Tip #109: The Ultimatum: Why 2026 is the Year of Setting Boundaries

Supporting the Adult Population as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)

Tip #109: The Ultimatum: Why 2026 is the Year of Setting  Boundaries 🤔

Over Five years ago, I was a clinician who was deeply passionate about my work. On the surface, I was the picture of success—thriving professionally and hitting every financial milestone. But behind the scenes, I was falling apart. I was so "all in" on my career that I completely neglected the person doing the work: me.

My health entered a silent, gradual decline that resulted in three hospitalizations within a single six-month period. It reached a breaking point when my doctor sat me down and gave me an ultimatum I will never forget:

"Either you slow down, or your body will force you to slow down."

That clinician was me.

Since that moment, I’ve made a radical shift. I stopped prioritizing the paycheck over my sanity. I stopped choosing "clout" over my mental health.

The Growing Demand vs. The Clinical Toll

The pressure we feel isn't just in our heads—it is reflected in the data. As we move into 2026, the demand for BCBAs supporting the adult population is surging. According to the December 2025 BACB survey data, approximately 75% of ABA practitioners focus primarily on children between the ages of 3 and 12.

Meanwhile, national statistics from NAMI show that approximately 23.4% of U.S. adults (over 61 million people) experienced a mental illness in the last year. That is nearly 1 in 4 adults. As the need for adult services continues to rise, so does the intensity and magnitude of our cases.

Why Am I Sharing This?

As behavior analysts and human service professionals, we are trained to focus on the needs of others. But we often forget that our own health is the most important Motivating Operation (MO) for our clinical success. If our "battery" is depleted, our treatment integrity and our leadership will eventually suffer.

Our own ethics reflect this. BACB Ethics Code 1.10 (Awareness of Personal Biases and Challenges) requires us to recognize how personal issues—like health, financial, or relationship problems—might negatively affect our professional work. It mandates that we take steps to mitigate this interference to ensure client welfare isn't compromised. Self-care isn't just a "luxury"; it is an ethical requirement.

My 2026 Challenge to You

The money will always be there to chase, and I know your hearts are concerned about your clients. But as we transition into 2026, I want you to prioritize you.

According to research by Slowiak and DeLongchamp (2022), the high demands of our field often push us to take on more than we have the capacity for. If we don’t set boundaries, we aren't just risking "stress"—we are risking our physical bodies.

This year, I encourage you to:

• Identify your values (The Antecedents)

• Recognize your capacity (The MO)

• Use your voice to set boundaries (The Behavior)

Red Flags: Identifying Burnout

Are you effectively discriminating between "hard work" and "burnout"? Watch for these signs:

1. Increased Mental Health Struggles: Noticing spikes in anxiety or depressive symptoms.

2. The "Stimulant" Cycle: Working late hours and relying on caffeine or other stimulants just to maintain momentum.

3. Missing Life: Consistently missing major milestones with your children, family, or personal goals.

Professional Resources

To help you further navigate these challenges, I highly recommend the following:

• Read & Apply: Self-Care Strategies and Job-Crafting Practices Among Behavior Analysts by Slowiak and DeLongchamp (2022). This pivotal study explores how "job crafting"—the act of proactively shaping your own work boundaries—directly predicts better work-life balance and lower burnout levels for BCBAs.

• Watch: BCBA CEU: Self-Care & Burnout Prevention by Ashleigh Evans. She discusses identifying "red flags" like increased clinical errors and cynicism.

• Deep Dive: Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others by Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk (2009). A must-read for anyone working in high-intensity human services.

• Search: Use your online resources to explore keywords like "compassion fatigue," "job crafting in ABA," and "vicarious trauma" to further build your resilience framework.

Don't wait for your body to force you to slow down. Start choosing yourself today.

---

Don't wait for an ultimatum from a doctor to start taking care of the person behind the credentials.

To a healthy and balanced 2026,

If you read this, the seed has been planted... the question is how are you going to apply it...

From the one and only... Shanda J Your BCBA

Author Credit: Modified and enhanced with support from my AI tool ChatGpt aka Gem.

Final References (APA 7th Edition)

• Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2025, December). BACB Newsletter. https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/BACB_December2025_Newsletter-251124-2-a.pdf

• National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Mental health by the numbers. https://www.nami.org/about-mental-illness/mental-health-by-the-numbers/

• Slowiak, J. M., & DeLongchamp, A. C. (2022). Self-care strategies and job-crafting practices among behavior analysts: Do they predict perceptions of work–life balance, work engagement, and burnout? Behavior Analysis in Practice, 15(2), 414–432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-021-00570-y

• Van Dernoot Lipsky, L., & Burk, C. (2009). Trauma stewardship: An everyday guide to caring for self while caring for others. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.