From Internship to Board Certification

Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) at Indian Creek Foundation support children, adolescents, and adults with behavioral health needs in the home, community, and school setting. While Autism is a common diagnosis among behavioral health services recipients, BCBAs work with individuals with other diagnoses as well.

Shania is a BCBA with Indian Creek Foundation who began as an intern during her undergraduate education five years ago (as of October 2022). She recently shared the story of her career growth at ICF.

A Unique and Intensive Internship

Shania first learned about ICF through a neighbor and reached out to the Behavioral Health Services department to discuss internship opportunities. Because Shania needed to satisfy her education requirements for both her major and her minor, she poured close to 50 hours a week into her work.

She loved her experience and the hands-on opportunities she received as an intern. Shania was so impressed with the opportunities available through ICF that she accepted a full-time position upon graduation. Shania began in the Applied Behavior Analysis and Therapeutic After School programs at ICF. Once she decided to pursue her master’s degree, she took advantage of ICF’s education reimbursement opportunities.

Shania knew she wanted to work in the Autism field from a young age, and she is thrilled at how ICF has helped her grow into a successful career.

What Indian Creek Foundation Offers Means the World to Many

Something that Shania especially appreciates about her work is that ICF is continually growing and adapting to meet the needs of the community. As someone who went from an internship to a full-time position, and then back to a graduate program while working continuously at ICF, Shania fully understands the level of support available to employees. The encouragement and clinical supervision she received from both the organization as a whole and her colleagues and supervisors was integral to her academic achievement.

Shania is also very passionate about how ICF comes alongside families. Of her work, she says, “I see families at really tough times in their lives when they just found out their kid has something going on. It might not be Autism, it just might be some difficulties, and they don’t know how to address it. They just really want that personable touch to it.” Shania feels most successful when she sees how families make the effort to learn new skills to support their children and grow stronger together.

As a BCBA, Shania works directly with clients and families throughout Montgomery and Bucks Counties. Most individuals are served in their homes, but some are seen in the school or community setting as well. She loves how individualized everyone’s treatment plan is, and she especially enjoys seeing the awesome progress that her clients and their families are making.

Shania recommends the internship program at Indian Creek Foundation for students who are interested in many different therapy careers. Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists will truly benefit from gaining a background in Autism as they work through their professional training.

Indian Creek Foundation has Internship and Career Opportunities

If you are in an undergraduate or graduate program and seeking an internship or clinical supervision in behavioral health services, please consider Indian Creek Foundation. We are passionate about training the next generation of therapists and clinicians. Contact the Behavioral Health Services department at 267-203-1500 ext. 301.

If you currently hold credentials or have experience working in a behavioral health services field, please visit our Careers page to learn more about opportunities at Indian Creek Foundation. We are proud to offer competitive pay, excellent benefits, a positive work culture, flexible schedules, and career growth opportunities.