Skip to main content
Log in

The Potential Benefits of Flexibility for Dissemination and Implementation: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as an Example

  • Commentary
  • Published:
Perspectives on Behavior Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Notes

  1. “Flexibility” is used in its more typical, colloquial meaning in this article, particularly with regards to being sensitive and adaptive to target audience and contexts, rather than it’s more specific use in ACT as a shorthand for psychological flexibility.

References

  • American Psychological Association (APA) (2016). Psychological treatments. Division 12. Retrieved from https://www.div12.org/treatments/.

  • Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) (2018). ACT randomized controlled trials since 1986. Retrieved from https://contextualscience.org/ACT_Randomized_Controlled_Trials.

  • Bond, F. W., Hayes, S. C., Baer, R. A., Carpenter, K., Orcutt, H. K., Waltz, T., & Zettle, R. D. (2011). Preliminary psychometric properties of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II: A revised measure of psychological flexibility and acceptance. Behavior Therapy, 42, 676–688.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Darrow, S. M., & Follette, W. C. (2014). Where’s the beef? Reply to Kanter, Holman, and Wilson. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3, 265–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dindo, L., Marchman, J., Gindes, H., & Fiedorowicz, J. G. (2015). A brief behavioral intervention targeting mental health risk factors for vascular disease: A pilot study. Psychotherapy & Psychosomatics, 84, 183–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, M. R., & Paliliunas, D. (2018). AIM: A behavior analytic curriculum for social-emotional development in children. Shawnee Scientific Press.

  • Hayes, S. C., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Contextual behavioral science: Creating a science more adequate to the challenge of the human condition. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 1, 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, S. C., Hayes, L. J., & Reese, H. W. (1988). Finding the philosophical core: A review of Stephen C. Pepper’s World hypotheses: A study in evidence. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 50, 97.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, S. C., Wilson, K. G., Gifford, E. V., Bissett, R., Piasecki, M., Batten, S. V., et al. (2004). A randomized controlled trial of twelve-step facilitation and acceptance and commitment therapy with polysubstance abusing methadone maintained opiate addicts. Behavior Therapy, 35, 667–688.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hooper, N., & Larsson, A. (2015). The research journey of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kanter, J. W., Holman, G., & Wilson, K. G. (2014). Where is the love? Contextual behavioral science and behavior analysis. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3, 69–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levin, M. E., Hayes, S. C., Pistorello, J., & Seeley, J. (2016). Web-based self-help for preventing mental health problems in universities: Comparing acceptance and commitment training to mental health education. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 72, 207–225.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacCorquodale, K., & Meehl, P. E. (1948). On a distinction between hypothetical constructs and intervening variables. Psychological Review, 55(2), 95–107.

  • Plumb, J. C., & Vilardaga, R. (2010). Assessing treatment integrity in acceptance and commitment therapy: Strategies and suggestions. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation & Therapy, 6, 263–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Polk, K. L., & Schoendorff, B. (2014). The act matrix: A new approach to building psychological flexibility across settings and populations. Context Press.

  • Robinson, P. J., Gould, D. A., & Strosahl, K. D. (2011). Real behavior change in primary care: Improving patient outcomes and increasing job satisfaction. New Harbinger.

  • Roemer, L., & Orsillo, S. M. (2008). Mindfulness- and acceptance-based behavioral therapies in practice. Guilford Press.

  • Shull, R. L. (1999). Statistical inference in behavior analysis: Discussant’s remarks. The Behavior Analyst, 22, 117–121.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sidman, M. (1960). Tactics of scientific research: Evaluating experimental data in Psychology. Boston, MA: Authors Cooperative, Inc.

  • Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2010). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Retrieved from https://nrepp.samhsa.gov/Legacy/ViewIntervention.aspx?id=191.

  • Stewart, C., Ebert, B., & Bockarie, H. (2017). Commit and act in Sierra Leone. In R. G. White, S. Jain, D. M. R. Orr, & U. M. Read (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of sociocultural perspectives on global mental health (pp. 657–678). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Törneke, N. (2010). Learning RFT: An introduction to relational frame theory and its clinical application. Oakland, CA: Context Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vilardaga, R., Hayes, S. C., Levin, M. E., & Muto, T. (2009). Creating a strategy for progress: A contextual behavioral science approach. The Behavior Analyst, 32(1), 105–133.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Villatte, M., Villatte, J. L., & Hayes, S.C. (2015). Mastering the clinical conversation: Language as intervention. Guilford Press. New York, NY

  • Walser, R. D., Karlin, B. E., Trockel, M., Mazina, B., & Taylor, C. B. (2013). Training in and implementation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for depression in the Veterans Health Administration: Therapist and patient outcomes. Behaviour Research & Therapy, 51, 555–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zettle, R. D. (2005). The evolution of a contextual approach to therapy: From comprehensive distancing to ACT. International Journal of Behavioral Consultation & Therapy, 1(2), 77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael E. Levin.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Levin, M.E., Smith, B.M. & Smith, G.S. The Potential Benefits of Flexibility for Dissemination and Implementation: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as an Example. Perspect Behav Sci 42, 223–232 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-019-00196-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-019-00196-0

Navigation