Supervising with Cultural Responsiveness

Addressing Bias, Power, and Partnership in Behavior Analysis

Original Air Date: October 29, 2025

Short title:  Supervising with Cultural Responsiveness

CEU offered: 1.5 BACB Supervision CEU

Webinar Duration: 90 minutes

Instructors:

  • Ashley Kemmerer Ph.D., BCBA-D
  • Allison Parker MA, BCBA


Abstract:

Supervision is not only a vehicle for developing competent future behavior analysts, it is also an opportunity to model and instill the values of cultural responsiveness, self-awareness, and ethical decision-making. Providing robust training on these topics remains important as our future generation of leaders leave their graduate programs without specific training related to the diverse populations they will encounter in the course of their careers. This presentation will provide practical ways supervisors can foster authentic relationships that are responsive to the needs and experiences of the supervisee. We will explore cultural “hotspots” and power dynamics within the supervisory context, promoting bidirectional feedback, and strategies for preventing and navigating conflict in ways that preserve trust and respect. Attendees will engage with practical tools for self-reflection, discussion prompts, and case scenarios designed to prepare them to support diverse supervisees in practicing with cultural competence. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to enhance supervisory relationships, ensure ethical alignment, and prepare the next generation of behavior analysts to provide equitable, culturally responsive services.

Learning Objectives

  1. Attendees will identify key ethics codes and the rationale for providing culturally responsive supervision.
  2. Attendees will obtain the tools to establish and maintain authentic, trusted mentorship relationships.
  3. Attendees will apply conflict resolution strategies to address difficult conversations.
  4. Attendees will reflect on their own intersectional identities and identify potential power dynamics across various supervisory relationships.


Instructor(s)

Ashley Kemmerer, PhD, BCBA-D

Ashley Kemmerer, PhD, BCBA-D is the chief center development officer at Graham Behavior Services; a company providing ABA services in the home, school, and community for children, adolescents, and adults. Ashley runs the clinical and operations for GBS’s clinic location in West Long Branch, for early intervention and adult ABA services. Ashley has been working in the field of ABA for 16 years and has been a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) for the last 13 years. She earned a doctoral degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Caldwell University, an MS degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism from Sage Graduate Schools and a BS degree in Psychology from Northeastern University. Ashley has worked across various settings throughout her career including residential, in home, schools and clinics.

Allison Parker, MA, BCBA

Allison Parker is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst completing a dissertation toward her PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis at Caldwell University. She is currently the Senior Clinical Director for DATA Group Central and provides adjunct instruction for graduate-level behavior analysis coursework. She previously completed a pre-doctoral internship with the Kennedy Krieger Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Allison’s research interests include staff training, verbal behavior, and functional communication training, and she is dedicated to expanding mentoring and supervision opportunities to early career professionals.