Becoming an ACT Trainer

The Peer Reviewed Trainers (PRTs) is a service organization that is under the purview of the ACBS Training Committee. PRTs are expert ACT trainers who have committed to be of service to other trainers, ACBS members, professionals, students and the community at large through their expertise in providing training in ACT, RFT, and Functional Contextualism.

The PRT process is focused exclusively on an individual’s activities as a trainer, that is, the services they offer to other professionals who are wanting to learn ACT, RFT, and/or Functional Contextualism. As it is part of the Training Committee, the PRT program is focused on the activity of providing professional training to others learning ACT/RFT/FC. It is not involved in determining an individual’s competency as an ACT practitioner in general nor does it apply to practitioners who are implementing ACT in other capacities including as a clinician, coach, teacher, consultant, supervisor, etc. Many of the PRTs are also in other roles in which they apply ACT in various capacities, but the PRT designation is focused only on their training activities.

No. The PRT process is NOT an accreditation or certification program, nor does it purport to determine who is or is not competent to provide ACT trainings nor other applications of ACT including therapy. All PRTs need to be expert trainers, but certainly not all competent ACT trainers have decided to go through the PRT process. This is a service organization that, as part of its membership criteria, requires that all members have demonstrated that they are expert ACT trainers.

Being listed as a trainer on the ACBS site is meant as a pragmatic way to help learners find high quality ACT training. The ACT Trainers in this community are committed to training with high fidelity to the model and work from explicit, agreed-upon shared values as they train others in ACT. Anyone is free to do/provide training in ACT without undergoing peer review or joining this training community. This peer review process is a voluntary method trainers choose to undergo because it fits their own professional development goals.

Also, as an ACT Peer-Reviewed Trainer, you are able to apply through ACBS to be a co-sponsor for an event that offers CEs for Psychologists at a deeply discounted price. To find out more information on this opportunity, please visit the ACBS CE Co-Sponsorship page.

Being a trainer is also a way to give back to the ACBS community. We are all stronger when we work together. Being a trainer gives you a voice in influencing what ACBS does relating to training and allows you to be part of how ACT and CBS training is conducted around the world. If you'd like a chance to give back to ACBS, and have the skills to be listed as a trainer, we'd encourage you to consider joining. As one member said, joining this community isn't about "what do I get?" but instead, "what can I contribute?".

You are welcome to join this training community and be listed as an ACT trainer. Six criteria must be met to do so:

1. Agree to the list of values and principles for ACT trainers
2. Have a terminal degree in a relevant behavioral field
3. Be known to be of good character at the organization’s sole discretion
4. Be highly effective in the core skills and competencies of an ACT therapist
5. Be highly effective in training others in ACT
6. Have a good working knowledge of the basic science and philosophy that underpin ACT vis-a-vis- behavior analysis, relational frame theory, and functional contextualism (see examples of the basic science essays here). Please note that AI cannot be used except for translation, and essays may be subjected to AI checkers. 

The ACBS training community uses a process of peer review to determine whether a trainer meets these criteria. The spirit of the peer review process is to protect the high fidelity of ACT training through review of the accuracy and quality with which a trainer shares the ACT model while simultaneously promoting a non-proprietary open community that encourages new talent and innovation.

Fee

There is an $80 USD administrative fee for each application. Those in Developing Nations (see if you qualify here) will see a fee of $10 USD (if this fee is a barrier, please contact ACBS to discuss the situation, as we don't what this fee to be the difference between your application & non-application).

One of the duties of the ACBS Training Committee has been the time intensive task of maintaining training quality standards, and administration of the ACT Trainer Peer Review process. Those of you that have gone through it know that it is a significant review, and much time and care is taken in this process. It has been estimated that the average cost of ACBS staff time to usher through one of these applications is approximately $160 USD. As you can see, ACBS is absorbing half of the cost of this application process. This does not include all of the generous volunteer time of our committee and our reviewers in this process.

If you are interested in joining the training community and being listed as a trainer, a good place to start is with self-assessment. To self-assess your qualifications:

1. Review the values statement (leer en español) to see if these are values you endorse (these are listed at the end of the application and also posted in the "Peer Reviewed ACT Trainers Values Statement" file at the bottom of this webpage)
2. Assess yourself against the list of therapist competencies and trainer competencies to see if you would rate yourself highly.

Criterion re ‘Terminal Degree in Behavioral Health Field’

One of the criteria to be listed as an ACT trainer is that the applicant’s terminal degree be in a behavioral health field. This is meant to ensure that trainers have relevant underpinning theoretical and applied knowledge of behaviorism and can provide. Applicants with degrees in other areas of applied psychology (e.g. organizational, educational, counseling, health, social work, marriage & family therapy) may be able to show that their training has the relevant education and application of behavioral principles to their field of expertise. Applicants with terminal degrees in other fields may have some difficulty showing this competence. 

Given that recipients of ACT training will often include behavioral/mental health clinicians, it is also necessary that applicants have the credentials required in one’s respective country to provide behavioral/mental health services (e.g. behavior analysis, psychotherapy).

If your final degree is not in a behavioral health field, you should contact the Chair of the Training Committee in advance of preparing any application to determine if your underpinning knowledge and competencies will be likely to fit this criterion. In emailing the Chair, it would be useful to describe your training to date, your degree, the nature of your work and any subsequent courses of study or experience acquired that can testify as to your underpinning skills in the theory and application of behavioral psychology. The current Chair is Lou Lasprugato.

If you view yourself as qualified, please consider requesting peer review of your skills as an ACT trainer.

The ACBS community uses a peer review process to balance the need to protect and foster the high fidelity of ACT training with the need to keep the community open to new talented, innovative, qualified trainers. Peers review the materials the trainer submits. A positive review means that peers view the trainer’s work as of the soundest quality. Real effort is made to have the decision to list a trainer on the ACBS website under the influence of the data/argument in the work rather than personal or political factors like who you know or where you trained.

Here’s how the peer review process works:

1. Candidates self-assess their qualifications relative to the evaluation criteria and submit their application for peer review to join the ACBS training community and be listed as an ACT trainer on the ACBS website.
2. Each training application is reviewed by two currently listed trainers. ACBS staff assigns reviewers through the Training Committee approved process: ACBS staff, using a list of Peer Reviewed Trainers, reaches out to trainers (inverse order of those who have most recently completed reviews) or have never done a review (new trainers). Based on their availability, reviews are assigned or the next person on the list is asked until a reviewer is assigned. Staff makes sure that at least one of the two reviewers has reviewed an application in the past and that the reviewers have no known conflicts of interest with the applicant (wrote a letter a recommendation for the application, was a former supervisor, etc.).
3. The Reviewers receive the invitation by e-mail. The Reviewer agrees or declines to review.
4. If the Reviewer agrees, he or she reads the application and completes the peer review rating form, selects a recommendation, and submits the review to the Training Committee. Reviewers are expected to keep the information in applications they review confidential.
5. The Committee Chair makes the final decision relying on peer-review feedback to guide the decision and will send a summary letter to inform the applicant of the decision along with each reviewer’s blind comments to the applicant (the same summary and each others’ comments are sent to reviewers). Applicants are encouraged to use reviewers' comments as suggestions regarding where they could further refine skills and competencies. The Committee Chair may need to occasionally resolve issues related to conflict of interest among reviewers. Reviewers’ identities are generally not revealed to applicants in order to free reviewers from any social pressures, allowing them to consider only the quality of the application.
6. Trainer profiles of those approved by the review process are posted on the ACBS website.

The following forms are used to determine the skills of the applicant:

Now that you have read the information about the application process and feel that you are ready to submit your application, you can go to the peer review application form (leer en español) The Committee Chair offers suggestions and guidance on the application process. Applicants should submit all materials at one time (not in pieces as they are completed/gathered). All materials will be submitted electronically to ACBS at support@contextualscience.org. Please feel free to also email ACBS if you have any questions or concerns.

Please label documents to include information about the criterion they are fulfilling (e.g., Criterion1.Signed Values and Principles.pdf , Criterion3a.JaneDoeLetter.docx, Criterion5i.ACTWorkshop.ppt).

As part of the peer review application, it is necessary to have two current ACT trainers review a training example. There are two options to satisfy this important requirement for peer review: live observation or video recording.

Live observations of a training at a conference/event can be organized by the Training Committee if you successfully complete the Observation Request Form for Trainings. However, individuals should download the forms below and consider the application process before they make a request. 

Another option is to submit a previous training video recording. You can submit this with your application and the Training Committee will find observers for you. Video footage should be limited to 3 hours total. If you choose this option, you must submit a viewer's guide for the observers to direct attention to specific portions that highlight the particular competencies.

Whether the observation is done live or via video, the observer will complete the peer review observation form. The Committee Chair has provided suggestions and guidelines for observers and reviewers.

ACBS strongly supports diversity in our training community. We are committed to supporting applicants who train in languages other than English by arranging for their application to be reviewed by others fluent in that language. In cases where that is not possible, for example when an applicant’s recorded material is in a language not spoken by someone in the training community, we seek to overcome that barrier in other ways. Applicants have successfully had video recordings of a training transcribed, as one example, and then Peer Reviewed Trainers have evaluated the tapes complete with transcripts. We encourage applicants in this situation to contact the ACBS Training Committee administrative support person at support@contextualscience.com, or Lou Lasprugato, Training Committee Chair directly for further information. ACBS is a worldwide organization and the Training Committee welcomes the opportunity to work with you to minimize language as a barrier to peer recognition of your training skills.

Sobre se tornar um Peer-Reviewed ACT Trainer: o que é e como chegar lá?

If you have any questions about requesting peer review or joining the training community, please contact the ACBS Training Committee administrative support person at support@contextualscience.org