Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
{{Short description|Professional association for ACT, RFT, and behavior analysis}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Association for Contextual Behavioral Science
| image = ACBS_with_tagline_cropped.jpg
| caption = Logo of ACBS
| headquarters = United States
| membership = approx. 9,000 international members
| leader_title = 2023 President
| leader_name = Andrew Gloster, Ph.D.
| formation = 2005
| website = {{URL|http://contextualscience.org}}
}}
The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) is a worldwide nonprofit professional membership organization associated with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and relational frame theory (RFT) among other topics.{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=JlqqlVJ1iTUC&pg=PA256 |title=Acceptance and Mindfulness in Cognitive Behavior Therapy |author1=James D. Herbert |author2=Evan M. Forman |publisher=John Wiley & Sons|date= Nov 2010 |access-date=30 January 2012|isbn=9780470912485 }} The term "contextual behavioral science" refers to the application of functional contextualism to human behavior, including contextual forms of applied behavior analysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, and evolution science.{{cite journal |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212144712000087|title=Contextual Behavioral Science |journal=Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science |date=14 February 2022|volume=1 |issue=1–2 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1016/j.jcbs.2012.09.004 |last1=Hayes |first1=Steven C. |last2=Barnes-Holmes |first2=Dermot |last3=Wilson |first3=Kelly G. |url-access=subscription }} In the applied area, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is perhaps the best known wing of contextual behavioral science, and is an emphasis of ACBS, along with other types of contextual CBT, and efforts in education, organizational behavior, and other areas. ACT is considered an empirically validated treatment by the American Psychological Association, with the status of "Modest Research Support" in depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, mixed anxiety disorders, and psychosis, and "Strong Research Support" in chronic pain.{{Cite web|title=APA website on empirical treatments |url=https://div12.org/treatments/ |accessdate= 14 February 2022 }} ACT is also listed as evidence-based by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the United States federal government which has examined randomized trials for ACT in the areas of psychosis, work site stress, and obsessive compulsive disorder, including depression outcomes.{{Cite web|title=SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices |url=http://nrepp.samhsa.gov/ViewIntervention.aspx?id=191 |accessdate=2011-09-01 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823110657/http://nrepp.samhsa.gov/ViewIntervention.aspx?id=191 |archivedate=2011-08-23 }} In the basic area, Relational Frame Theory is a research program in language and cognition that is considered part of contextual behavioral science, and is a focus of ACBS.Blackledge, J.T. (2003). {{cite journal |url=https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2014-44008-007.html |title=An Introduction to Relational Frame Theory: Basics and Applications |date=14 February 2022|doi=10.1037/h0099997 |last1=Blackledge |first1=John T. |journal=The Behavior Analyst Today |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=421–433 }} The Behavior Analyst Today, 3, 421–34. Unlike the better known behavioral approach proposed by B.F. Skinner in his book Verbal Behavior, experimental RFT research has emerged in a number of areas traditionally thought to be beyond behavioral perspectives, such as grammar, metaphor, perspective taking, implicit cognition and reasoning.Barnes-Holmes, Y.; Barnes-Holmes, D. & McHugh, L. (2004). {{cite web|url=https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2014-51987-002.html |title=Teaching Derived Relational Responding to Young Children |date=14 February 2022 }} JEIBI, 1, 4–16.Cullinan, V. & Vitale, A. (2008). {{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275724912 |title=The contribution of Relational Frame Theory to the development of interventions for impairments of language and cognition |date=14 February 2022 }} Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis, 2(4)–3(1), 122–135.
History
Established in 2005, ACBS has about 9,000 members.{{cite web|url=http://contextualscience.org/acbs|title=ACBS – Association for Contextual Behavioral Science|author=|date=|publisher=|accessdate=14 February 2022}} Slightly more than one half are outside of the United States. There are 45 ACBS chapters{{cite web|url=https://contextualscience.org/chapters|title=ACBS – Association for Contextual Behavioral Science|author=|date=|publisher=|access-date=14 February 2022}} covering many areas of the world including Italy,{{cite web|url=https://www.act-italia.org/|title=ACT-Italia.org|access-date=14 February 2022}} Japan,{{cite web|url=http://www.act-japan-acbs.jp/|title=The Japanese Association for Contextual Behavioral Science|author=|date=|publisher=|access-date=11 September 2016}} Belgium, the Netherlands,{{cite web|url=http://www.acbsbene.nl/|title=ACBS BeNe – Nederlandstalige Chapter|author=|date=|publisher=|access-date=11 September 2016}} Brazil, Australia/New Zealand,{{cite web|url=http://anzact.com/|title=ANZ ACBS Annual Conference 2014 – ANZ ACBS|author=|date=|publisher=|accessdate=11 September 2016}} France,{{cite web|url=https://act-afscc.org/|title=AFSCC|first=Benjamin|last=Schoendorff|date=|publisher=|access-date=14 February 2022}} the United Kingdom, Türkiye, Malaysia, and more. Chapters exist in the United States and Canada as well, including the mid-Atlantic, New England, Washington, Ontario, and several other areas. There are also over 40 Special Interest Groups covering a wide range of basic and applied areas such as children and adolescents, veteran's affairs, ACT for Health, social work, and many other areas.
Activities
- ACBS sponsors an annual conference, the ACBS World Conference. The 2023 (21st annual) meeting was held 24–28 July, in Nicosia, Cyprus. 2024 July, it will be held in Buenos Aires Argentina, and in 2025 July, it will be held in New Orleans, USA.
- In 2012 Elsevier began publishing the official journal of ACBS, the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science.{{cite web |url=http://contextualscience.org/JCBS |title=The Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS) |publisher=Association for Contextual Behavioral Science |access-date=14 February 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-contextual-behavioral-science |title=Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science – Elsevier |publisher=Elsevier |accessdate=14 February 2022}} In 2022 JCBS Impact Factor was 5.00.
- Other activities:
- A scholarship program that sponsors participants from the developing world to attend the World Conferences.
- Listservs for professionals and the public.{{cite web |url=https://contextualscience.org/emailing_lists#ACTPUBLIC |title=ACT for the Public listserv |publisher=Association for Contextual Behavioral Science |access-date=14 February 2022}} Most Special Interest Groups maintain email listservs as well. The largest listserv is on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and is for professionals who are ACBS members, with the second largest listserv focusing on Relational Frame Theory (the ACT listserv for professionals spawned its own reference books of popular questions/topics called Talking ACT published by New Harbinger Publications and Context Press.[https://archive.today/20130129185537/http://www.newharbinger.com/bookstore/productdetails.cfm?PC=523 Talking ACT]). There is also a free listserv for members of the public who are reading ACT self-help books.
- A grant program for projects in contextual behavioral science.
The association's website contains resources such as therapist tools, workshops, metaphors, protocols, and assessment materials,{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=WCyFy08VilIC&pg=PA287 |title=Social workers' desk reference |author1=Albert R. Roberts |author2=Julia M. Watkins |publisher=Oxford University Press 2009 |year=2009 |isbn=9780195369373 }} and provides information on recent books on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Relational Frame Theory (RFT), and Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS).{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gA2ul02-64YC&pg=PA149 |title=Coping with OCD |author1=Bruce Hyman |author2=Bruce M. Hyman |author3=Troy DuFrene |publisher=New Harbinger Publications|date= 1 Jun 2008 |access-date=14 February 2022|isbn=9781608820511 }}
See also
{{Portal|Psychology}}
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
- Acceptance and commitment therapy
- Verbal behavior
- Relational frame theory
- Clinical behavior analysis
- Applied behavior analysis
- Cognitive behavior therapy
- Behaviorism
- Radical behaviorism
{{Div col end}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- [http://www.contextualscience.org/ Association for Contextual Behavioral Science homepage]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Psychology organizations based in the United States
Category:Cognitive behavioral therapy
Category:Health care-related professional associations based in the United States