Compassionate Care as a Foundation Value and Perennial Emphasis: A Discussion of Current Ways to Define, Measure, Train, and Evaluate this Skillset
Thursday, November 19, 2026
4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Virtual Event
Earn 3 Learning CEUs
Mary Jane Weiss, PhD, BCBA-D, LABA
Abstract:
Compassionate care is a universally valued aspect of service delivery across all human service professions and a core long-term foundational aspect of applied behavior analytic intervention. In recent years, there has been discussion of the need for more attention to this vital aspect of our work and to the need for clarity in definition and measurement of the components of this skillset. In this talk, we will review the elements of compassion that have been identified in allied health professions and in behavior analysis. Progress in several domains will be explored, including definitional work, qualitative studies, tool development, skill building, and the assessment of outcomes.
We will review research on the identification of component skills, the measurement of compassionate interactions with caregivers, and the extension of the concept to the interactions between behavior technicians and direct service recipients. We will also explore the evaluation of essential outcomes of compassionate interactions including generalization, social validity, and authenticity. In addition, we will explore the connection of compassionate care to other related values-based elements of care including trauma informed care, assent-based learning, and humane intervention, and will discuss models of care that align with these values. Guidelines for the integration of compassionate care into our professional work, including service delivery and training/supervision, will be discussed.
