Praxis Continuing Education & Training

ACT Foundations for Behavior Analysts

Steven C. Hayes, PhD; Mark R. Dixon, PhD, BCBA-D; and Ruth Anne Rehfeldt, PhD, BCBA-D

16 CE credits available
Please read the complete course information below prior to registering.
Target Audience:

This training is planned for behavioral health professionals with a beginner to intermediate knowledge of Acceptance and Commitment Training (or Teaching), who wish to learn to use ACT within the scope of practice of applied behavior analysis. This includes counselors, psychologists, social workers, and behavior analysts.

Schedule: (16 hours total)

MODULE 1 (120 minutes)

  • The behavioral background of ACT
  • How relational frame theory (RFT) has contributed to modern applied behavior analysis
  • The rationale behind ACT’s adoption of “middle-level” terms for behaviors to communicate with clients and caregivers
  • Overview of the psychological flexibility model

MODULE 2 (123 minutes)

  • A comparison of relational vs. Skinnerian operants
  • Foundational concepts about relational framing: mutual entailment, combinatorial entailment, transformation of stimulus function, derived relational responding
  • Operational definitions of the psychological flexibility processes
  • ACT exercises designed to bring you into experiential contact with the psychological flexibility processes

MODULE 3 (113 minutes)

  • The level of language skills that a client needs in order to benefit from ACT, and how to assess the client’s skill level
  • How the ACT pillars match items on the BACB task list
  • Behavioral definition of present moment; the goals of working in this process; how to assess a client’s flexibility/inflexibility in this process; functional analysis and treatment planning examples; applying interventions in this process
  • Present moment clinical demonstrations
  • The benefits of present moment exercises on staff engagement with clients

MODULE 4 (124 minutes)

  • Behavioral definitions of acceptance and defusion
  • The goals of working in these processes and how to assess a client’s flexibility/inflexibility; functional analysis and treatment planning examples; applying acceptance and defusion interventions
  • Acceptance and defusion clinical demonstrations
  • How ACT could be used to change behavior of people with chronic health conditions, in sports psychology, and in addiction treatment

MODULE 5 (133 minutes)

  • Behavioral definitions of values and committed action
  • The goals of working in these processes and how to assess a client’s flexibility/inflexibility; functional analysis and treatment planning examples; applying values and committed action interventions
  • Values clinical demonstrations
  • How applying ACT in the workplace and boosting staff’s psychological flexibility reduces burnout, stress, illness, conflict; improves client outcomes; supports diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • How ACT could be used at a community level to encourage people to adopt healthier lifestyles and look after the environment, and for cultural change in schools and community groups

MODULE 6 (100 minutes)

  • Behavioral definition of self-as-context
  • The goals of working in this process; how to assess a client’s flexibility/inflexibility in this process; functional analysis and treatment planning examples; applying interventions in this process
  • Self-as-context clinical demonstrations
  • Scope of practice and scope of competency
  • How to use ACT for your own self-care as a working behavior analyst
  • How to use ACT to improve your supervision of other staff

MODULE 7 (122 minutes)

  • Foundational concepts of an ACT functional analysis
  • Methods of conducting functional assessment before meeting the client and after meeting the client
  • How to create a functional analysis and report based on your assessments
  • How to word your report in a way that ACT interventions will be covered by insurance
  • Case studies presented by BCBAs

MODULE 8 (126 minutes)

  • Foundational concepts of ACT treatment planning
  • General pointers about implementing ACT in treatment sessions
  • The elements and steps of an ACT session
  • The importance of person-centered interventions
  • How to measure progress and behavior change over time, and what to do if a client gets stuck
  • Future vistas for ACT and how it may be integrated further into ABA practice
Overall Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the historical trace from the early writings of Skinner, through the rule-governed behavior research and conceptualizations of language, to the contemporary account of relational frame theory as an explanation for human language and cognition
  2. Describe the empirical and conceptual limits of behavioral theories of verbal behavior and how relational framing handled them
  3. Explain the rationale for adopting psychological flexibility as a primary treatment focus in clients with sufficient verbal ability
  4. Describe the six primary flexibility processes and explain them in behavioral terms
  5. Give an example of how to create an expanded form of functional analysis using the ACT model as a basis
  6. Describe how to know which areas of this functional analysis to target most effectively on a client-by-client basis
  7. Explain how the ACT model can be used in a way that is consistent with the scope of ABA practice
  8. Describe how to do assessment, analysis, and intervention for each of the six psychological flexibility processes in a way that is consistent with ABA practice
  9. Discuss the role of ongoing assessment, documenting client progress, and how to evaluate indirect and direct measures of behavior change
  10. Describe the broad applicability of ACT across many different areas of ABA practice
  11. Explain the benefits and importance of integrating ACT with more traditional ABA approaches
  12. Describe the importance of the individualized approach ACT takes and how this fits with the best of the behavior analytic tradition
  13. Describe future vistas for ACT and how it may be integrated further into ABA practice as the field evolves
Grievance Procedures for CE Activities

Should a participant in the course be unsatisfied with the course, the participant should immediately contact our customer support team to file a grievance. Within five days, a customer support team member will contact the participant by email and/or phone and attempt to resolve the issue.

We will investigate and assess the issue from the perspective of the participant and every effort will be made to resolve the issue. If the issue is not resolved to the satisfaction of the participant, the participant will be offered a refund per the Refund and Cancellation Policy guidelines.

To file a grievance, please contact us at courses@praxiscet.com

ADA Accommodations

To request accommodations for disabilities, please contact Praxis Continuing Education at courses@praxiscet.com.

Contact Information:

The Praxis team can be contacted at courses@praxiscet.com

Praxis Continuing Education
5674 Shattuck Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609 USA

CE Information:

Please review complete CE and conflict-of-interest disclosure information prior to registering. This non-live on-demand course is sponsored by Praxis Continuing Education and Training and is approved for 16 CE Hours by the organizations listed below. There was no commercial support for this activity. Praxis CET maintains responsibility for the program with the CE approvals outlined below:

Joint Accreditation: In support of improving patient care, Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 16
Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.

Psychologists: Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive 16 clinical continuing education credits.

National Counselors: Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6759. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Behavior Analysts: Praxis CET is an approved BACB ACE Provider # OP-17-2718. This training is approved for 16 learning CEUs.

NY Social Workers: Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0467.

NY Counselors: Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0198.

NY Psychologists: Praxis Continuing Education and Training, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0002.

NOTE: Many state boards accept offerings accredited by national or other state organizations. If your state is not listed, please check with your professional licensing board to determine whether the accreditations listed are accepted.

CE Course Launch Date: 2/2023

Expiration Date/Next scheduled review date: 2/2026

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships

Praxis Continuing Education and Training is responsible for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of all CE activities certified for credit. When an educational activity is offered for medical (CME), Nursing (ANCC), and/or Psychology (APA) continuing education credit, participants must be informed as to the source, amount, nature, and disposition of any funding used to support the activity, whether in the form of educational grants, cash contributions, or in-kind contributions. Individuals in a position to influence course content must also disclose whether they have one or more relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

We define ineligible companies as those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. There is no minimum financial threshold; individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies. We ask that discloses are made regardless of whether the individual views the financial relationships as relevant to the education. For more information on the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, please visit accme.org/standards.

All those in a position to control the content of an education activity are asked to disclose any relevant financial relationships they have with any ineligible companies.

There is no commercial support for this activity.

None of the other planners or presenters for this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

How to Obtain Your CE Certificate:

After completing the course, please follow these steps to access your course evaluation, post-test (when applicable), and CE certificate. To receive credit, you must complete the course in full, pass the post-tests with an average score of 80% or higher, and complete the course evaluation. No partial credit will be awarded. Please read through all of the instructions below before proceeding.  

  1. Once you have completed all the modules and have taken the post-test for each module, go to the “Evaluation” tab on the course menu.
  2. If you have passed the post-tests with a cumulative average score of 80% or higher, the course feedback evaluation will be made available to you on the Evaluation page. You will be allowed to retake each post-test only once if you do not pass with an 80% or higher average.
  3. After submitting the feedback evaluation, a button will appear that will allow you to download your certificate.

We encourage members to submit the feedback evaluation within 6 months of course completion to earn their CE certificate.

Technical Requirements:

In order to complete this course, attendees will need: 

  • A computer with a monitor, keyboard, and a mouse or a mobile device/tablet
  • Speakers/headphones: either built‐in to your computer/device or external (plugged into your computer)
  • An internet connection, either wired or wireless. A minimum connection speed of 3 megabits is required to stream clear, standard definition video.
  • The course is supported on most up to date internet browsers (Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Brave, etc.)
  • A PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader
  • An email address
  • Access to a printer (to print PDFs of exercises)
  • [Optional] A Facebook account for access to the ACT Foundations for Behavior Analysts community group
References:

1) Belisle, J., & Dixon, M. R. (2021). Relational behavior and ACT: A dynamic relationship. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 1–12.

2) Hayes, S. C. (2019). Acceptance and commitment therapy: towards a unified model of behavior change. World psychiatry, 18(2), 226.

3) Stockton, D., Kellett, S., Berrios, R., Sirois, F., Wilkinson, N., & Miles, G. (2019). Identifying the underlying mechanisms of change during Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): A systematic review of contemporary mediation studies. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 47(3), 332–362. doi:10.1017/S1352465818000553

4) Schlinger Jr, H. D. (2017). The importance of analysis in applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, 17(4), 334.

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