Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Relational Frame Theory in the Field of Applied Behavior Analysis: The Acceptability and Perspective of the Practicing BCBA
Nine out of ten BCBAs want ACT and RFT training, but fewer than two in ten feel ready.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors sent an online survey to 303 BCBAs.
They asked how familiar the BCBAs felt with ACT and RFT.
They also asked if the BCBAs wanted more training in these tools.
What they found
Most BCBAs said ACT and RFT fit inside ABA.
Fewer than two in ten felt ready to use them.
Nine in ten wanted CEU courses to learn how.
How this fits with other research
McIlvane (2003) first urged ABA to study RFT. The new survey shows the field still lags two decades later.
Wilson et al. (2024) asked parents what they think of ABA. Parents want warmer, relationship-based work. ACT gives BCBAs language for that warmth, so the demand seen here lines up with parent wishes.
Ghai et al. (2022) found one in five clinicians already use animals in sessions. Both surveys reveal clinicians hungry for fresh tools, yet training lags behind interest.
Why it matters
You now have hard numbers to show your boss or CEU provider: BCBAs want ACT and RFT classes.
Start small. Pick one ACT module, such as values clarification, and add it to a social-skills session.
Track how clients and caregivers respond. Share the data. Your trial could become the proof your agency needs to fund full training.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Email your CEU chair one ACT intro workshop link and ask to pilot it this quarter.
02At a glance
03Original 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.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2020 · doi:10.1007/s40617-020-00416-z