Functional Analytic Psychotherapy: Where ABA meets Clinical Psychology

BACB CEUs: 1.0

Duration: 72 minutes

CE Instructor: Todd A. Ward, PhD, BCBA-D, President of bSci21Media, LLC

Abstract: Dr. Ward sits down with Angela Cathey (CEO, Enso Group to discuss Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), which is regarded as one of the purest applications of basic behavior analytic principles to the clinical psychology setting to date.  In doing so, they discuss the origins of FAP, and issues in clinical psychology that FAP is designed to overcome (e.g., returning to behavioral processes from more abstract constructs).  They also discuss two varieties of FAP, the treatment process one might experience with a client, and how BCBAs and FAP clinicians can form mutually beneficial collaborations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to describe two reasons for which clinical psychology seeks to rediscover its roots in behavior analysis.
2. Participants will be able to describe at least one procedural difference between the two FAP approaches.
3. Participants will be able to describe one way in which BCBAs could benefit from FAP and one way in which the FAP community could benefit from BCBAs.

Suggested Readings on Functional Analytic Psychotherapy:

Holman, G., Kanter, J., Tsai, M., Kohlenberg, R, & Hayes, S. C. (2017). Functional Analytic Psychotherapy Made Simple: A Practical Guide to Therapeutic Relationships. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Villatte, M., Villatte, J. L., Hayes, S. C. (2015). Mastering the Clinical Conversation: Language as Intervention. New York: The Guilford Press.

Carey, T. A., & Stiles, W. B. (2015). Some problems with Randomized Controlled Trials and some viable alternatives. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 23, 87-95.

This course has four lessons, followed by a quiz.