The Behaviorist Diaries

Dear Diary,

Wow, we can’t believe we’re writing this! It seems like yesterday and also so long ago that ideas for The Behaviorist Diaries began to percolate, and now here we are getting started.  

The Behaviorist Diaries is an endeavor created by Chrissy King and Colleen Yorlets, in order to share our perspectives on applied behavior analysis (ABA). We spend hours on the phone (yes we still chat on the phone in addition to texting) talking about behavior analytic concepts, new findings, and of course whatever drama is currently happening in the field.  

There have been so many times that we were talking and expressed to one another that we wanted to seek a larger group to converse with and learn from. Why aren’t more people as into applied behavior analysis as we are – are we alone? But, we believe that there are so many people out there just like us, nerding out on applied behavior analysis, yet they have no one to talk with and (let’s face it) … we need to expand our friend group!

So much has been happening in the world and in our lives. In February 2020, Chrissy and her husband welcomed twin girls into the world (Yay, Isla and Zoe!) Colleen has completed all of her coursework and is working towards completing her dissertation in order to earn her Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis (coming soon – Dr. Yorlets!). And, oh yeah – there was a worldwide pandemic that turned ABA services upside down.

Once things began to settle, we found ourselves searching for a way to reach out and connect with our fellow behavior analysts in ways we haven’t before. Maybe we just missed all of the applied behavior analysis conferences we used to attend in person, maybe it was Colleen finishing her coursework, or maybe it was Chrissy wanting to reconnect with applied behavior analysis after taking a maternity leave. Regardless, we needed to find a way to share our perspective on the science of applied behavior analysis and to have fun while doing it.  

We also saw so many of our colleagues burning out, leaving the field, or leaving positions that they held for years. How could we extend ourselves more for them, be a support, but also make sure we continue to enjoy the science we love so much?

We began to talk first about starting a social media account – which is just so unexpected given that neither of us have active social media accounts in our personal lives. From there we just kept generating so many ideas on how we could share more about professional practice, close the research-to-practice gap, and also talk about how applied behavior analysis can be applied outside of teaching children with autism, and outside of schools. Both of us love teaching people about behavior analysis and just are so excited when we can move someone enough to read a new article, try a new teaching technique, or, better yet, pursue a career in ABA.  

As we brainstormed, we realized that social media was only one piece of what we needed to do. We needed a place to say more and share more and so …. The Behaviorist Diaries Blog was born.  

We have so many goals for the coming weeks, months, and years, but what is most important to us is that we create a compassionate community dedicated to behavior analysis, and that we continue to enjoy exploring concepts, ideas, and our practice by engaging with the content and with our new colleagues in this way.  

What do we ask of you? Please comment back to us – tell us what you think. What do you need to improve your behavior analytic practice or, more importantly, your wellbeing?  If you don’t yet feel comfortable commenting on our blog, contact us privately, sign up for our communications, and follow us on our social media platforms.  

We are so excited for this new venture and can’t wait to share more of our vision and goals, but for now, please keep an eye out for our new entries each week!

With true excitement and appreciation,

Chrissy and Colleen