A Telecommunication Model to Teach Facilitators to Deliver Acceptance and Commitment Training
Remote BST can get new ACT facilitators to a large share fidelity without anyone leaving home.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Magnacca et al. (2022) tested a Zoom-based BST package to teach adults how to run ACT groups.
They used a multiple-baseline design across three adults who had never led ACT before.
Coaches gave live feedback until each adult hit a large share fidelity on a 15-step checklist.
What they found
All three adults reached a large share fidelity after about four Zoom sessions.
They also said they felt more confident and would keep using the skills.
Scores stayed high when the coach stopped giving feedback.
How this fits with other research
Laske et al. (2022) got the same result with public-speaking skills, showing remote BST works for different content.
Harper et al. (2023) trained staff in person and hit a large share accuracy, so remote BST can match face-to-face results.
Maliki et al. (2025) stretched the idea further, proving BST works in Arabic for parenting facilitators in the UAE.
Why it matters
You no longer need to fly trainers or bring staff to a site to hit high fidelity. Run a short Zoom BST package, watch the checklist, give live praise and corrections, and your new ACT facilitators will meet benchmark. This saves travel money and opens ACT to rural or overseas teams.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Providing mediator training using a telecommunication format increases access to training by reducing geographical and financial barriers, while maintaining or increasing efficiency. Limited research has implemented this format to train facilitators in acceptance and commitment training (ACT), an empirically supported intervention. The aim of this research was to examine the efficacy of behavioural skills training via telecommunication for training novice facilitators to provide ACT to caregivers of individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities. This two-part study involved concurrent multiple-baseline designs, each across 4 participants. Quantitative data on fidelity and confidence were collected at baseline, post-training, and at 1-month follow-up. The results from this study provide preliminary support for the use of behavioural skills training via telecommunication to train ACT facilitators. Increasing the number of competently trained facilitators will help build capacity to increase access to ACT across geographical regions. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-021-00628-x.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s40617-021-00628-x