To ensure we offer contemporary continuing education opportunities, the CE credit associated with this video is no longer available, however, the video remains available for viewing.
The controversy over whether behavior analysts should not only examine, but intervene on, private events has not ended. Reluctance to incorporate analyses of covert language processes into applied behavior analyses has limited our field’s scope. Moreover, applied behavior analysis continues to focus its energies predominantly on small-scale studies in highly controlled environments while larger societal problems flourish. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss how the concepts encompassed by Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can be applied to several very diverse areas of social concern, including: 1) human service agency staff training; 2) health prevention behaviors; and 3) marine conservation. I will articulate the often underappreciated relationship between relational learning and psychological inflexibility and experiential avoidance, and will describe how concepts such as acceptance, values, and committed actions can have an impact in building the adaptive repertoires needed to resolve a number of small and large-scale issues of social significance