Quality and Grace in ABA with Jesica Peterson

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How do you deliver high-quality ABA without burning out—and without losing the heart? In this conversation, Jesica Peterson, BCBA and founder of Graceful Behavior Solutions, shares how “quality” and “grace” guide her practice with families, RBTs, and kids.

Discussion Points:

The “click” moment: from tough first cases to first words and real progressDefining and protecting quality: staffing, training, CE, and ethical practiceGrace in practice: meeting parents where they are, flexibility over rigidityParent training that lands: roles, language, pacing, and checking capacityContinuous learning: revisiting core trainings and avoiding stagnationFamily-centered care and the goal of “working yourself out of a job”

Jesica traces her journey from RBT to BCBA and the early case that taught her perseverance and the power of meaningful progress. She unpacks her two core values—quality and grace—and shows how they shape everything from RBT training and clinic standards to flexible, human parent training that meets families where they are. We hear practical ways to avoid burnout by focusing on staff development, revisiting foundational trainings, reading body language, and pacing sessions to a parent’s capacity. Jesica explains why family-centered care improves outcomes and why the true success metric is helping families no longer need intensive support.

About The Guest:

Jesica Peterson, BCBA, has worked across home, clinic, and adult crisis settings since 2018. A prior military family member with experience in diverse communities, she founded Graceful Behavior Solutions, a practice grounded in the values of quality and grace.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Jesica’s path into ABA

02:34 The challenging early client and the breakthrough moment