ACT BootCamp® for Behavior Analysts – Reno

Up to 32
CE Hours available ( How do I get my CE? )
Steven C. Hayes, PhD Co-founder of ACT, leader of contextual behavioral science, and renowned author
Evelyn Gould, PhD, BCBA-D, CPsychol Clinical psychologist and researcher
Mark Dixon, PhD, BCBA-D Behavior analysis expert, professor, and serial behavior analysis journal editor
David Sloan Wilson, PhD Evolution theory biologist, renowned author, and speaker
Ramona Houmanfar, PhD Professor, and director of the behavior analysis program at the University of Nevada, Reno

About This Workshop

Join us for this 4-day ACT BootCamp® for Behavior Analysts workshop in Reno, Nevada, with Steven C. Hayes, Evelyn Gould, Mark Dixon, and David Sloan Wilson.

This workshop is specifically designed to provide behavior analysts a foundational understanding of Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT). ACT began 35 years ago as a behavior analytic approach to intervention in verbally-able populations who might need excessive rule-governed behavior to be diminished in order to better contact and be regulated by direct contingencies. Its conceptual and empirical basis has strengthened considerably over the last three decades, and it is now fully entering into the armamentarium of BCBAs in areas like parent trainingstaff management & developmentorganizational work, work with developmentally delayed populations or the chronically mentally illeducational settings with special needs students, and beyond.

ACT is a method for changing behavior by increasing psychological flexibility, meaning larger patterns of values-based behavior that fit the current context and are resistant to needless disruption by private events. Increasingly, research (including research published in mainstream behavioral analytics journals) has shown that psychological flexibility is a key component in altering behavior across a wide variety of populations.

This training will give the behavior analyst a deeper understanding of the roots of ACT—including how verbal behavior as extended by relational frame theory (RFT) and radical behaviorism as extended into functional contextualism provide a solid foundation conceptually and philosophically. Behavior analysts will also learn skills and techniques they can use to increase psychological flexibility with their clients while still staying within their scope of practice. Experiential exercises provide attendees a “hands on” way of understanding how ACT techniques influence psychological flexibility and overt behavior. Didactic presentations will range from a basic understanding of RFT, ACT, and functional contextualism to how BAs can apply these skills with specific populations.

What’s new at this BootCamp®? Prosocial methods for groups!

All successful behavior analysis programs have to deal with groups, whether it be with schools, agencies, businesses, or their own staff. This year, we will emphasize how ACT and RFT can empower organizational and team effectiveness. Renowned evolutionary scientist David Sloan Wilson, PhD, will train you on how to implement Prosocial, a new method for helping groups work better together. Prosocial combines ACT methods with the late Elinor Ostrom's Nobel Prize winning Core Design Principles to help groups focus on the key organizational steps needed to prosper. These principles are increasingly used by behavior analysts in to reduce group conflict, increase cooperation, and facilitate coordinated effort toward both individual and group values and goals. Well-known organizational behavior management (OBM) expert Ramona Houmanfar, PhD, will also show how ACT and RFT fits inside more traditional OBM methods, and how those in turn can be enhanced by the evolutionary approach of Prosocial.

Prior to registering, please click here to review speaker-planner conflict of interest disclosures and complete CE information.

This course is approved for 4 CE hours of Ethics training and 3.25 CE hours of Supervision training.

Program

7 March | Day 1, Thursday | Steven C. Hayes, PhD

The first day of Boot Camp is designed to help attendees fit ACT and RFT into the development of behavior analysis and to have a basic understanding of the psychological flexibility model in behavior analytic terms, as augmented by evolutionary principles and relational operants. The day will be largely conceptual and empirical, but not exclusively since examples will be given of ACT methods, as applied to ourselves, our teams, and to our clients.

The Psychological Flexibility Model | 6.5 CE Hours:

7:00 am – 8:00 am: Check-in*

8:00 am – 8:45 am: Orientation: Why ACT and RFT Matters for Behavior Analysts

8:45 am – 9:45 am: A Brief Behavioral History of ACT / RFT

9:45 am – 10:00 am: Morning Break*

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: The Psychological Flexibility Model: Defusion and Acceptance

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch Break*

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm: The Psychological Flexibility Model  – Self, Now, and Values

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm: Afternoon Break*

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: The Psychological Flexibility Model  – Values and Committed Action

4:30 pm – 4:45 pm: Afternoon Break (for those staying for evening workshop)*

Evening Workshop | 2 CE Hours:

Behavioral repertoires that are free from the influence of problematic, rule-governed behavior can give way to behavior that is value-driven and focused on the present moment. Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) is a contemporary behavioral approach that focuses on several core processes involved in producing psychological flexibility and valued living. In this session, we will share the evolution of an initiative to integrate ACT components into our organization with our learners and ourselves. Specifically, efforts to unite an optimal learning and training environment with progressive behavior analytic science will be shared in such a way to create the opportunity for others to incorporate practices and  behavioral measures of the effects into their own organization and consumer protocols.

4:45 pm – 6:45 pm: If I Don’t Mind, You Don’t Either: Integrating ACT into Organizations for the Benefit of Staff and Clients | Kendra Newsome, Donny Newsome, Timothy Fuller

8 March | Day 2, Friday | Mark Dixon, PhD, BCBA-D

From PEAK to ACT | 6.5 CE Hours:

7:30 am – 8:00 am: Check-in*

8:00 am – 9:45 am: Introduction to Derived Stimulus Relations, RFT and PEAK

9:45 am – 10:00 am: Morning Break*

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: From PEAK to ACT – When Traditional ABA Begins to Necessitate and Inclusion of ACT

12:00 pm – 1:30 am: Lunch Break*

1:30 am – 2:45 pm: Applying ACT to Children with Autism and Social Emotional Challenges and other Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm: Afternoon Break*

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: ACT as a Systems-Level Intervention for Children in Schools and Camps

4:30 pm – 4:45 pm: Afternoon Break (for those staying for the evening workshop)*

Evening Workshop | 2 Ethics CE Hours:

4:45 pm – 6:45 pm: Scope of Practice | Steven C. Hayes, Evelyn Gould, Mark Dixon, Ramona Houmanfar

9 March | Day 3, Saturday | Evelyn Gould, PhD, BCBA-D

ACT for Caregivers, Adolescents and Staff | 6.5 CE Hours:

7:30 am – 8:00 am: Check-in*

8:00 am – 9:45 am: ACT for Caregivers  

9:45 am – 10:00 am: Morning Break*

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: ACT for Adolescents

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch Break*

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm: ACT for Staff and Leadership (1.25 Supervision CE Hours)

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm: Afternoon Break*

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Diversity and Equity in ABA (1.5 Ethics CE Hours)

4:30 pm – 4:45 pm: Afternoon Break (for those staying for optional evening discussion)*

Evening Workshop | 2 CE Hours:

Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACTraining) is a non-psychotherapeutic variation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The literature has shown the effectiveness of ACTraining in organizational settings with a variety of populations including: mental health and innovation, stigma, stress, burnout, sick leave, physical and psychological well-being, absenteeism, college performance, and worksite distress. This session includes components of a comprehensive ACTraining program at the University of Nevada, Reno Medical School that focuses on decreasing the likelihood of medical professional burnout in addition to increasing effective patient care, and cooperation among medical teams.

4:45 pm – 6:45 pm: ACT in Organizations: Burnout, Cooperation and Client Service | Ramona Houmanfar, PhD

10 March | Day 4, Sunday | David Sloan Wilson, PhD, and Ramona Houmanfar, PhD

Day 4 will take ACT in a new direction–a therapeutic and training method for groups, in addition to individuals. We will also show how ACT is being placed on a new and more general theoretical foundation of evolutionary science. Very simply, effective therapy and training can be regarded as a way of managing personal and cultural evolutionary processes to achieve, rather than taking us away from, our valued goals as individuals, groups, and large-scale societies. This more general theoretical foundation greatly expands the scope and applications of ACT. To work with groups, ACT is combined with a set of core deign principles (CDPs) that are required for groups to function as cooperative units. These principles were first derived by the political scientist Elinor Ostrom, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics for her achievement. Combining ACT with the CDPs is a unique approach to working with groups to improve their efficacy, the well-being of their members, and their contribution to society as a whole.  

Using Prosocial in Organizational Work | 6.5 CE Hours:

7:30 am – 8:00 am: Check-in*

8:00 am – 9:15 am: The Prosocial process overview; Using the Matrix for this purpose; An overview of the Core Design Program

9:15 am – 9:45 am: How the CDPs fit with Organizational Behavior Management (.5 Ethics CE Hours)

9:45 am – 10:00 am: Morning Break*

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Working through CDP 1 through 4 and applying to your teams (2 Supervision CE Hours)

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch Break*

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm: Working through CDP 5 through 8

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm: Afternoon Break*

3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Using Prosocial in Your Organizational Work

No evening session on last night.

*Not available for CE

Learning Objectives

Day 1 | Steven Hayes
  • 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.
  • Describe the empirical and conceptual limits of behavioral theories of verbal behavior and how relational framing handled them.
  • Explain the rationale for adopting psychological flexibility as a primary treatment focus in clients with sufficient verbal ability.
  • Describe the six primary flexibility processes that explain them in behavioral terms.
  • Relate the  six primary flexibility processes to key evolutionary concepts.
  • Describe how flexibility  practices touch on specific, measurable behaviors that are socially important.
  • Give an example of one evidence-based intervention method that could be used by BCBAs that target each of the flexibility processes.
  • Explain the difference between the focuses of ACT appropriate for behavior analysts versus those that are better left to those in psychotherapy and counseling fields. 

References:

  • Wilson, D.S. (2018). Evolution and contextual behavioral science: An integrated framework for understanding, predicting, and influencing human behavior. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
  • Hayes, S. C., Hayes, L. J., Sato, M., & Ono, K. (1994). Behavior analysis of language and cognition. Oakland, CA: Context Press.
  • Ramnero, J., & Torneke, N. (2008). ACBs of human behavior: Behavioral principles for the practicing clinician. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger & Reno, Nv: Context Press.

Evening 1 Workshop | If I Don’t Mind, You Don’t Either: Integrating ACT into Organizations for the Benefit of Staff and Clients | Kendra Newsome, Donny Newsome, Timothy Fuller:

    • Participants will be able to describe and implement brief, low-effort exercises and tools focused on the core processes of ACT with both staff and consumers.
    • Participants will be able to describe and identify behavioral measures for evaluating the impact of ACT interventions.

References:

  • Newsome, D., Newsome, K., Fuller, T., Meyer, S. (in press). How Contextual Behavioral Scientists Measure and Report About Behavior: A Review of JCBS. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, Special Section.
  • Szabo,T. G., Williams,W. L., Rafacz, S. D., Newsome, W. & Lydon, C.A. (2012). Evaluation of the Service Review Model with Performance Scorecards. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.
  • Newsome, K., Fuller, T., Newsome, D. If I Don’t Mind, You don’t either: Incorporating mindfulness practice throughout the organization with staff and learners. Paper session presented at the 31st Annual International Precision Teaching Conference, 2018, Seattle, WA.
Day 2 | Mark Dixon
  • Explain how ACT can be used for young adult and adult populations of persons with a wide range of disabilities.
  • Describe prior work in the area of social development for this population using perspective taking, self-rule generation, goal setting, social skills instruction and self-management
  • Describe how the seemingly complex concepts of ACT and the foundational RFT mechanisms can be tailored to persons with compromised verbal abilities and cognitive delays.
  • Explain how to collect data on direct behavioral outcomes, indirect self-reports, and social validity for ACT interventions.
  • Explain how the use of ACT with direct care staff and other caregivers may benefit their work with clients with severe developmental disorders.
  • Explain how to describe teaching programs based on relational frame theory to children with and without disabilities.
  • Describe and implement the various means of assessing relational skills in children.
  • Describe and implement interventions to improve relational abilities in children.
  • Demonstrate basic skills on the scope and depth to implementing the PEAK curriculum.

References:

  • Dixon, M. R., & Paliliunas, D. (2018). AIM: A Behavior Analytic Curriculum for Social-Emotional Development in Children. Carbondale, IL: Shawnee Scientific Press.
  • McKeel, A. & Matas, J. Behav Analysis Practice (2017) 10: 252. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-017-0194-8
  • Dunkel-Jackson, S., & Dixon, M. R., Promoting generalized advanced language skills of children in intensive behavioral intervention with Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Generalization Module (PEAK–G). Behavior Analysis in Practice.

Evening 2 Workshop | Scope of Practice | Steven C. Hayes, Evelyn Gould, Mark Dixon, Ramona Houmanfar:

  • Describe the ethical considerations for delivering ACT training within scope of practice and scope of competence of a BCBA.
  • Link the ACT model to competencies of BCBAs as specified by the BACB task list.

References:

  • Rafacz, S., Houmanfar, R., & Smith, G. (2018). Assessing the Effects of Motivative Augmentals, Pay for-Performance, and Implicit Verbal Responding on Cooperation. Psychological Record.
  • Alavosius, M. P., Houmanfar, R. A., Anbro, S., Burleigh, K., & Hebein, C. (2017). Leadership and crew resource management in high-reliability organizations: A competency framework for measuring behaviors. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 37, 142-170.
  • Houmanfar, R. A. (2017). Editorial: Organizational Behavior Management & Socio-Cultural Issues: Do We Have a Role to Play? Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 37, 121-125.
Day 3 | Evelyn Gould
  • Describe the role of private events in problematic parent and clinical behavior.
  • Explain how ACT can decrease treatment interfering behaviors and increase effective parent involvement in ABA treatment programs.
  • Design and implement ACT-based interventions for parents, in the context of ABA treatment settings.
  • Describe how the psychological flexibility model applies to staff training, supervision and leadership.
  • Identify the potential benefits of adopting an organization-wide ACT-consistent culture.
  • Explain the importance of considering developmental factors when working with adolescents from an ACT perspective.
  • List 3 examples of ACT-based interventions specifically tailored to the needs of adolescents.
  • Explain the benefits of integrating ACT and more traditional ABA approaches when addressing problematic adolescent behavior.
  • Identify issues of diversity and inclusion within ABA.
  • Explain how diversity and inclusion can be understood from a contextual behavioral science perspective.
  • Identify ways behavior analysts can create contexts that promote diversity and equity.

References:

  • Turrell, S.L., & Bell, M. (2016). ACT for adolescents: Treating teens and adolescents in individual and group therapy. Oakland, CA: Context Press.
  • Hayes, L.L., & Ciarrochi, J.V. (2015). The thriving adolescent: Using acceptance and commitment therapy and positive psychology to help teens manage emotions, achieve goals, and build connection. Oakland, CA: Context Press.

Evening 3 Workshop | ACT in Organizations: Burnout, Cooperation and Client Service | Ramona Houmanfar: 

  • Describe and apply the core processes of ACT as related to burnout, cooperation and client service.
  • Describe behavioral measures for evaluating the impact of ACTraining.

References:

  • Wilson, D.S. (2018). Evolution and contextual behavioral science: An integrated framework for understanding, predicting, and influencing human behavior. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
  • Hayes, S. C., Hayes, L. J., Sato, M., & Ono, K. (1994). Behavior analysis of language and cognition. Oakland, CA: Context Press.
  • Ramnero, J., & Torneke, N. (2008). ACBs of human behavior: Behavioral principles for the practicing clinician. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger & Reno, Nv: Context Press.
Day 4 | David Sloan Wilson and Ramona Houmanfar
  • Describe the combination of ACT with CDPs as related to groups.
  • Identify 2 ways in which ACT and CDPs approach can create contexts that promote equity and respect among groups.
  • Describe how ACT and CDPs model applies to management of teams in organizations.
  • Identify 2 examples for application of ACT & CDP model in their organization.
  • Identify 2 strategies for measuring behavior and organizational results, including ways these can be measured, the frequency of measurement, and who will be responsible for collecting and reporting the data.
  • Identify the scope (goals and methods) of an intervention for the application of ACT & CDP in their organization.
  • Identify the potential benefits of adopting the ACT & CDP approach in their organization, and beyond.

References:

  • Wilson, D. S. (2019). This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian Revolution. New York: Pantheon/Random House.
  • Wilson, D. S., & Hayes, S. C. (2018). Evolution and Contextual Behavioral Science: An Integrated Framework for Understanding, Predicting, and Influencing Behavior. Menlo Park, CA: New Harbinger Press.
  • Wilson, D. S., Hayes, S. C., Biglan, A., & Embry, D. (2014). Evolving the Future: Toward a Science of Intentional Change. Behavioral and Brain Sciences37, 395–460.

Continuing Education

Prerequisites

Completion of an introductory ACT course is highly recommended (for example, ACT I, ACT BootCamp® or a 2-day ACT for Behavior Analysts workshop) or thorough study of the books in the Recommended Readings section below.

Audience

For behavior analyst professionals and students, beginner to advanced.

Recommended Reading

Dixon, M. R., & Paliliunas, D. (2018). AIM: A Behavior Analytic Curriculum for Social-Emotional Development in Children. Carbondale, IL: Shawnee Scientific Press.

Szabo, T. G. (2017). Problem-solving: Aligning Skinner’s framework with RFT’s pragmatic verbal analysis. In R. A. Rehfeldt, M. Fryling, L. Hayes, & J. Tarbox (Eds.) Applied Behavior Analysis of Language and Cognition. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications.

Hayes, S. C., Hayes, L. J., Sato, M., & Ono, K. (1994). Behavior analysis of language and cognition. Oakland, CA: Context Press.

References

Dixon, M. R., & Paliliunas, D. (2018). AIM: A Behavior Analytic Curriculum for Social-Emotional Development in Children. Carbondale, IL: Shawnee Scientific Press.

Szabo, T. G. (2017). Problem-solving: Aligning Skinner’s framework with RFT’s pragmatic verbal analysis. In R. A. Rehfeldt, M. Fryling, L. Hayes, & J. Tarbox (Eds.) Applied Behavior Analysis of Language and Cognition. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications.

Szabo, T. G., & Dixon, M. R. Contextual behavior science and education. In R.D. Zettle, S. C. Hayes, D. Barnes-Holmes, & A. Biglan (Eds). The Wiley Handbook of Contextual Behavior Science.New York: Wiley & Sons. (pp. 422-458).

Baker, T. K., Smith, G. S., Houmanfar, R., Jacobs, N. N., Tolles, R., Kuhls, D., Piasecki, M. (2016). A deeper look at implicit weight bias in medical students. Advances in Health Sciences Education: Theory and Practice, 21(4).

Houmanfar, R., A., Alavosius, M. P., Morford, Z. H., Reimer, D., Herbst, S. A.(2015). Functions of Organizational Leaders in Cultural Change: Financial and Social Well-being. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 35, 4-27.

Refund and Cancellation Policy

We understand, sometimes things come up!

Praxis will offer a full refund to registrants of both live and live-online trainings who cancel their registration up to 14 days before the course or workshop start date, minus an administrative processing fee of $30 for a 2-day workshop or online course, and a $50 fee for a 4-day workshop. If cancelled within 14 days, no refund will be issued, however, a credit for the same amount will be applied toward another learning product, which expires within 1 year. Please email us at events@praxiscet.zendesk.com to cancel a registration.

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March 7–10, 2019
11:00am–7:30pm