Assessing the valuing process in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Experts' review of the current status and recommendations for future measure development

Publication date: Available online 10 August 2018Source: Journal of Contextual Behavioral ScienceAuthor(s): Jennifer L. Barney, Jason Lillis, Ann F. Haynos, Evan Forman, Adrienne S. JuarascioAbstractWithin Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), personal values provide the foundational framework of the therapeutic process and are considered necessary to facilitate targeted behavioral movement and a more vital, meaningful life. Considering the proposed nature of values as a core mechanism of change in this way, a thorough understanding of the therapeutic valuing process through which targeted changes occur is essential to evaluate the true efficacy of the ACT model empirically and implement it most effectively. However, to date, development of measurement tools for this purpose is limited and those that do exist are often inconsistent in their targeted constructs. The current study collected in-depth, descriptive data from ACT experts to critically examine how the valuing process in ACT is currently defined and measured and make recommendations for future measure development. 11 experts participated in semi-structured interviews and responded to topic guided questions. Thematic analyses of experts’ responses were then conducted, and eight core themes were identified. Findings denoted that experts’ definitions of the valuing process and its core components are largely consistent with theoretical conceptualization of ACT but that no measurement tool to date provides a compl...

Source: Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science - August 31, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research