Train What Matters | ACT-Informed Behavioral Skills Training (BST) Toolkit

Description

Most staff training is a slideshow, a signature and a hope that it sticks. Train What Matters gives you a simple, proven way to teach any job skill until people can actually do it, and to give feedback they can use.

This toolkit pairs Behavioral Skills Training (BST) with practical tools from Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT). BST covers instructions, modeling, rehearsal and feedback. ACT handles the human side of learning: the nerves, awkward role-plays, defensiveness and dread of giving corrective feedback that quietly derail training.

Created by a BCBA with 15+ years of director-level leadership in ABA clinics and adult IDD services, grounded in organizational behavior management (OBM) and ACT.

WHAT’S INCLUDED (35 pages, editable Word .docx)

• BST + ACT at a Glance: a one-page map pairing each BST step with an ACT process
• The Framework: BST in plain language, why it works, and why adding ACT makes training easier to give and to receive
• 5 Step-by-Step Guides: Instruct, Model, Rehearse, Feedback, and Mastery & Follow-Up, each with an ACT tip, a sample script, common pitfalls, a quick checklist and space for notes
• Skill Planning Worksheet: task analysis, mastery criterion and “why this skill matters”
• Values Connection Cards: printable cards linking a new skill to what matters
• Modeling Guide: “Notice this” prompts and think-aloud planning
• Rehearsal Setup Sheet: a low-stakes framing script and a scenario ladder from easy to real-world
• Feedback Script Bank: language for praise, corrections, defensiveness and anxiety
• BST Fidelity Checklist: 19 items across 3 sessions to self-monitor or peer-observe your training
• Trainee Performance Data Sheet + Progress Graph: score each step and graph progress to mastery
• Committed Action Plan: a small next step, likely barriers and a follow-up check
• The Supervisor’s Side: handling your own discomfort, a values check-in and a reflection log
• 3 Worked Examples: a BCBA training an RBT, a special education teacher coaching a paraprofessional, and HR training a new manager
• Quick Reference: a printable cheat sheet, plain-language glossary and research references

WHY IT’S DIFFERENT

✓ Built on BST, one of the most researched staff-training methods
✓ Clear mastery criteria and data, so “trained” means something
✓ ACT tools for both the trainee and the supervisor
✓ Plain language that works outside ABA, no jargon required
✓ Brief, job-focused ACT practices that are never therapy and always optional

PERFECT FOR

BCBAs and clinical supervisors • HR, learning and development, and training teams • Special education teachers who coach paraprofessionals • Program directors and human services managers • Anyone who trains RBTs, DSPs, paras or new managers

FORMAT

Instant digital download • Editable Word (.docx) • US Letter • Open in Microsoft Word or upload to Google Docs • Print or type • Add your organization’s skills and procedures

PLEASE NOTE

This toolkit is for staff training and professional development. It is not therapy or legal advice and does not replace required certifications or your organization’s policies. Licensed for use within your own organization; please don’t share or resell.