Module 5: FBA and Mental Health Variables

Facilitator: Andy Song, PhD, BCBA, LMHCA – Kids and Family Counseling

5/5 12:30-1:30pm REGISTER HERE

5/8 3:30-4:30pm REGISTER HERE

Each session will be offered twice a week (Monday and Thursday) for two opportunities to attend the same training. Courses may be taken independently of the others and folks can register for one or many!

TARGET AUDIENCE
Therapist, Counselors, Peer Supports, BCBA, SLP, OT, RN/APP, Psychologist, Parents, Caregivers

TRAINING DESCRIPTION
This module integrates mental health considerations into functional behavior assessments (FBA). Participants will explore how behaviors may serve as communicative expressions of emotional distress and learn to differentiate between psychiatric-related behaviors and learned behaviors. Instruction will include methods for incorporating psychiatric history into ABC data collection and tailoring hypotheses accordingly. Clinical examples will illustrate how depression, anxiety, and other mental health symptoms may mimic or compound common behavioral functions.

CONTENTS
Module 5: FBA and Mental Health Variables

1. Title Slide: Functional Behavior Assessment & Mental Health
2. Behavior as Communication of Emotional State
3. Incorporating Psychiatric History into FBA
4. Adjusting ABC Data for Emotional Context
5. Differentiating Psychiatric and Learned Behaviors
6. Case Examples: Depression vs. Task Refusal
7. Collaboration with Mental Health Providers
8. Applied Case Discussion

LEARNING OUTCOMES
Participants will be able to integrate psychiatric history into FBA processes, adjust data collection methods to reflect emotional variables, and distinguish between mental health-driven behaviors and behavioral excesses maintained by environmental contingencies.