Employee Spotlight: Binta Ba, ABA Therapist

1. Where do you call home? 

I grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts, and currently live in Methuen, Massachusetts. 

At some point, I would like to move back to North Carolina. I used to live there when I was younger, and it was my favorite place to live; my family moved a lot (every 2-3 years). I consider Massachusetts my home because I was born here and lived here the longest, but I look forward to making North Carolina my new home soon. 

2. How many years have you worked in the ABA field? 

I’ve worked here since October – so it’s been about nine months. I started working here as an ABA therapist and moved to the Clinical Team in February.  

3. How did you end up working for Applied ABC? 

I had to leave my last job because I was having trouble with my car. When I was able to get back in the field, I applied to Applied ABC.  

Looking back, I’m really happy that everything happened the way it did because I’ve been able to develop professionally in a way that I don’t think I could with any other company.  

4. What’s the most fulfilling part of your work? 

Getting to support and collaborate with BCBAs.  

When working with BCBAs, issues come up, and I have to think from both a clinical and creative standpoint to come up with a solution. It really tests out my clinical knowledge in an applicable way while I get to continue learning from seasoned BCBAs and clinical team members.  

I love the fact that I’m going beyond what I learned in the classroom. I know the terms and principles, and now I have the chance to learn and observe how they apply to real-life scenarios.  

5. How do you unwind after a long day? 

Taking an afternoon walk or anything that gets me out of the house. Because I work from home, I need that break and a clear routine to signal the end of work.

I have a habit of picking up hobbies every couple of months. Right now, I’m really into knitting and sketching. I love learning new things because of how exciting it is when you’re first starting. Once I know how to do it, I become bored/disinterested, and I’m ready to watch my next YouTube hobby tutorial.  

I love movies and shows! Not just watching them but dissecting them and reading/watching movie reviews. I also watch a lot of historical documentaries. If I weren’t in the ABA field, I would be a history major.  

I also love reading; my favorite genres are history and sci-fi novels.  

6. What are some interesting facts about you? 

If I weren’t in ABA, I would have tried to become a historian or anthropologist.  

During college, I traveled a lot and found a passion for it. My favorite place I went to was Mauritius. It is a tiny island near Madagascar, and it was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken.   

I went there for a six-month co-op internship in Mauritius. While there, I worked at the African Leadership College on the island as part of the student psychology department.  

During the co-op, there were students chosen as peer leaders who would run support groups and create materials/events about mental health. I supervised the group and advised on their capstone projects.