Functional Analytic Psychotherapy
Encyclopedia
Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) is an approach to clinical psychotherapy that uses a radical behaviorist position informed by B.F. Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior.

Although sufficient for use alone, this approach is offered as something that may be practiced in addition to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). FAP focuses on in-session client–therapist interactions as the basis for clinical change.

Clinically relevant behavior (CRB) represents the categories of client change in FAP and there are three general categories of CRBs. CRB1s represent problematic behavior that occur in-session that are the focus of change. CRB2s are the behaviors that manage or deal with CRB1s. CRB3s represent client statements or rules about positive changes that are encouraged in FAP. The concept of CRB3s might be seen as being akin to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). However, despite these similarities, the interpretation and theoretical justification for them are different.

Basic conceptual structure

The basic FAP analysis utilizes what is called the clinically relevant behavior (CRB1), which is the client's presenting problem as presented in-session. Client in-session actions that improve their CRB1s are referred to as CRB2s. Client statements, or verbal behavior, about CRBs are referred to as CRB3s. The CRB3s, although based on Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior, are what most closely approximate CBT cognitions. In-session focus on client behavior approximates the psychoanalytic conception of the therapeutic alliance (which is psychoanalytic parlance containing transference and counter-transference issues).

FAP also explores covert verbal behavior such as mands
Mand (psychology)
Mand is a term that B.F. Skinner used to describe a verbal operant in which the response is reinforced by a characteristic consequence and is therefore under the functional control of relevant conditions of deprivation or aversive stimulation...

-to-self and tacts
Tact (psychology)
Tact is a term that B.F. Skinner used to describe a verbal operant in which a certain response is evoked by a particular object or event, or property of an object or event. More generally, the tact is verbal contact with the physical world.Chapter five of Skinner's Verbal Behavior discusses the...

-to-self, as well as rule-governed versus contingency-shaped behavior.

As a treatment FAP places great focus on the therapeutic relationship. The result is a highly emotional and relationally-based therapy. Often people do not associate such relationally-focused interventions with a Skinnerian treatment.

Applications

The treatment manuals for functional analytic psychotherapy are published online for those who desire to do research.

Functional analytic psychotherapy has been applied to many complex clinical problems such as relational behavior around complex post-traumatic stress disorder
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychological injury that results from protracted exposure to prolonged social and/or interpersonal trauma with lack or loss of control, disempowerment, and in the context of either captivity or entrapment, i.e. the lack of a viable escape route for the...

/complex trauma. In the area of trauma the concept is that the relationship is where the post-traumatic stress was formed and thus the relationship is where it needs to be improved. The relational work of FAP has also been applied to the supervision relationship.

Depression

Jonathan Kanter explored the use of FAP and another modality in one article for use with depression, a common clinical problem.

Kanter also explored FAP in conjunction with CBT for depression in 2006.

Research support

The major component of functional analytic psychotherapy is to target particular clinically relevant behavior and the use of in-session natural reinforcement to increase appropriate relational behavior. This approach has received considerable research over the past 50 years and can be considered an empirically valid process. In some respects empirically supported principles, like those supporting FAP are more important than empirical support for treatment packages.

History

FAP was created by Dr. Robert Kohlenberg and Dr. Mavis Tsai in 1991. It offers an interesting model of child development
Child development
Child development stages describe theoretical milestones of child development. Many stage models of development have been proposed, used as working concepts and in some cases asserted as nativist theories....

 and personality development. This model held that verbal processes can be used to form a stable sense of who we are, through behavioral processes such as stimulus control
Stimulus control
Stimulus control is the phenomenon of a stimulus increasing the probability of a behavior because of a history of that behavior being differentially reinforced in the presence of the stimulus...

.

As such it represents an extension of Stephen Hayes attempt to incorporate behaviorism with clinical issues (although Hayes' approach utilized his own relational frame theory
Relational frame theory
Relational frame theory, or RFT, is a psychological theory of human language and cognition. It was developed largely through the efforts of Steven C...

 instead of Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior).

Third generation behavior therapy

Often FAP is lumped with behavioral activation
Behavioral activation
Behavioral activation is a third generation behavior therapy for treating depression. It is one of many functional analytic psychotherapies which are based on a Skinnerian psychological model of behavior change, generally referred to as applied behavior analysis...

, dialectical behavior therapy, integrative behavioral couples therapy
Integrative behavioral couples therapy
Behavioral marital therapy, sometimes called Behavioral couple, or couples, therapy, has its origins in behaviorism and is a form of behavior therapy. The theory is rooted in social learning theory and behavior analysis. As a model, it is constantly being revised as new research...

, and acceptance and commitment therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy or ACT is a cognitive–behavioral model of psychotherapy. It is an empirically-based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies mixed in different ways with commitment and behavior-change strategies, to increase psychological...

. Together these therapies are often referred to as third generation behavior therapy because they focus less on cognitive phenomena and more on functional analysis commonly found in applied behavior analysis
Applied Behavior Analysis
Applied behavior analysis is a science that involves using modern behavioral learning theory to modify behaviors. Behavior analysts reject the use of hypothetical constructs and focus on the observable relationship of behavior to the environment...

 and a behavioral theory of language and cognition.

Professional organizations

The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) has a special interest group for practitioner issues, behavioral counseling, and clinical behavior analysis. ABAI has larger special interest groups for behavioral medicine
Behavioral medicine
Behavioral medicine is an interdisciplinary field of medicine concerned with the development and integration of knowledge in the biological, behavioral, psychological, and social sciences relevant to health and illness...

. ABAI serves as the core intellectual home for behavior analysts. ABAI sponsors two conferences/yearone in the U.S. and one international.

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies was founded in 1966. Its headquarters are in New York City and its membership includes researchers, psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians, social workers, nurses, and other mental-health practitioners, researchers, and students who...

 (ABCT) also has an interest group in behavior analysis, which focuses on clinical behavior analysis. In addition, the Association for Behavioral and Cogntive Therapies has a special interest group in addicitons.

Doctoral level behavior analysts who are psychologists belong to the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...

's division 25Behavior analysis. APA offers a diplomate in behavioral psychology.

The World Association for Behavior Analysis offers a certification for clinical behavior analysis which covers functional analytic psychotherapy http://worldcenterba.com/index.html.

See also

  • Behavioral psychotherapy
    Behavioral psychotherapy
    Behavioral psychotherapy is one of two streams of thought that have come together to produce cognitive behavioral therapy....

  • For the functional analytic model of self and personality see Behavior analysis of child development
    Behavior analysis of child development
    Child development in behavior analytic theory has origins in John B. Watson's behaviorism. Watson wrote extensively on child development and conducted research . Watson was instrumental in the modification of William James' stream of consciousness approach to construct a stream of behavior theory...


External links

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