Time as a BCBA: 6 years
Time at AnswersNow: 2 years
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 

Mary’s Favorite Parts of Working at AnswersNow

Mary Davis, MS, BCBA, LBA, didn't plan on becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Like many clinicians in the field, she happened upon a career as a clinician by chance. But now, six years in as a BCBA, she can't imagine doing anything else.

At Answersnow, Mary has become a beacon of light for both families and fellow clinicians at the company. She’s warm, thoughtful, and goes above and beyond to help the people she works with — whether that’s a family navigating autism care for the first time, or a new clinician finding their footing  at the company. 

Mary’s Favorite Parts of Working at AnswersNow

• The diverse, collaborative community of clinicians. Mary appreciates the clinical camaraderie at AnswersNow and cherishes the friendships she’s been able to build. 
• Flexibility with her schedule. Working at AnswersNow means Mary can show up fully for her families and also be able to take time for herself when needed.
• Personalized, family-centered care that drives outsized impact. Every day, Mary gets to work closely with families to create tailored therapy plans that reflect what they actually need. 

Mary’s Path to Becoming a BCBA

Mary initially started college with her sights set on becoming a physician assistant, but pivoted to a health psychology graduate program, where a professor recommended her for a job working as an RBT at an autism clinic. 

She walked in knowing nothing about autism care, but fell in love with the work, and left feeling like she’d found her calling. She then transferred back to her undergraduate university, enrolled in their ABA master's program, and has been building her career as a BCBA ever since. 

How Mary Joined AnswersNow

Before AnswersNow, Mary worked in an in-person clinic, and later at a school serving students with complex behavioral needs. She loved the work, but noticed that many families struggled to apply what they learned in the clinic back into their everyday lives at home. "What we were doing at the school was great," she says, "but it didn't translate to what was going on at home and the concerns the parents were dealing with at home." 

That gap led her to start looking for a role where she could deliver therapy that actually leads to meaningful family outcomes at home. Serendipitously, she spotted a former colleague on LinkedIn who worked at AnswersNow and reached out for a coffee chat. After learning more about the virtual ABA therapy model, Mary was convinced. Having a BCBA coach parents directly was exactly what she felt had been missing from every clinic setting she'd worked in before.

How Mary Works with Families at AnswersNow

Two years into her role at AnswersNow, Mary still gushes about the work she gets to do serving families everyday. For her, flexibility of virtual care is what she finds most meaningful. Rather than a rigid one-size-fits-all approach, virtual ABA therapy allows care plans to be tailored to each family’s unique needs. 

Early on in her career at AnswersNow,  Mary worked with one family, doing direct therapy almost every night, plus an hour of caregiver training each session. This approach was burning the family out. So she worked with the family to restructure care into shorter, more frequent caregiver training sessions every other day. "That's been the most helpful for families — figuring out what works best for them," she says. "You're not pigeonholed into one type of session. You can expand based on what the family is looking for, and you can always change."

Mary’s Favorite Family Impact Story

Mary recalls a story of a parent who came to her feeling overwhelmed, unsure how to deal with their child’s communication, toileting, sleep, social skills, and executive functioning. They had never accessed specialized support beyond early intervention. Mary started small, working closely with the parent to create a tailored care plan. They started with improving functional communication first. Then replacement behaviors. Then consistent, measurable wins. 

Almost two years of virtual ABA therapy later, that child now speaks in full sentences, labels his emotions, and knows how to self-regulate. His mom still shares positive stories with Mary long after graduation. "I love those small wins,” Mary says. “That's why I do this."

Clinical Camaraderie: What Makes the AnswersNow Community Special 

Ask Mary what she loves most about working at Answers Now, and she doesn't hesitate: it's the people. The culture makes it easy to collaborate openly, share ideas, and learn from clinicians who bring different backgrounds and perspectives.

Mary is also a mentor in AnswersNow's mentorship program, which pairs newer clinicians with experienced BCBAs at the company to help them settle into the company and get acclimated. She describes the role as being an older sister, someone a mentee can message with a question they might be too nervous to ask in a group Slack channel. Mentees have asked her to shadow her day, review her data collection approach, and talk through ideas on how to build rapport with clients who are hesitant to open up. Many of these mentor-mentee relationships have even blossomed into lasting friendships. 

Mary’s Advice to BCBAs Considering a Career With Answers Now

For any BCBA considering making the leap to virtual care, Mary’s advice is simple: reach out to our clinicians, ask them what it's like to work here, and see if it feels right for you.

For Mary, it does. Six years into her career as a BCBA, she's found a community who constantly pushes her to grow as a clinician, work that creates meaningful change for families, and a company that values her as both a clinician and a person.