Dificultades y barreras del terapeuta en el aprendizaje de la Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso (ACT) [Difficulties and Therapist’s Barriers while Learning ACT]

Contextual therapies are at its peak nowadays, as plenty of workshops, expertise courses, conferences on this matter are given every year around the world. Acceptance and Committment Therapy (ACT) is a contextual therapy that gathers a vast empirical evidence, and its application is currently widespread to multiple contexts. Nevertheless, when learning ACT some difficulties can arise, especially when theory and practice, as the two sides of the same coin, are set apart. Learning ACT involves the theotherical-applied dimension about the laws concerning human behavior, especially about human language. Moreover, about the conditions under which these laws applied to the processes and methods to generate psychological flexibility. While learning ACT, one of the main problems is related to learn ACT methods or tools without a basic, systematic, precise and contextualized training. An additional problem is related to the difficulties that emerge in the therapists themselves when interacting upon their clients behavior. Their actions might not to be frequently adjusted to the function of their clients’ behaviors -and, consequently, there should not be the appropriate context for helping the client to interact with his/her own private events without losing the direction of a valued-life. These latter difficulties have been named “the therapist’s barriers”. The present article addresses part of this problem. The experience gathered in researching and training professionals in ACT is briefly described, and some effective interventions are presented. This study advances over the need in isolating, experimentally, these ways of proceeding.



Novedad y relevancia:

- ¿Qué se sabe sobre el tema?

• Las terapias contextuales, de tercera generación, especialmente la Terapia de Aceptación y Compromiso, están en auge.

• En el proceso de aprendizaje y aplicación de la terapia surgen dificultades en los terapeutas al entrar en contacto con las conductas de los pacientes. La reacción inefectiva de los terapeutas a los eventos privados que la interacción produce se ha catalogado como barreras del terapeuta.

- ¿Qué añade este artículo?

• Describe parte de las dificultades en el aprendizaje y aplicación de ACT a partir de la experiencia acumulada en la investigación y formación de profesionales.

• Presenta diferentes claves para abordar las barreras de los terapeutas.