Practising only while you are properly supervised
Supervision is a condition of practising, not an add-on
- RBT
What the obligation is
A technician may practise only while a qualified supervisor is on record with the certifying board and the required supervision is actually happening: at least 5% of the hours you spend delivering services each calendar month, across at least two real-time contacts, at least one of them individual, with at least one including the supervisor observing you working with a client. That applies separately at every organisation where you work. The responsibility is shared: your supervisor has obligations, and so do you. If the supervision stops happening you are inactive, may not bill or practise, and the lapse must be self-reported. Substantial non-compliance can end a certification, with a six-month bar on reapplying.
In plain language
You may only work as a technician while a qualified supervisor is on record and the required supervision is really happening. If it stops, you stop, and you report it.
What this looks like
- You keep your own record of supervision dates, lengths and formats rather than assuming the office has it.
- You notice a month is running short on supervision hours and raise it before the month ends.
- You check that a new employer has actually listed you as a supervisee before your first session.
Where people get caught
- Treating supervision as your supervisor's paperwork problem rather than a condition of your own certification.
- Counting a scheduling meeting or a training day as supervision; it must be client-focused.
- Letting a month pass unsupervised and planning to make it up later, which the requirements do not allow.
- Working at a second organisation without separate supervision there.
If you are not sure
Ask your supervisor to walk through the current month's hours with you. If you find a gap, report it to the board rather than hoping it goes unnoticed; a self-reported lapse is treated very differently from one found in an audit.
In the codes
- RBT Ethics Code (2.0) Section 1 — How you conduct yourself
- 1.03 Practise only in a defined role, under close supervision
- 1.04 Never be your supervisor's employer
- RBT Ethics Code (2.0) Section 3 — What you owe the board and your supervisor
- 3.01 Meet the supervision and audit requirements
On the exam
Terms used here
Related topics
Written from
- bacb-rbt-handbook-2026 — Ongoing Supervision, pp. 16-21
- bacb-rbt-ethics-code-2 — Responsibilities to the board and supervisor
Requirements restated from the RBT Handbook (06/2026) in our own words; no handbook text reproduced. See the RBT credential page for the full figures.
This entry has not yet been through independent review. Treat it as a draft, and read the official code for anything that matters.