Bringing Joy to Everyday Life: Supporting Caregivers with SBT

1.5 Supervision CEUs

*This is a self-contained module from the “Beyond the Protocol” workshop, a comprehensive workshop on PFA and SBT.

Course Abstract: This module covers how to build caregiver buy-in and train caregivers to carry SBT into everyday life. Participants learn a framework for buy-in built on trust, reinforcement, collaboration, and values alignment, along with how to sustain that buy-in through hard phases without taking resistance personally. The module covers deciding whether to train caregivers on the full protocol or just its core components based on capacity, motivation, urgency, and client stability, and how to fit implementation into the realities of family life by lowering response effort. Throughout, the emphasis is on cultural humility, treating caregivers with the same assent-based care extended to clients, and using tools like motivational interviewing and reflective practice to help families continue making progress after services fade.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to…

• Describe a values-aligned framework for caregiver buy-in built on trust, reinforcement, collaboration, and values alignment, and sustain it through challenging phases
• Apply cultural humility and treat caregivers with assent-based care, recognizing resistance and disengagement as information rather than a personal failure
• Determine whether to train a caregiver on the full SBT protocol or core components based on capacity, motivation, urgency, and client stability
• Fit caregiver implementation into family life by lowering response effort, targeting meaningful goals for buy-in, and using a practice-time signal to protect treatment
• Understand the benefit of using motivational interviewing, reflective practice, and collaborative problem-solving to address resistance and equip caregivers to continue independently

Presenter Bios:

Liisa Podosek, MSW, M.Ed, BCBA, LBA built and delivered mentorship programs that transformed how hundreds of practitioners implement PFA/SBT and assent-based care, guiding clinicians from “I read about this” to “I can do this confidently.” She brings a trauma-informed lens to mentorship, helping practitioners navigate difficult cases and develop authentic caregiver partnerships. She currently leads the development and coordination of educational offerings through PFA & SBT Community.

Beth Nelson, M.Ed leads with joy while bringing Skill-Based Treatment (SBT) to students in Bellingham Public Schools, where she has been coaching and supporting educators with implementation since her introduction to the process in 2019. Through strong relationships and collaborative practices, she initiated and partnered with colleagues to fuel enthusiasm for the safe and ethical outcomes of Skill-Based Treatment, fostering genuine buy-in from families and staff, and strengthening teams to better support students with complex behavioral profiles. Beth also has extensive experience with SBT as a parent, bringing a perspective few providers can offer — one grounded in both professional expertise and the lived reality of family life. Her 14-year-old daughter has been the recipient of SBT services and is now a self-proclaimed “my way expert” who loves to help teach staff how to implement the process.