As you begin your career as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT), you’ll soon realize how important it is to establish strong relationships with both your clients and their respective loved ones. Doing so ensures your intervention plans are well-received and your clients feel comfortable working alongside you.
However, building rapport with clients and their families isn’t something you can master overnight. It can take time and a commitment to the process. But there are certain things you can do to make establishing that connection between your clients and their loved ones a little bit easier.
We’re sharing our best tips below, so whether you’re just starting your career as an RBT or looking to enhance your skills, this guide will be a valuable resource to help you establish meaningful connections with those you look to support.
Understanding Rapport
Rapport is the foundation of effective communication between RBTs and their clients. It’s how an RBT establishes a positive relationship full of trust, empathy, and understanding. It’s key in the field of behavior analysis as it helps RBTs better implement interventions while ensuring their clients (and their loved ones) feel understood throughout the process.
Building Rapport with Clients
There are a variety of things you can do as an RBT to help you build rapport with your clients. Here are some simple yet effective strategies you can implement to get the ball rolling:
Establishing Initial Contact
As an RBT, there are several strategies you can use to build rapport with clients who may have varying levels of listener or speaker skills. Here are some simple but effective techniques you can implement to start developing a positive relationship:
- Introduce yourself with a warm smile and friendly demeanor.
- Respect your client’s known preferences concerning social interaction style.
- Use your client’s preferred name and pronouns to demonstrate respect.
- Avoid talking about your client to someone else without including them in the conversation
- When possible, take time to explain your role as an RBT and the goals of your time together in a clear way that’s easy to understand (no jargon here!).
Creating a Welcoming Environment
In order to put everyone at ease you’ll want to make sure the environment you are in is as calming as possible. To do this you can:
- Ensure your space is clean, organized, and free from distractions.
- Respect your client’s personal space and privacy.
- Consider how you can incorporate items and activities that reflect your client’s interests or preferences to make them feel more comfortable (a comfy chair can go a long way!)
Communicating Effectively
Clear communication is the key to ensuring everyone feels heard, understood and safe. When speaking with your clients be sure to:
- Respect their preferred communication styles.
- Use simple language to convey instructions or information. Try not to get too technical.
- Use visual or textual supports to enable successful communication where appropriate.
- Pay attention to your client’s verbal and non-verbal cues and adjust your communication style accordingly.
- Encourage your client to express their thoughts and feelings regularly. Show them that you are there to support and not to judge.
Showing Empathy and Understanding
A vital part of your role as an RBT is showing your clients you care for their well-being. You can help them see this by:
- Demonstrating empathy by acknowledging your client’s emotions and validating their experiences.
- Practice active listening by giving your client your full attention and responding empathetically to their concerns (without interrupting them!).
- Avoiding judgment or criticism and instead offering support and encouragement.
Building Trust and Rapport Over Time
Building trust doesn’t happen instantly and takes time and effort to maintain. To do this your client will need to know that you will:
- Be consistent and reliable in your interactions with them. Let them know you’re always there should they need you.
- Pair yourself with enjoyable activities and outcomes.
- Follow through on any commitments or promises you make.
- Respect their rights and boundaries.
- Take time to get to know them and show genuine interest in their well-being.
By implementing these simple strategies, you can establish a strong rapport with your clients, creating a supportive environment that promotes positive growth and behavior change.
Building Rapport with Families
Building rapport with your clients’ families is just as important as establishing rapport with your clients themselves. They will likely feel protective of their family member and want to ensure the very best support for them. In order to establish that trust and rapport with your clients’ loved ones’ here are some effective strategies you can implement to help:
Establish Open Communication
- Introduce yourself to the family members with a friendly and welcoming attitude.
- Take time to explain your role as an RBT and answer any questions they ask.
- Remember that your responsibilities and the nature of the information shared may vary depending on whether the client is a child or an adult and your client’s preferences.
- Encourage open communication by actively listening to the concerns of family members and providing your contact information should they need to get ahold of you.
Involve Families in the Intervention Process
- Many clients will want their families involved in the intervention process. Others will require the involvement of their family or other trusted figures.
- Talk to family members about intervention goals, strategies, and progress.
- Encourage family members to share what they’ve noticed about their loved one’s behavior and needs.
- Collaborate with families to develop and implement behavior intervention plans that are tailored to their loved one.
- Discuss the client’s centrality in all decision-making processes, emphasizing that interventions and communication strategies are tailored to their unique needs and preferences. Make sure that families understand how this may change as a client ages and support evolves.
Provide Support and Resources
- Offer guidance to families in implementing behavior management strategies at home, sharing tips and any advice you have.
- Provide families with resources, such as educational materials or community support services, to help them better understand and support their loved one.
Demonstrate Respect and Empathy
- Respect the cultural beliefs, values, and practices of the family members. Make sure you’re aware of these beforehand.
- Be mindful of the family’s privacy when discussing sensitive information or issues. Never conduct serious conversations in crowded spaces.
Remember that the nature of your interactions, information sharing, and obligations to parents, guardians, and other family members will differ based on several factors including whether the client is a child or an adult,
Building rapport with clients and their families is essential to the RBT role. By establishing positive and trusting relationships, RBTs can create a supportive environment that promotes long-term behavior change.
Ready to kick off your career as an RBT? Our Jigsaw Training online RBT course is a cost-effective, flexible way to become a certified RBT. You’ll learn from experts in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and end the RBT training feeling confident in your future as an RBT. Try out our first module for free here!
