Advances in Relational Frame Theory ― Research and Application

As acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) increases in popularity among clinicians, it becomes more and more vital to understand its theoretical basis, relational frame theory (RFT). RFT is a psychological theory of human language and cognition, developed by Steven C. Hayes. It focuses on how humans learn language and how language connects them to their environment. In essence, our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are dependent on our experiences and the context that these experiences provide.

Edited by leading relational frame theory (RFT) scholars, Simon Dymond, PhD, and Brian Roche, PhD, Advances in Relational Frame Theory presents advances in all aspects of RFT research over the last decade, and provides a greater understanding of the core principals of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The book also contains chapters written by Steven C. Hayes and Kelly Wilson, both research-active experts from the RFT community around the world.

Because ACT is focused largely on accepting one’s thoughts, it is important to understand where these thoughts come from. And while many books on RFT are abstract and require extensive knowledge of behavior analysis, this is the first book to comprehensively but accessibly introduce RFT to ACT mental health professionals.

Gaining a deeper knowledge of the relational concepts of RFT can help you understand why a person's behavior does not always match up with their self-professed values. Whether you are a mental health professional, or simply someone who is interested in the connection between language and experience, this book is an invaluable resource.

Simon Dymond, PhD, BCBA-D, is a reader in psychology at Swansea University. He received his undergraduate training and PhD (in 1996) from University College Cork, where he studied under Dermot Barnes-Holmes. He has published over seventy empirical research articles on derived relational responding, avoidance, and gambling, and currently sits on several editorial boards of publications, including the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and The Psychological Record.

Bryan Roche, PhD, CPsychol, CSci, AFBPsS, graduated with his doctorate in behavior analysis in 1995, after which he took up academic posts at University College Cork, Ireland and the University of Bath, UK. His current position is at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Roche has published approximately eighty articles, peer-reviewed papers, and book chapters on relational frame theory (RFT) and related topics. In particular, his research has involved the application of RFT to the study of social and sexual behavior, the understanding and treatment of anxiety, and most recently the development of online relational frame training interventions to increase intelligence quotients (raiseyouriq.com). He was coeditor of the book Relational Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian Analysis of Language and Cognition (2001). Roche currently sits on the editorial boards of several behavior-analytic journals, and is a regular ad-hoc reviewer for several of the major international journals of behavioral psychology.

Foreword writer Jan De Houwer, PhD, has authored and coauthored more than 160 publications in international journals, including Psychological Bulletin; Journal of Experimental Psychology: General; and Behavioral and Brain Sciences. He is currently editor of the journal Cognition and Emotion.