Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Relational Frame Theory in the Field of Applied Behavior Analysis: The Acceptability and Perspective of the Practicing BCBA.

Abstract

The acceptability and understanding of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and relational frame theory (RFT) from the perspective of the practicing Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) are missing in the literature. It has been stated that our field has become stagnant and that the dissemination of the basic research on derived stimulus relations is lacking in its translation to applied work. A survey was used in the present article to collect data on practicing BCBAs' perceptions of ACT and RFT, their acceptability in applied work, and whether they are perceived to be within the scope of applied behavior analysis. The outcomes of the survey suggested a majority of BCBAs acknowledged that ACT is within the scope of ABA (n = 161, 53%), but they do not perceive it as being part of their personal scope of practice (n = 152, 50.16%). Additionally, the outcomes suggested BCBAs acknowledged that RFT is within the scope of applied behavior analysis (n = 190, 62.70%). Furthermore, the outcomes indicated that BCBAs were interested in learning about ACT (n = 275, 90.76%) and RFT (n = 275, 90.76%), although respondents stated the lack of sufficient training in ACT (n = 30, 19.10%) and RFT (n = 21, 19.27%) was a challenge to implementation in applied settings.