Mystical & Meaningful
with Quintara Tucker
Behavior Bites Podcast - Ep40May 22, 2024How often do you focus on increasing the confidence and competence of the people surrounding our learners?
How often do you assess your own competence and biases?
During today’s meal— I speak with a behavior analyst, business owner, and fellow mystic about overcoming anxieties around presenting at conferences, having a hand in learners’ meaningful outcomes, and the joys of eating outside.
-
Amuse-Bouche
Tell us about your upcoming panel discussion at WIBA.
Are there any crystals you’ll bring with you for anxiety?
Appetizers
How did you get into Behavior Analysis?
With your consulting company, how did you decide to focus on staff, parents, and community members?
Palate Cleanser
Being from New Jersey, describe your favorite thing to eat there. Is there a dish it’s known for?
Entrees
What’s something you wish you could have told yourself when getting started?
What are people generally surprised to find out about you?
Dessert
What’s an “insult” you’ve received that you’re proud of?
What is your favorite thing about what you do?
Excerpts from the Episode
(*Paraphrased highlights)-
Our job as behavior analysts is to encourage and create meaningful life outcomes for our clients. When people hear the word client, they're thinking of the person that is directly receiving services, like a seven year old autistic child.
I feel like we need to focus on the fact that clients are also those individuals in our direct client’s natural environment, in their lives. That can be caregivers, teachers, staff, and also community members, first responders, store clerks. There is such a big need for the understanding of ABA and autism in our communities.
I want to encourage community outings. I want to encourage supermarkets and first responders to work with me and with the community to understand ABA, what is autism, how to respond…
-
It's going to be okay.
I feel like I lived my life trying to plan it out so well, because I wanted this or I wanted that. I wish I could have told myself, relax. What’s meant for you is going to be for you, regardless of when or how you get there.
-
Helping others.
I’m a BCBA in a public school district and it's IEP season. We had the meetings of all of my sixth grade students who will be going to another building at the start of seventh grade.
I was having a day, hearing some of the things that were said. I wasn't in the right headspace and I was like, “Okay, I'm ready for today to be over.”
Sure enough, at the end of the day and after the meeting, mom is crying and dad comes over to me. He says, “I cannot thank you enough for everything you've done for my child.” They are Spanish speaking so English isn't their first language, but he took his time and said all of this in English.
It was very heartwarming— thank you for everything you've done for my child, we are going to miss you, you should be so proud of yourself. It was a list of compliments that I’ve rarely heard. This is someone I've built a therapeutic relationship with, so for them to realize this is amazing. They're not in school with us. They don't really know what I do daily, but they saw the progress in their child and they attributed it to me and my team. That is something that I will forever hold on to.
The meaningful outcomes is my favorite part of this job, it’s literally the definition of behavior analysis. It’s why we’re here, and when we see it happening, it's really an unexplainable feeling
ABOUT Quintara
Quintara Tucker, MS, BCBA, IBA, LBS, LBA
Quintara (she/her) is a highly sought after Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), International Behavior Analyst (IBA), Licensed Behavior Specialist (LBS), Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA), doctoral learner, author, speaker, and CEO who prides herself on changing the lives of children and supporting professionals in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). Quintara has years of experience working with individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the public school, clinic, and home settings.
Quintara's passion includes staff training and coaching, and as a result, led her to author two Staff Training Manuals that are used to train staff working in special education classrooms worldwide. Quintara skillfully approaches training staff as a black woman using a multicultural sensitive and compassionate stance. Through her very own consulting business, QB Consulting, LLC, Quintara possesses a demonstrated history of conducting professional development and continuing education presentations that aim to support staff and other professionals in their current roles in education.
In addition to her clinical and professional work, Quintara also co-founded a small business with her sister titled ABA Sissyahs, LLC that provides current ABA students and professionals with the support, mentorship, and supervision required to become certified at either of the tiered levels of BACB certification. Quintara is also the face behind the aesthetically pleasing Instagram page @themysticalanalyst, where she uses her platform to create relatable content, discuss uncomfortable topics, and empower Black clinicians in ABA.
Quintara is an award-winning volunteer, serves on the alumni board of her undergraduate alma mater, and is an alumni mentor for first-generation college students of color. Quintara frequently speaks at university events encouraging undergraduate students to become compassionate, ethical, thought-leaders in the field of ABA.
CONNECT with Quintara
Instagram: @themysticalanalystYouTube: youtube.com/@themysticalanalystLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/quintara-tuckerWebsite: qbconsulting111.comPlease support the podcast by leaving a rating or review!
(When on Apple Podcasts, scroll down the episodes to find the review area.)
Visit my Podcast page to learn more about Behavior Bites!
