Behavioral Services

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“. 

See a brief video overview of these efforts here.    

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 ®

B.F. Skinner Foundation

Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies

Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

Council of Autism Service Providers

Kennedy Krieger Institute

International Society for Performance Improvement

National Autism Center’s National Standards Project

PartnerShip Behavior Analytic Research Citations

PubMed Central (free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM))

Society for the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior

Standard Celeration Society

Western Michigan University Autism Center of Excellence Training Videos

Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis

Virginia Positive Behavior Support Project 

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.

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.  


You can contact leadership for behavioral services at DBHDS here