Don’t Forget About Yourself
with Yuri Rivera
Behavior Bites Podcast - Ep62May 7, 2025Did you grapple with imposter syndrome when you first started out?
How often were you afraid to ask for help?
During today’s meal— I speak with a behavior analyst, business owner, and fellow PLC member about getting started in the field, the driving force behind starting a company, and the unique challenges for her Spanish-speaking families.
-
Amuse-Bouche
What’s the driving force behind the phrase, “asking for help is a strength, not a weakness”?
Appetizer
How did you get into Behavior Analysis?
Tell us about starting your own ABA business
Palate Cleanser
Being from El Salvador and moving to Texas, what dishes do you miss the most?
Entree
When was a time you failed, and what did you learn from that experience?
If there were no barriers or constraints, what would be your dream project?
Dessert
Who are your role models and biggest inspirations?
Your favorite thing about what you do?
Excerpts from the Episode
(*Paraphrased highlights)-
When I was an RBT, just having mentors available made me feel very comfortable and supported. That shifted once I became a BCBA supervisor. Now you're the one who is in charge. You're the one who has to support. So sometimes you can forget about yourself a little bit, even though you might have the clinical director, you might have another colleague or a group of friends. Sometimes you might feel like you're on your own. You're like your own island.
When I became a BCBA, I went to a clinic where I was the only BCBA for like, three months. The regional supervisor came in maybe once or twice a week for a little bit. For the most part, I was the only BCBA with a group of RBTs. So I kind of forgot about myself. When you are a BCBA student, you don't get to practice all the soft skills, all the time management. When you have to do it on your own, it's different. I felt burnt out in the midst of all of it. I felt like I had to be there from eight to six every day, even on Saturday. I forgot about myself until I was like, this is it. I need some help.
-
I attended a Spanish conference, Hablando ABA, and I was able to learn all the work that they're doing across the world, like in Spain, Guatemala, Mexico. I would love to travel to those countries where they're still figuring out how to work the system, how to help children. I know there's different languages across, but I would love to help them in that way.
-
Seeing parents smile because of their child’s progress, and feeling comfortable implementing strategies I’ve taught them.
I've been doing a lot of digging on motivational interviewing and how to build my rapport with parents. They're their child's experts, and they're the people that are going to help you get that progress going. Being able to hear a kid saying, “I love you,” seeing the kids hugging their parents for the first time, or hearing parents say, “Oh, he did great. He sat for two minutes at school.” You know, that's a big thing. Just celebrating their small wins every time, that's pretty rewarding.
ABOUT Yuri
Yuri Rivera, M.A, BCBA, LBA-TX
I was born in El Salvador, and moved to the U.S. when I was 15 years old. After high school, I attended a community college and transferred to a university near home.
My dream was to become an occupational therapist, but I did not get into grad school. I started working in a TBI clinic, gained more experience in OT and PT, then left the job to work at Brain Balance. My coworkers there talked to me about ABA. Then I got a job as a behavior technician at the end of 2017, and I have been in the field since then.
I am the oldest of 4 siblings, I like to travel. I am a picky eater, but I am working on expanding my repertoire.
CONNECT with Yuri
Instagram: @yuririvera & @compassionate_behavior_insight
Professional Learning Committee (where we met)Please support our podcast by leaving a rating or review!
(When on Apple Podcasts, scroll down the episodes to find the review area.)
Visit my Podcast page to learn more about Behavior Bites!
