Can I do ACT for that? Delineating an Individualized Boundary of Competence for ACT in ABA (ETHICS!!!) – A 4 hour workshop in 2 parts

ABSTRACT

Behavior analysts have shown increased interest in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training (ACT) in recent years as ACT has gained mainstream acceptance within applied behavior analysis. Given that ACT’s intellectual origins are closely aligned with behavior analysis, it is natural to assume that behavior analysts can readily learn ACT techniques and integrate them into their professional practice. However, ethical challenges emerge when behavior analysts with a diverse range of training experiences and professional backgrounds attempt to implement ACT across a diverse range of settings, populations, and target behaviors. While significant attention has been placed on broadly defining the scope of practice of ACT within ABA (Szabo & Tarbox, 2018), relatively limited attention has been placed on exploring boundaries of competence at the level of the individual behavior analyst. To date, observations of inappropriate recommendations made by behavior analysts on how and when to use ACT on public social media forums, previous evaluations from other ABAC events, and recent commentaries published in BAP (Tarbox et al., 2020, Cihon et al., 2022) indicate that scope of practice is a primary area of concern for behavior analysts within the context of ACT. This workshop is designed to empower behavior analysts to define their own boundary of competence with regard to ACT and to identify specific contexts, populations, and target behaviors where they can ethically and effectively utilize ACT to influence socially relevant behaviors. Particular emphasis will be placed on the “grey areas” that lie at the boundary of ethical and potentially unethical practice. Participants will practice using a series of decision making tools (e.g., Rosenberg & Schwartz, 2018) to help them identify when they are practicing within “grey areas” and safely navigate towards the ethical practice of ACT within ABA. 

TARGET AUDIENCE

Behavior analysts interested in the ethical implications of implementing ACT in their practice

We also welcome those for whom the topic is within their scope of practice, students and others who are also interested in the topic to join us. Note that continuing education credit may not be available for all professionals in the target audience. ABAC will provide a certificate of attendance for those who attend for professional development purposes.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After attending this event participants should be able to:

1. Identify common ethical challenges that can occur when integrating ACT into professional practice as a behavior analyst.
2. Discriminate between contexts where the use of ACT techniques falls within and outside the boundary of competence for most behavior analysts.
3. Select appropriate decision making tools and questions to help guide the development of an individualized boundary of practice of ACT within ABA.
4. Identify appropriate strategies to mitigate ethical concerns when participants find themselves in the “grey areas” at the boundaries of their competence.
5. When given an example, participants will identify the argument for/or against mindfulness-based interventions delivered by a behavior analyst