Presenters: Jeff Seigel and Jonathan Tarbox

Description:

This two-part mini-workshop will cover the fundamentals of incorporating acceptance and commitment training (ACT) into the supervision that you provide staff when working as a behavior analyst. ACT is a verbally-mediated intervention that trains self-management repertoires of behavior that empower people to engage with their own private events less rigidly, spend more of their time and energy on behaviors motivated by positive reinforcement, and have less of their behavior governed by rigid rules oriented toward escape/avoidance. In plain language, ACT helps people get less stuck and more active in doing things that truly matter to them, rather than working for avoidance. Working as an ABA clinician is challenging and can naturally be stressful. The words that we use while providing supervision to the staff we supervise can be helpful or make the situation worse.

This mini-workshop will provide practical strategies for how to incorporate ACT skills into your ABA supervision, both for yourself as a supervisor, and for providing better mentorship and supervision for your staff. The workshop will cover the ACT Matrix, as well as many other simple and practical tools. Prior knowledge of ACT will be helpful but not necessary. Many opportunities for behavioral skills training will be integrated throughout the workshop.

Learning objectives

• Attendees will be able to describe the ACT choice point or pivot point with real-life examples in the context of supervising ABA staff

• Attendees will be able to implement the ACT matrix in role-plays of supervisin ABA staff

• Attendees will be able to implement simple mindfulness mindfulness procedure in the context of supervising ABA staff

• Attendees will be able to implement simple acceptance procedures in the context of supervising ABA staff

• Attendees will be able to implement simple values procedures in the context of supervising ABA staff

• Attendees will be able to implement simple committed action procedures in the context of supervising ABA staff