PBS as a Career - What I Wish I Knew At the Start

When I first entered Positive Behaviour Support, I thought I needed to have all the answers: the perfect functional analysis, the right strategy, and the ideal wording in the plan.

But here’s what I’ve learned:
You’ll learn more from one honest conversation with a participant than ten hours of uni content.

Textbooks taught me the theory.
But real understanding? That came from:
- Sitting with someone while they are heightened and not needing to "fix them."
- Learning when to pause, not problem-solve
- Hearing a participant say, “You actually listened.”

If I could go back and tell myself one thing, it would be this:
“Connection comes first. Strategies second.”

To anyone new in the field: It’s okay not to have it all figured out. What matters most is being present, being real, and being willing to learn—from your participants, your teams, and your own mistakes.

To the seasoned practitioners out there—what do you wish someone had told you when you started in PBS? Let’s pay it forward.