About this course

Before you can effectively use Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), it helps to understand the behavioral science behind it. In this first episode of our ACT mini-series, we explore the behavior-analytic foundations of ACT, including private events, rule-governed behavior, Relational Frame Theory (RFT), and Arbitrarily Applicable Relational Responding (AARRing). We break down key RFT concepts such as derived relational responding, mutual and combinatorial entailment, and transformation of stimulus function, connecting them to real-world examples of anxiety, avoidance, rigid thinking, and other clinically relevant behavior. This episode gives behavior analysts the conceptual foundation needed to understand not just how to use ACT, but why ACT strategies may influence behavior.