Positive Support Service (PSS)

Positive Support Services (PSS) is for individuals, aged 21 or older, and their caregivers (examples: family members, direct support professionals, supported employment staff), who want to build new skills to increase independence with home and community routines that impact quality of life. PSS also teaches new skills to reduce interfering and/or harmful behavior toward self and others, when appropriate. Service lasts 2-10 hours per week and occurs in an individual’s home, community, or place of employment. A person-centered support plan is designed to enhance the individual’s quality of life through the process of teaching or increasing positive behavior and skills. This service can also be provided via telehealth for individuals living in underserved communities around the state.

Examples of goals targeted in PSS include increasing independence with self-care, practicing and initiating positive social interactions, increasing ability to communicate wants and needs, and increasing participation in leisure or community activities.

What Does Positive Support Services Look Like?

• Family/Caregiver Training – caregivers are taught how to support the individual to learn new skills through modeling and feedback from the ABA clinician
• Social Skills Group
• Routine-based teaching and naturalistic teaching
• Positive behavior support strategies
• Ongoing data collection and analysis
• Between 2-10 hours/week
• Multidisciplinary team - collaboration occurs with rehabilitation therapy, medical providers, school, community supports, direct support professionals, and other mental health providers.

Positive Behavior Support can happen anywhere:

• Community setting
• School
• Home
• Work

Services are delivered by a team of the following professionals:

• BCBA-D/BCBA – Board Certified Behavior Analyst
• Mental Health Professional – Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
• BCaBA – Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst