Coercion in ABA: What It Is and How to Avoid It

Coercion means getting someone to act by using fear, force, or pressure. In ABA, it can slip into work with clients or staff. It often hides in small habits we do not notice. A hint of guilt here, a sham choice there, and it adds up.

This matters because coercion carries real harm. It hurts trust, feelings, and long-term outcomes. It can also make once-neutral people and places feel unsafe. BCBAs, RBTs, and supervisors all need to spot it early. The goal is to lead with choice and trust instead.

What coercion looks like in practice#

Coercion is not always loud or harsh. It can be quiet and even well-meant. Kelly Brzak warns that it can creep into programming without notice. She is blunt about it. We cannot let coercion seep into our practice at all.

She ties this to how we design goals and demands. We should not make kids jump through hoops for no reason. Every demand should have a real point.

We don't want to be programming hoops that kids are asked to jump through just for the sake of it. From the talk. Kelly Brzak

The harm it causes#

Dr. Camille Kolu lays out why coercion is so damaging. It sets off stress in the body and mind. Over time, that stress leaves a mark.

Effects of coercion are awful. Somebody's experiencing arousal, emotional responding, biological changes, long-term physical outcomes. From the talk. Dr. Camille Kolu

The damage spreads past the moment itself. Coercion can teach a person to fear the people and places tied to it. It builds new patterns of escape and avoidance.

You're conditioning new stimuli and settings and people as aversive and basically giving classes or giving rise to new classes of behavior with that avoidance and escape function. From the talk. Dr. Camille Kolu

In plain terms, the therapist can become a signal for stress. So can the therapy room or the task itself. That is the opposite of what we want.

Choice is the antidote#

The best guard against coercion is real choice. Kelly Brzak urges teams to train staff on this. She tells supervisors to make sure their technicians learn to offer choices and then honor them.

The word "real" is key here. A fake choice is still coercion in disguise. Brzak calls these sham choices and says to avoid them.

So steer clear of sham choices. Reduce the level of demands. From the talk. Kelly Brzak

A sham choice looks like a choice but is not. "Do this now or do this now" is not a real option. Lowering demands also cuts the pressure that fuels power struggles. You can see more of this framing in Child Development Deep Dive: Middle Childhood (6-8 year olds).

Coercion with staff, not just clients#

Coercion is not only a client issue. It can show up in supervision too. Mellanie Page notes that leaders may use fear or guilt without meaning to.

there was a little bit of fear created or contrived in the office scenario. And sometimes without us really recognizing it, we may be using fear or some guilt to shape BT behavior. From the talk. Mellanie Page

Think of hinting that a client will fail if a tech slips up. That is guilt used as a lever. Page argues for a better path built on trust. She points out that there are ways to grow our mentorship and influence instead.

Good supervision leans on mentorship, not pressure. Staff who feel safe do better and stay longer. They also treat clients with that same respect. In this way, a calm supervisor shapes a calm whole team.

Building coercion-free programs#

Start by reviewing your demands. Ask if each one has a clear, real purpose. Drop the hoops that exist only out of habit. Then weave in honest choices across the session.

Next, watch for assent, which means the learner agreeing to take part. Check in often and respect a no. Keep an eye on your own tone with staff too. Small shifts here protect trust on every side.

Spotting subtle coercion#

The hardest coercion to catch is the quiet kind. It rarely looks like force. It looks like a rushed choice or a heavy sigh. It can be a reward held back to make a point.

Ask yourself a few honest questions. Does the learner have a real way to say no? Are demands tied to a clear goal, or just habit? Am I using guilt to move a tech or a client? These checks help you catch coercion before it grows.

Trauma-informed care leans hard on this awareness. Dr. Camille Kolu frames coercion as a driver of lasting harm. That is why the field keeps working to name it clearly. The more we can spot it, the more we can prevent it.

What the research says#

The field is working to define coercion more clearly. One paper proposes a wider definition. It counts removing or withholding the resources someone needs to earn reinforcement, and using hidden choice systems, as coercive (Goltz, 2020). Another paper shows ABA can lower coercion in tough settings. It describes staff learning to start more positive interactions in a juvenile justice facility (Luna, Rapp, & Brogan, 2022).

Ethics work adds a caution for clinicians. Pushing clients too hard to avoid non-evidence-based options can itself become a form of coercion (Graber, 2024). Assent research offers a hopeful counter. One study defines assent as agreeing to take part freely and without coercion. It then trains BCBAs to spot and honor when a client withdraws it (Shpall & Kuhn, 2026).

FAQ#

What is coercion in ABA?

Coercion is getting a client or staff member to act through fear, force, or pressure. It can be loud or quiet. Even guilt or a fake choice can count as coercion.

Why is coercion harmful in therapy?

It sets off stress and can cause lasting harm. It can also teach the person to fear the therapist, the room, or the task. That damages trust and can fuel escape behavior.

How can BCBAs reduce coercion?

Offer real choices and honor them, and drop demands that serve no purpose. Check for assent often and respect a no. In supervision, lead with mentorship instead of fear or guilt.