Protecting Your Peace While Sharing It With Others: Mental Health for BCBAs

As a BCBA, my days often involve more than just therapy sessions and meetings. They include hours of driving between homes, adjusting to different family environments, and carrying the mental load of knowing that families are counting on me for support. I love this work, and I am grateful to be welcomed into the spaces where families live and grow. At the same time, providing home-based services comes with unique stressors that can impact both mental health and overall well-being.

I have learned that constantly giving peace to others, while navigating traffic, rushing between appointments, and managing long days in different homes, can leave me drained if I do not also protect my own peace. For a long time, I thought that being “all in” meant being endlessly available, filling my schedule to the brim, and sacrificing rest. Over time, I realized that approach was not sustainable. To be the best for my clients and their families, I need to take care of myself too.

Why Mental Health Matters in Home-Based ABA

Working in home services brings joy and connection, but also unique challenges. Long drive times, unpredictable schedules, and adjusting to each family’s environment can add layers of stress to an already demanding job. Research shows that ABA professionals are at risk of burnout due to workload intensity and role demands (Plantiveau, Dounavi, & Virués-Ortega, 2018).

This is not limited to ABA. Helping professionals in community and home-based roles often face higher levels of stress and fatigue compared to those in office-based positions (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). Constantly shifting between environments requires emotional flexibility and resilience, and when combined with drive time and extended hours, it can lead to exhaustion if not carefully managed.

Just as we remind families that setting up the right environment can make or break a child’s success, we must also recognize how our own environments, schedules, and routines affect our health as professionals.

How I Protect My Peace on the Road and in Homes

Over time, I have developed personal strategies to help balance the demands of home-based services with my own well-being.

• Protecting My Drive Time
  I spend many hours in the car. Instead of viewing that as wasted time, I treat it as a transition space. Sometimes I listen to podcasts that inspire me, other times I play music to reset my mood, and occasionally I drive in silence to give my mind a rest. Research suggests that mindful commuting can reduce stress and improve emotional well-being (Hülsheger et al., 2015).

• Setting Boundaries With Scheduling
  It is tempting to fill every open slot with a session, but I have learned the importance of protecting breaks. Back-to-back home visits with no buffer leads to stress, especially when drive times run longer than expected. Building in space between sessions allows me to show up fully for each family rather than arriving frazzled.

• Creating Personal Transition Rituals
  Moving from one home to another, or from work into personal life, requires intentional transitions. A walk before going inside, a few deep breaths in the car, or journaling quickly between visits helps me reset. Small rituals keep me from carrying the stress of one session into the next.

• Finding Joy Beyond the Job
  I protect time for creative projects, like writing and illustrating. These are not just hobbies. They are ways I recharge and connect with myself outside of my professional role. Engaging in meaningful leisure activities has been shown to reduce stress and increase resilience (Iwasaki, 2007).

• Leaning Into Community
  Home services can feel isolating, since so much of the day is spent independently. Having peers to check in with has been essential for me. Whether it is to problem-solve, laugh, or simply share experiences, that connection prevents the sense of being “alone on an island” between drives. Peer support has been identified as a key factor in protecting against burnout (Kinman, Teoh, & Harriss, 2020).

Peace for You Means Peace for Others

The heart of ABA is compassion. We help children build skills, support families during difficult times, and create systems that bring calm to daily life. But peace is not an endless supply that we can give away without replenishing it. Long days on the road, packed schedules, and constant emotional giving can deplete even the most dedicated professionals.

Protecting my mental health does not mean I am less committed to my clients. It means I am committed to showing up for them at my best. By protecting my peace, I make sure that the peace I share with others is genuine, sustainable, and steady.

Takeaway

Home-based ABA services are filled with both challenges and rewards. The work is meaningful, but it requires careful attention to balance. Protecting your peace while spreading peace to others is not optional. It is essential.

If you are a BCBA, RBT, or helping professional in home services, I encourage you to pause and reflect. Ask yourself:
How can I use my drive time, my schedule, and my routines to protect my own peace while still supporting others?

For me, it might be music in the car, creative projects after work, or an evening walk with Daisy. For you, it may be something completely different. Whatever it is, give yourself permission to honor it. Protecting your peace strengthens not only you, but every family and child you serve.

References

• Hülsheger, U. R., Alberts, H. J., Feinholdt, A., & Lang, J. W. (2015). Benefits of mindfulness at work: The role of mindfulness in emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(2), 310–325.

• Iwasaki, Y. (2007). Leisure and quality of life in an international and multicultural context: Toward social justice and human dignity. International Journal of Stress Management, 14(2), 111–133.

• Kinman, G., Teoh, K., & Harriss, A. (2020). Supporting the well-being of healthcare workers during and after COVID-19. Occupational Medicine, 70(5), 294–296.

• Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111.

• Plantiveau, C., Dounavi, K., & Virués-Ortega, J. (2018). Stress, burnout, and job satisfaction in ABA practitioners: A systematic review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 5(4), 294–305.