The theory of language and cognition known as RFT (relational frame theory) was operationalized as a therapeutic approach in the landmark book, Mastering the Clinical Conversation (Villatte, Villatte, & Hayes 2015). This approach, grounded in contextual behavioral science, can function to enhance other psychotherapeutic models or stand on its own by providing clinicians with strategic ways to harness the power of language in psychotherapy. Within this framework, clinically-applied RFT includes two overarching therapeutic goals, four interdependent processes that comprise the therapeutic approach, a primary behavioral change strategy, and relationally framed interventions to effectively assess and shape behavior.
In this experiential and practical 8-hour (4 hr/day over two days) workshop for beginner-to-intermediate level contextual behavioral clinicians, participants will be introduced to this model through a combination of didactics, interactive exercises, case presentations, demonstrations, and small group practice sessions that focus on targeted clinical skill-building. After getting acquainted with the basic properties of RFT in an easily accessible and digestible manner, the different types of relational frames will be reviewed with respect to clinical relevance. Practitioners will experiment with implementing them as psychotherapeutic interventions designed to evoke four functional classes of behavior that are critical to functional coherence and flexible context sensitivity, the two overarching goals of clinically-applied RFT. Accordingly, there will be opportunities to assess coherence and context sensitivity across clinical presentations, including with respect to relational inflexibility, language-influenced experiential avoidance, and rule-governed behavior. Participants will learn how an experiential, pragmatic, and integrative approach to therapy can naturally evoke awareness, agency, efficacy, and acceptance/inclusion of self. Participants will practice employing the key behavioral change strategy of altering the (symbolic) context to transform the function of private events (i.e. relations), including in the application and/or creation of metaphors. Given that languaging is inherently interpersonal, practitioners will also experiment with ways of enhancing the quality of the therapeutic relationship with relational framing. Socio-cultural considerations and implications will be interwoven throughout.