Contextual Behavioral Science (ACT & RFT)
Our team utilizes Contextual Behavioral Science, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT). These approaches focus on building psychological flexibility and improving life satisfaction. Discover how ACT and RFT at Gorog Health can help you navigate challenges, enhance your well-being, and create meaningful change.
What is this Type of Therapy?
Contextual behavior science is the scientific and practical approach to analyzing human behavior that aims to predict and influence behavior across all domains and levels of analysis. At the root, CBS proposes that social, neurological, and behavioral factors influence behavior.
In the mental health field, contextual behavior science has led to the development of two approaches to psychotherapy that have gained popularity in recent years: Acceptance and Commitment Theory (ACT) and Relational Frame Theory (RFT).
Acceptance and Commitment Theory – Rooted in its philosophy is the idea of radical acceptance of one’s suppressed thoughts and feelings. As the saying goes, “What you resist, persists” is applicable here. When a patient can accept their thoughts and feelings without casting a negative judgment on the idea or emotion – they become more congruent in who they are and can take affirmative action.
Relational Frame Theory – RFT is a psychological theory that involves changing the relationship between a person and their thoughts. Instead of believing thoughts as literal truths, individuals learn to see them as mental events. For instance, someone with social anxiety might relate a joke as a personal attack – or, more primitively, as a failure on their part to socially calibrate. RFT helps identify these patterns, which is the first step to overcoming them.
Each approach is helpful for different purposes in therapy and can often be mixed. As tools for treating a patient, they are used interchangeably throughout the therapy process.
How does it work?
ACT works by allowing patients to fully accept their thoughts and feelings about an event or situation. This allows them to become more aligned and is a guide to clarifying life goals and values.
RFT works by clarifying whether “mental events” or subconscious associations they experience have merit or not.
How does it help?
ACT and RFT help patients to understand themselves better and to clarify values and goals. Here are some more benefits included in this approach:
- Greater awareness of their social anxiety triggers
- The ability to change the relationship between a person and their thoughts
- Acceptance of what anxious thoughts/feelings come up
- More clarified, meaningful goals that are aligned with their core values
What is it used for?
ACT and RFT can be used to treat different issues in a therapy setting:
- General Anxiety Disorder
- Mood Disorders
- OCD
- PTSD
- Eating Disorders
- Substance Abuse
- Stress Management
- Relationship Issues
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps individuals accept their thoughts and feelings by focusing on taking actions aligned with their values.
What Makes Us Qualified for This Type of Treatment?
Dr. Gorog spent two years obtaining her Master’s in Clinical Counseling and then went on to obtain her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, which is the highest level of preparation and training a mental health professional can complete to offer the most comprehensive mental health treatment and therapy. Her doctorate program included 5 years of full-time study involving coursework, research, a practicum, a dissertation, and one year on a doctoral internship. Currently, she has now over 12 years in experience and practice as a mental health professional.
What Can Patients Expect?
Patients, in general, can expect to be asked a lot of questions. As opposed to other psychotherapy models, ACT and RFT focus on a person holistically. As such, questions about their background, current situation, thoughts, and feelings are all valid and necessary.
What are the steps of this type of therapy?
While RFT is more of a framework for psychotherapy, the steps for ACT include:
- Acceptance: With a trained psychotherapist, learning to accept events, both past and possible future events, is the first step in undergoing contextual behavioral therapy.
- Mindfulness: By staying present with the emotions that come up, you’ll be able to acknowledge feelings without getting caught up in them.
- Values Clarification: At this stage, questions of values typically arise. At this juncture, a trained psychotherapist can ask you questions that allow you to reflect on what values you adhere to. Usually, these values are not chiseled, and a trained therapist helps you clarify them.
- Committed Action: Once this discovery is made, committed action is required. The final aspect of contextual behavioral therapy is having a therapist help you decide on what goals are meaningful to you and stick to them.
What Does A Timeline Look Like?
How long symptoms take to resolve depends on the severity of the psychological issue. For people who’ve suffered a near-death experience and suffer from PTSD might take longer than someone who faces social anxiety. It also depends on the individual’s willingness, to be honest and be flexible in the therapeutic process.
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In The News
Denver based Clinical Health Psychologist, Dr. Lauren Gorog, appears on the Kathie J Show from KCDO Local3 & Denver7 to speak about sleepwalking, night terrors, night terrors vs nightmares, and child sleepwalking vs adult sleepwalking.
Watch Dr. Gorog’s interview on the Kathie J Show on Local3 Denver, where she talks about insomnia, CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia), and how her practice approaches insomnia treatment and sleep support.