Translating the theoretical into practical: a logical framework of functional analytic psychotherapy interactions for research, training, and clinical purposes.
FAP can be trained with a turn-by-turn behavioral script that specifies exactly when and how to reinforce client improvements in session.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Meier et al. (2012) built a turn-by-turn script for Functional Analytic Psychotherapy.
The script spells out exactly when the therapist should praise, prompt, or stay quiet.
It is meant for training new therapists and for future research studies.
What they found
The paper is theoretical. It gives a clear, step-by-step map of every therapist move.
Each move is tied to a client behavior so training can be consistent and replicable.
How this fits with other research
Harrington et al. (2006) showed FAP can help one depressed client but not another. The new script could explain why: therapists may have missed key moments to reinforce.
Canon et al. (2022) used clicker training to teach staff soft skills. The FAP script adds exact words and timing to that same training idea.
Denegri et al. (2025) found ACT plus BST helped RBTs master pairing skills. The FAP script offers another ready-made BST package for therapist–client moments.
McIntyre et al. (2002) taught parents FBA in four short sessions. The FAP script is like that—short, clear, and ready for non-experts to follow.
Why it matters
You can lift the script straight into supervision. Role-play each turn until the trainee hits every prompt and praise at the right beat. Then track the client’s target behavior to see if the scripted FAP moves actually work.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) provides a behavioral analysis of the psychotherapy relationship that directly applies basic research findings to outpatient psychotherapy settings. Specifically, FAP suggests that a therapist's in vivo (i.e., in-session) contingent responding to targeted client behaviors, particularly positive reinforcement of a client's effective behavior, should be a powerful mechanism of change. However, much of the previous literature on FAP has been theoretical, broadly defining FAP techniques rather than explicating them with the precision necessary for replication and training. In this article, the authors explicate a logical framework for turn-by-turn interactions between the client and therapist that may guide research, training, and dissemination of FAP. This molecular behavioral description of the events of the proposed logical interaction lends itself to microprocess research methodology, and a discussion of potential hypotheses to explore follows. Prescriptive, direct guidance for the application of FAP for training and dissemination purposes is given.
Behavior modification, 2012 · doi:10.1177/0145445511422830