to interact and get involved. She teaches them using different methods so they all understand. She created so many memorable methods for our training like ABS Games and Kahoots, which is a learning strategy she had used in her schooling that she has implemented here at ABS.” Her Clinical Director Valerie Carpio values Alma’s ability to “always keep a high level of energy” and communicate the messages that ABS wants to share with everyone on the team. Valerie also notes that Alma further serves as a cultural ambassador in Rancho by coordinating regular Team Pizza events and making them “interactive so that everyone is included and participating.”
In her words, Alma’s approach to training has always been to “make it fun,” thinking back to traditional training she received. She loves to see new faces coming through and loves to see people grow. The most rewarding part of her job is “hearing people come back and say they are making progress with their patients” and that her “passion for ABA has been transferred to new providers. That’s when you know you’ve done your job as a trainer to create a great BT.” She even had a trainee return to tell her that during a session, “my inner-Alma came out – I had so much energy!”
Alma has served in various roles with ABS for almost two years, starting as an RBT and then moving into training. Her official title is now Lead Registered Behavior Technician, and she is in course work to become a BCBA. She plans to sit for her exam in August, and she is excited to see where her career goes. ABS would like to thank Alma and all the trainers in every location for all they do to advance our mission of making a difference in the lives of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder!
About Support Spotlight
ABS would like to recognize the exemplary support team members who make ABA treatment possible for the children and families we serve. Our support team members are passionate about creating stellar experiences for ABS providers so they can be free to focus on what they do best – delivering the highest quality patient care. At ABS we know that it takes the dedication of every team member to realize our mission of making a difference in the lives of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Our commitment to quality care shows in our BHCOE awards for top 10% in overall services nationally and best in staff satisfaction!
Nominate a team member!
Do you know an amazing support team member who should be recognized in a Support Spotlight feature? Help us spread the word about our great team by emailing Michele Escano, Marketing Director, at mescano@abskids.com.