How Did We Get Here? The Journey to the Undermining Pliance Parallel Process Model

RFT SIG Meeting
Date & Time: June 12, 2025 | 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Zoom Link: Join Meeting
Meeting ID: 965 5708 6126
Passcode: 585807

Description:

This session is part of the Dissemination and Implementation of RFT in Behavior Analysis series, hosted by the RFT SIG.
John and Katie have spent the majority of their careers in educational settings—John with a background in mental health, and Katie from the educational and ABA perspective. A fateful message in search of an ACT therapist on the ACBS website sparked a creative and innovative collaboration rooted in ACT and Relational Frame Theory (RFT).

Their shared work led to the development of an alternative educational model grounded in these frameworks, where they began to see the pervasive role of pliance—and the importance of undermining it—within parallel processes involving clients, teachers, and staff.

Through continued collaboration, they created the Undermining Pliance Parallel Process Model, which highlights the essential practice of recognizing and navigating parallel processes between clinicians and the people they serve. While many clinicians acknowledge the impact of their own private events on intervention delivery, this model provides a map for doing so with intention and effectiveness.

Join us as John and Katie share the evolution of their work and offer a general overview of the model they first presented at ACBS WorldCon in Buenos Aires.