Introduction to the Special Issue Book Reviews

Introduction to the Special Issue by The International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy Book Summary

The publication of this special issue devoted to the development of measurement and assessment instruments and procedures for use in research related to acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT; Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999) can be seen as the latest milestone in ACT's growth and development (Zettle, 2005). Within behavior therapy more broadly, a time lag occurred between the development of interventions and the subsequent work devoted to behavioral assessment that further substantiated and marked growth within the field. While the journal Behavior Therapy was first published in 1970, the companion journal, Behavioral Assessment, did not appear until 9 years later (Nelson & Hayes, 1979). A similar temporal relationship has now unfolded between the maturation and dissemination of ACT as a functional contextualistic approach for the prevention and alleviation of human suffering and efforts to develop assessment and measurement tools and procedures that help inform, guide, and evaluate the delivery, impact, and mechanisms of action of ACT. Six years ago a special issue of Behavior Therapy was devoted to applications of ACT (Haaga, 2004). The publication of this special issue highlighting assessment related to ACT is thus further evidence of its "coming of age." The collection of seven papers within this special issue represents some of the latest and "cutting edge" work in developing instruments and procedures to move ACT-related research forward. One distinguishing feature of research to date on ACT has been efforts to evaluate not only its therapeutic impact, but the mechanisms of action through which such change may be mediated (Hayes, Luoma, Bond, Masuda, & Lillis, 2006). More specifically, process research within ACT has typically examined the relationship between change in one or more of the following core processes within the "hexaflex" thought to contribute to psychological flexibility and overall treatment responsivity: (a) acceptance, (b) defusion, (c) mindfulness, (d) transcendent perspective-taking, (e) valuing, and (f) committed action (Hayes et al., 2006). While experiential acceptance is the one therapeutic process that perhaps has received the most attention, and is indeed the focus of the majority of the papers within this special issue, the first article by Hinton and Gaynor contributes to the assessment and analysis of defusion as a core process. Specifically, the authors report on their development of a defusion scale to assess the change process associated with a brief, time-limited ACT-based intervention designed to reduce fusion with negative, dysphoric-related thoughts. By now the dissemination and reach of ACT has become international. The "parent organization" of those of us who practice, research, and/or provide training in ACT, the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS), as of this writing has nearly 3,000 members ranging from Argentina (4) to the United Arab Emirates (2). The establishment of ACBS chapters in Asia, Australia/New Zealand, and Europe as well as the United States is further evidence of ACT "going global." A legitimate concern that emerges with such international dissemination is the degree to which ACT-related processes originally assessed and investigated within one culture generalize to others. Within this context, the second paper by Cook and Hayes that compares the relationship between acceptance and psychological health among Asian American versus Caucasian American students is especially timely and pertinent.

👋 Do you love Introduction to the Special Issue books? Please share your friends!

Introduction to the Special Issue (The International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy) Book Reviews 2024

The International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy - Introduction to the Special Issue Discussions & Comments

Have you read this book yet? What do you think about Introduction to the Special Issue by The International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy book? Ask the bookpedia.co community a question about Introduction to the Special Issue!