This page provides information on the delivery of behavioral services through the Developmental Disability waivers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. A provider search engine for this service is included, along with professional resources and training videos. Additionally, content and resources related to quality reviews of behavioral programming are provided.
Therapeutic consultation is a service available through the FIS and CL waivers encompassing an array of therapy modalities (i.e. speech/language, occupational therapy, behavioral consultation) that may assist in helping implement a person’s individual support plan. In addition to the waiver regulations, the provider manual may be a useful resource for readers (select Developmental Disabilities Waivers).
The DBHDS/DMAS Practice Guidelines for Behavior Support Plans offers basic guidelines on the minimum elements that constitute an adequately designed behavior support plan for individuals receiving therapeutic consultation behavioral services under the Family and Individual Supports (FIS) and Community Living (CL) Developmental Disability Medicaid waivers in Virginia. See the button below on “Quality reviews” for more information.
Use this SEARCH ENGINE to locate behaviorists that deliver this service.
If you are enrolled with DMAS to provide this waiver service and would like to have your organization’s contact information listed (or updated) on the search engine, please complete this form.
There are two primary provider types that deliver therapeutic consultation behavioral services in Virginia: Positive Behavior Support Facilitators (PBSF) and Board Certified Behavior Analysts®/Licensed Behavior Analysts (BCBA®/LBA).
The DBHDS/DMAS Practice Guidelines for Behavior Support Plans outline the required content areas and associated minimum elements for behavioral programming through the therapeutic consultation waiver service. Additional information on positive behavior supports, person centered behavior planning, and trauma informed care is included.
DBHDS created the Behavior Support Plan Adherence Review Instrument (BSPARI) to determine adherence to the Practice Guidelines. The BSPARI Scoring Instructions and Feedback Guide outlines the scoring logic and the quality review process. An optional behavior support plan template is available here.
In 2024, the creators of the BSPARI, in collaboration with Dr. Neil Deochand at University of Cincinnati, published work on quality assurance. This publication includes an overview of existing quality assurance instruments and offers considerations for readers interested in policy to practice alignment. See a read-only version here: “The Development of a Behavior Plan Quality Assurance Instrument in a Publicly Funded System of Care“.
Archives for Behavior Analysis in Practice
Archives for Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
Association for Behavior Analysis International
Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
Association for Positive Behavior Support
Association for Professional Behavior Analysts
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
Behavior Analyst Certification Board ®
Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies
Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Council of Autism Service Providers
- Overview and Summary of Scientific Support for Applied Behavior Analysis
- Reinforcer Assessment for Individuals with Severe Disability
- Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment
- Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement Preference Assessment
- Single Stimulus Preference Assessment
International Society for Performance Improvement
National Autism Center’s National Standards Project
PartnerShip Behavior Analytic Research Citations
Society for the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior
Western Michigan University Autism Center of Excellence Training Videos
DBHDS behavior analysts are providing features on various aspects of behavior analysis via the ABA Snippets section of the Office of Integrated Health’s monthly newsletter. Snippets are typically pertinent to behavioral consultation, but at times may branch out into the larger corpus of human behavior. Please explore the newsletter and OIH website for safety alerts, educational resources, and health support network information.
- December 2024: You Have the Right To…
- November 2024: The Bountiful Benefits of Reinforcement
- October 2024: The Spooky Side Effects of Punishment
- September 2024: Shaping Up Your Health, Part 2
- August 2024: Shaping Up Your Health, Part 1
- July 2024: I Scream, You Scream
- June 2024: Cultural Responsiveness
- May 2024: Mental Health and Behavior Science
- April 2024: Differential Reinforcement
- March 2024: The Development of a Behavior Plan Quality Assurance Instrument in a Publicly Funded System of Care
- February 2024: Let them see you wash those hands!
- January 2024: Improving caregiver hand hygiene
- December 2023: Handwashing is a behavior
- November 2023: Behavior Contrast and Grandma’s Cookie Jar
- October 2023: Accessing Evidence Based Research for Best Practice
- September 2023: Your Reinforcer is Ready to Pair: Five Steps for Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing
- August 2023: Risk-Benefit
- July 2023: Negative Reinforcement = Relief
- June 2023: Dignity
- May 2023: Search feature to find behaviorists
- April 2023: ABC Data Collection
- March 2023: Reinforcement or Not Reinforcement
- February 2023: Writing Behavioral Definitions for Practical Applications
- January 2023: Constructing Line Graphs with Condition or Phase Change Lines
- December 2022: Introductory Resources on Behavior Analysis
- November 2022: Continuing education
- October 2022: Quality assurance in behavior planning
- September 2022: Writing behavioral objectives
- August 2022: BSPARI Trends
- July 2022: Organizational behavior management
- June 2022: Resource directories for behaviorists
- May 2022: Applications of ABA beyond Autism Spectrum Disorders
- April 2022: Telehealth in behavioral services
- March 2022: Resources on the prioritization of behaviors in behavior support planning
- February 2022: A plan for training in behavior plans
- January 2022: Quality reviews of behavioral programming
Introduction to the Practical Functional Assessment This training provides an overview of functional analysis procedures, with specific introductory information on the Practical Functional Assessment. Asynchronous continuing education certificate is not available for this training. Slide deck for the training is available here.
BSPARI Review Updates, September 2024 This video outlines the revise and resubmit process for BSPARIs not in adherence with the DBHDS/DMAS Practice Guidelines for Behavior Support Plans launching in October 2024. Outcome data on BSPARI reviews over time are also reviewed. The Q&A from this webinar is available here.
Quality Reviews in Therapeutic Behavioral Consultation, November 2023 This training outlines the BSPARI and related feedback sessions, trend results of reviews, and on-target examples and resources, as of 11/2023.
BSPARI Trends, August 2022 This training outlines the purpose and nature of the BSPARI and related feedback sessions, trend results of reviews, and on-target examples and resources, as of 8/2022.
Introduction to Functional Behavior Assessment Training from West Virginia University on basics of functional behavior assessment (FBA).
Advanced Functional Behavior Assessment Training from West Virginia University on advanced FBA.
Behavioral Skills Training Training from West Virginia University on behavioral skills training.
Advanced Behavior Support Planning Training from West Virginia University on advanced behavior support planning.
Graphical Displays and Analysis: Plotting without Deception Part 1 The first part of a training from University of Cincinnati on graphing and analysis.
Graphical Displays and Analysis: Plotting without Deception Part 2 The second part of a training from University of Cincinnati on graphing and analysis.
Navigating Therapeutic Behavioral Consultation This training video from 10/2022 offers provider enrollment information, basics and FAQ on billing, quality assurance initiatives, required documentation and authorization types, and more.
Our team has experience in behavioral science across adult and child populations in a wide range of settings (e.g., clinic-based, schools, community-based, residential, crisis services) and applications (e.g., education, functional behavior assessment and function-based treatment, organizational behavior management, positive behavior interventions and supports, verbal behavior analysis). We welcome your questions, suggestions, and overall feedback. You can contact us as follows:
Nathan Habel, Director of Behavioral Services and Projects: nathan.habel@dbhds.virginia.gov
Courtney Pernick, Behavior Analyst: courtney.pernick@dbhds.virginia.gov
Brian Phelps, Behavior Analyst: brian.phelps@dbhds.virginia.gov
John Tolson, Behavior Analyst: john.tolson@dbhds.virginia.gov
Nick Vanderburg, Behavior Analyst: nick.vanderburg@dbhds.virginia.gov
