Building the Foundation: Principles & Application of Assent-Based Care

Description

Building the Foundation: Principles & Application of Assent-Based Care

3 Ethics CEUs

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

Course Abstract: This module establishes the ethical and practical foundation that makes PFA and SBT effective: assent-based care delivered within a trauma-informed framework. Participants explore why this foundation matters, grounded in the reality that the learners we serve are among the most vulnerable to trauma and the practitioner’s ethical mandate to treat others with compassion, dignity, and respect. The module defines often-used but rarely-operationalized terms—trauma-informed care, assent, and assent-based care—and translates them into concrete, behavior-analytic practice.

Building on these principles, the module introduces the core implementer behaviors that operationalize assent-based care into observable, measurable practices that can be written into a treatment plan and trained across a team. Special attention is given to distinguishing assent-based care from permissive practice, with kind boundaries and encouraging persistence positioned as the mechanisms through which learners build tolerance, flexibility, and resilience.

By the end of this module, participants will be equipped to build a values-aligned foundation of care that reduces behavior contrast, supports both emotional regulation and skill acquisition, and creates the conditions in which higher-level intervention becomes more effective or, in many cases, less necessary.

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

• Describe the ethical values and commitments underlying PFA/SBT, including the practitioner’s responsibility to prioritize clients’ emotional and physical safety within a trauma-informed care framework
• Describe the four universal commitments of trauma-informed care — acknowledging trauma, ensuring safety and trust, promoting choice and shared governance, and building skills — and how each is applied behavior-analytically
• Explain the Assent Loop as a framework for shared governance and the ethical obligation to honor a client’s assent withdrawal by pausing, adjusting, or removing demands
• Identify the core principles of assent-based care and describe how each is monitored and honored throughout treatment
• Operationalize the five core implementer behaviors of assent-based care into observable, measurable practices that can be embedded into session and trained across a team
• Differentiate assent-based care from permissive practice, explaining how kind boundaries and encouraging persistence build tolerance, flexibility, and resilience

Presenter Bios:
Hillary Laney, MA, BCBA, LBA spearheaded a company-wide transformation to assent-based care at one of the largest ABA organizations in the country. She built the mentorship infrastructure, data systems, and implementation frameworks that resulted in hundreds of clinicians and clinical leaders being trained and thousands of clients benefiting from PFA/SBT and assent-based care practices. She currently works as a Senior VP of Clinical Services at Centria Autism.

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.

Dr. Edward Sanabria, Ph.D, BCBA, LBA designed and implemented large-scale PFA/SBT mentorship systems that trained clinicians across the country in assessment and treatment approaches that prioritize client safety, dignity, and assent. His research interests in interdisciplinary collaboration, reflective practice, and the large-scale adoption of behavioral interventions inform his approach to helping practitioners develop humility-driven clinical practices that build strong therapeutic relationships. He currently serves as Senior Director of Functional Analysis and Treatment Implementation at Centria Autism, where he oversees national assent-based care training initiatives and PFA/SBT mentorship.

**Purchase includes 6 months of access to this course.

Published October 2026

The PFA & SBT Community is an Authorized Continuing Education Provider for the BACB® and IBAO®. Our BACB® provider ID is OP-23-10256.